Human Longevity: High vitality life extension using precision medicine – Presentation by David S. Karow, MD, Phd, President and Chief Innovation Officer, Human Longevity Inc. (HLI).
Human Longevity, Inc. has a long, complex and tumultuous history. The company was launched on the promise of improving human health and longevity via whole genome sequencing, but unfortunately that promise has not really panned out from what I can see; most diseases are a complex mix of genes and environment, and just having your genome sequenced doesn’t typically provide a ton of benefit for most people. As can be expected in this scenario, the company has expanded into full body MRI scans and other related areas now.
As they say on their website:
In 2013, Human Longevity was founded with a half a billion dollars by Craig Venter, who currently sits on our Scientific Advisory Board. Starting as a research project, Human Longevity has now become a full-encompassing precision medical center under the direction of renowned entrepreneur Dr. Wei-Wu He. As one of the original scientists that worked on the human genome with Craig Venter, Dr. He wanted to bring to fruition the genomic revolution and the future of proactive healthcare.
With 2,000 members in the headquarter San Diego, Human Longevity has opened two more sites in San Francisco and Beijing.
Company Website:
Company Youtube Channel & Videos
More history can be found on Wikipedia:
In 2017 they published a paper on the purported benefits of their approach in medicine, to a mixed reaction: This $25,000 physical has found some ‘serious’ health problems. Others say it has serious problems (Science Magazine).. The paper was finally published in PNAS here: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1706096114
Karow says HLI makes no apologies for focusing on early adopters who can afford the Core $7,500 price tag ($19,000 for the Platinum-level package that includes more tests). About 20% of clients opt for follow-on testing for another $3,750 for Core (or $10,000 for Platinum). Many precision health companies have gone bankrupt because they didn’t have a sustainable business model, he notes.
Five years from now, Health Nucleus could be a “more democratized offering” as the cost of genome sequencing and MRI scanners plummet, predicts Karow. Pricing has already come down considerably from an initial $25,000 for the full battery of tests, he says.
Close to 150 gigabytes of data is being collected on each Health Nucleus client from whole genome sequencing (WGS), MRI and CT scans, echocardiograms, EKGs, calcium scoring, blood and metabolomic analysis, stool DNA tests, gut microbiome testing, among potential others, plus an individual’s clinical and family history, Karow says. The typical visit takes four hours between all the assessments and visits with a physician trained in longevity and performance medicine as well as a radiologist.
Aubrey De Grey was at this meeting, and when I spoke with him he said he’s had the full genome sequencing and if you sign up for a multi-year commitment it brings the cost down to around $7,500 for the full scan ( per year for a 5 year commitment) vs. the $25,000 one time fee.
As is common with most startup companies, they’ve had their share of challenges: Genomics Startup Human Longevity’s Valuation Falls 80% (WSJ), and Human Longevity sues J. Craig Venter Institute, alleging theft of trade secrets, and “Human Longevity plans to go public in $1 bln blank-check deal” (which doesn’t seem to have happened, understandable given the SPAC downturn).
More recent press coverage:
Medical clinics are popping up across the country promising to help clients live longer and better - so long as they can pay.
Longevity clinics aim to do everything from preventing chronic disease to healing tennis elbow, all with the goal of optimizing patients’ health for more years. Clients pay as much as $100,000 a year for sometimes-unproven treatments, including biological-age testing, early cancer screenings, stem-cell therapies and hair rejuvenation.
The Longevity Clinic Will See You Now—for $100,000 (WSJ)
Related Threads:
- Longevity Clinics: What They Are, Services & More
- Longevity Clinics: Dr. Andrea Maier, Chi Longevity, Singapore
- Longevity Clinics: Dr. Mark Hyman, Function Health
- Longevity Clinics: Fountain Life, Mona Ezzat – Velinov, MD
- Longevity Clinics: Cleveland Clinic, Wellness and Preventive Medicine, Michael F. Roizen MD
- The Longevity Clinic Will See You Now—for $100,000 (WSJ)
Company Presentation
Here is the company’s overview as it was presented in December of 2023.
