Saudi Arabia joins the global quest for longer life. Welcome!

Word leaked out that Saudi Arabia intends to spend up to $1 billion a year on life extension research.

That kind of money could make the Gulf nation the largest single sponsor of researchers who seek ways to slow aging and cure diseases related to it.

But, as impressive as the potential commitment is, the Saudi investment will only enhance the efforts to extend life, not revolutionize them. The community of companies, universities and individual researchers around the world focused on this issue is enormous and growing. By 2030, the longevity science market value is expected to exceed $44 billion.

We were thrilled when we read that the Saudi royal family started a not-for-profit organization called the Hevolution Foundation devoted to aging research. And we very much welcome the Gulf state to our mission.

Methuselah Foundation was a pioneer in the arena when we began to support longevity research in the year 2000.  Since then, Google founder Larry Page has gotten involved. Jeff Bezos is doing it. Tech billionaires Larry Ellison and Peter Thiel have joined the effort.

Saudi Arabia’s commitment ups the stakes. More importantly, it confirms the fact that aging is the most pressing medical issue confronting humanity today.

“Our primary goal is to extend the period of healthy life span,” the Hevolution Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer Mehmood Kahn told MIT Technology Review. "There is not a bigger medical problem on the planet than this one.”

Kahn is the latest highly credentialed scientist to join the effort. A former Mayo Clinic endocrinologist, he was once chief scientist at PespsiCo. He is executive chairman of the board of Life Biosciences, whose mission is to find ways to extend the healthy human lifespan. Previously, he was president of Global R&D at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies.

He is focused on finding real-world solutions that can be commercialized and made available to a waiting world. 

“We need to translate that biology to progress toward human clinical research,” he said. “Ultimately, it won’t make a difference until something appears in the market that actually benefits patients.”

It’s not clear what motivates the Saudi government to invest in longevity research, but it may be a concern about its aging population.

Saudi Arabia is experiencing a lot of diseases of affluence caused by rich diets and too little exercise. Though the country’s median age is around 31, it is coping with rising rates of obesity and diabetes. A 2019 study in the “Saudi Medical Journal” found the country’s prosperity had led to an “urgent need to establish prevention and control programs.”

Whatever the reason for Hevolution’s creation, we welcome its involvement. Our mission is to make 90 the new 50 by 2030. It seems that Hevolution shares our sense of urgency and we eagerly look forward to the results.