From experiments that rejuvenate old mice to AI-based measures of biological ageing, new drugs and dedicated longevity clinics, the 7th TimePie Longevity Forum offered a snapshot of the rapidly developing science and business of extending healthy life.
Held in Shanghai in September 2026, the event attracted around 3,000 participants. Presentations ranged from biological clocks designed to measure how quickly we are ageing, to experimental treatments for age-related disease, emerging biotechnology companies and new approaches to delivering longevity medicine.
Big Pharma explores the biology of ageing
GLP-1 drugs have become one of the most visible connections between the pharmaceutical industry and longevity, but major drug companies are also looking more broadly at the biological processes that change as we age and how they might be targeted therapeutically.
At Novartis, researchers are investigating regenerative treatments for conditions including age-related muscle loss and osteoarthritis. Jimmy Elliott presented clinical results illustrating both the potential and limitations of the approach. Bimagrumab increased lean body mass, for example, but produced relatively modest additional improvements in physical function. Another candidate, LNA043, showed early signs that it might encourage cartilage regeneration, although a later Phase IIb trial failed to meet its primary endpoint. The challenge remains turning promising biological effects into meaningful improvements for patients.
Genentech researcher Heinrich Jasper is approaching regeneration from another direction, studying why tissues lose their ability to repair themselves with age. His research into sPtk7-related signalling has highlighted an apparent paradox: signalling that helps tissue recover after damage can actually hinder regeneration when it remains persistently active in older tissues. Better understanding these changes could provide new ways of restoring regenerative capacity later in life.
Measuring whether ageing is really slowing
Being able to measure ageing accurately is becoming increasingly important as researchers test potential longevity interventions. Biological ageing clocks attempt to detect changes that chronological age alone cannot reveal, but there is still considerable debate about exactly what different clocks measure and whether they can reliably show that an intervention is slowing ageing.
Daniel Belsky of Columbia University highlighted the difference between estimating someone's biological age and measuring their pace of ageing. In the CALERIE calorie-restriction trial, his DunedinPACE measure detected a reduction in the estimated rate of ageing among participants receiving the intervention, whereas two other epigenetic clocks did not.
Scientists are also looking beyond epigenetic measurements. Morten Scheibye-Knudsen presented artificial intelligence techniques that analyse features of cell nuclei, blood smears and tissue images for signs associated with ageing. Jiucun Wang of Fudan University discussed combined physiological measurements that may help predict future frailty, disability and cognitive decline.
Such measurements could prove particularly valuable as increasingly ambitious interventions are tested. These range from rapamycin and senolytic drugs to gene therapy and regenerative medicine, sometimes used in combination. At the nonprofit LEV Foundation, Aubrey de Grey's Robust Mouse Rejuvenation programme is testing combinations of interventions in older mice and measuring their effects on both health and survival.
Longevity moves into clinics and biotechnology
Longevity medicine is also beginning to move from research laboratories into hospitals and private clinics. Xiaopeng Liu, vice president of Beijing Geriatric Hospital, described the hospital's development of longevity services combining nutrition, chronic disease management and multidisciplinary medical care.
Anant Vinjamoori of Hims & Hers proposed a more systematic way of building the evidence base for longevity medicine: combining data from standardised patient trials conducted across clinics and healthcare companies. Such an approach could help determine which interventions actually provide measurable benefits.
Some companies are exploring treatments very different from conventional medicines. Linda Kenney of Mechanobiologics presented work using low-frequency ultrasound, including studies in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. The technology is being investigated as a form of physical stimulation that might influence age-related conditions, although it remains experimental.
Established biotechnology companies are also taking an interest in clinical longevity services. Obio Technology — China's first publicly listed cell and gene therapy (CGT) company and a co-organiser of the forum — announced plans to establish its own longevity clinic, expanding beyond biotechnology into direct clinical care.
Building the longevity field
As longevity medicine expands, questions about scientific evidence, clinical standards, professional training and research funding are becoming increasingly important. The TimePie Longevity Forum has consequently expanded beyond conference presentations to support initiatives addressing some of these needs.
Proceeds from the previous forum funded four early-career researchers through the second round of TimePie's research grants. Meanwhile, the newly created Global Association for Longevity Advancement (GALA) aims to improve clinician education and encourage professional collaboration. TimePie and Frost & Sullivan have also jointly published a guide examining longevity interventions and their practical applications.
Research emerging from previous TimePie meetings is also beginning to appear in the scientific literature. Kejun Ying of Stanford University School of Medicine discussed a meeting report he led following the sixth TimePie Longevity Forum, with contributions from speakers including Steve Horvath and Ana Maria Cuervo. Shortly after the seventh forum ended, the report was published in Nature Aging.
Much of what was presented in Shanghai remains work in progress. Researchers still need to establish which interventions genuinely improve human health and longevity, while the emerging clinical field needs stronger evidence and agreed professional standards. The next opportunity to assess how far things have progressed will come with the 8th TimePie Longevity Forum, scheduled for 11–12 September 2027.
