Largest ever XPRIZE launches with aim of improving healthy ageing & $101mn prize pot
Melanie May | 30 November 2023 | News
XPRIZE has launched the $101mn XPRIZE Healthspan. A seven-year global competition, it is the largest XPRIZE to date, and aims to incentivise teams to develop and test therapeutics that improve healthy ageing and close the gap between life and health expectancy.
XPRIZE Healthspan will award $101 million in prize funding to the team who successfully develops a proactive, accessible therapeutic that restores muscle, cognition, and immune function by a minimum of 10 years, with a goal of 20 years, in persons aged 65-80 years, in one year or less.
An additional $10mn FSHD Bonus Prize will be awarded to a team that demonstrates the ability to restore lost muscular function due to Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD) in one year or less.
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Peter H. Diamandis, MD, founder and executive chairman, XPRIZE commented:
“People around the world are living longer, but quality of life has not kept pace. By targeting aging with a single or combination of therapeutic treatments, it may be possible to restore function lost to age-related degradation of multiple organ systems. Converging exponential technologies such as AI, epigenetics, gene therapy, cellular medicine, and sensors are allowing us to understand why we age – it’s time to revolutionise the way we age. Working across all sectors, we can democratize health and create a future where healthy aging is accessible for everyone and full of potential.”
Jamie Justice, Ph.D., Executive Director of XPRIZE Healthspan, XPRIZE added:
“Traditional medicine only treats one disease at a time and only once symptoms appear, without effectively extending human health. By developing therapeutics that target biological aging rather than disease, we can revolutionize the way we think about and treat aging. If these trials are successful, we will demonstrate that it is possible to improve health even as we age.”
XPRIZE Healthspan is the first health-focused competition of its kind, incentivising competing teams to develop a single or combination of therapeutic treatments that will restore muscle, brain, and immune function lost to age-related degradation by at least 10 years, with a goal of 20 years. Teams will be required to deliver their therapy in 1-year or less in adults aged 65-80 years who are free of major or life-threatening disease and disability. XPRIZE notes that effectively tackling this challenge will require global collaboration with cross-disciplinary researchers, clinicians, industry leaders, policymakers, trade organizations, and nonprofits to make the outcomes possible and accessible to broader populations.
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.