During the Longevity Investors Conference (LIC), held in the exclusive location of Gstaad in Switzerland, we've had the opportunity to talk to some of the key opinion leaders in the industry. In this rapid fire question mini series, you can get some insights into the current longevity trends, investment advice, as well as hear where the industry is going.
Dr Amy B Killen gave a speech "Sexponential Medicine" at the Longevity Investors Conference. Keep reading for some additional thoughts from Amy, an anti-aging and regenerative medicine physician specializing in aesthetics and sexual medicine.
Where do you see the biggest areas for improvement in the longevity field? What's holding them back?
I'm very excited by the research (finally!) being done on ovarian aging and the hope that we'll eventually be able to delay, or even completely obliterate, menopause and all of the harmful hormonal changes that comes with it. In the past, research was done that looked at how to maintain fertility for longer periods of time, but few people talked about the detrimental hormonal changes that happen when the follicles within the ovaries run out at around age fifty. With institutions like the Buck Institute, as well as private companies, finally allocating money and attention to ovarian aging, I'm hopeful that we'll see real progress in this field of study in the coming years.
What, in your opinion, is the current biggest trend in longevity – and what's set to explode?
As a stem cell physician I see so much potential in regenerative therapies. In the coming years, we'll see more and more allogeneic (the donor and patient are not the same) stem cell therapies become available and we'll see products that are engineered to solve specific problems. My hope is that these "off the shelf" cellular products will be widely available at a reasonable price so we can start to see the democratization of regenerative medicine.
What was the inspiration for your longevity point and has the journey been as you expected?
I was an emergency physician for ten years before becoming interested in longevity medicine. Ultimately, I was inspired by my patients. I saw the effects of aging and age-related diseases every day in the emergency department. I saw the effects of lack of education and poor lifestyle choices, combined with limited access to resources and support from the medical establishment. I ultimately left the emergency department to make myself healthier and in doing so I discovered an entire field of study that is primed to restore vitality in all of us. It took a little time for me to think of aging as a disease, but once I wrapped my head around it, I couldn't think of it in any other way!