The Ageless Generation: How Advances in Biomedicine Will Transform the Global Economy - Hardcover

Zhavoronkov, Alex

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0230342205 ISBN 13: 9780230342200

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2013

Synopsis

Over the past 20 years, the biomedical research community has been delivering hundreds of breakthroughs expected to extend human lifespan beyond thresholds imaginable today. However, much of this research has not yet been adopted into clinical practice, nor has it been widely publicized. Biomedicine will transform our society forever by allowing people to live longer and to continue working and contributing financially to the economy longer, rather than entering into retirement and draining the economy through pensions and senior healthcare. Old age will become a concept of the past, breakthroughs in regenerative medicine will continue, and an unprecedented boom to the global economy, with an influx of older able-bodied workers and consumers, will be a reality. A leading expert in aging research, author Alex Zhavoronkov provides a helicopter view on the progress science has already made, from repairing tissue damage to growing functional organs from a single cell, and illuminates the possibilities that the scientific and medical community will soon make into realities. The Ageless Generation is an engaging work that causes us to rethink our ideas of age and ability in the modern world.

About this title

About the Author

Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, is the director and trustee of the Biogerontology Research Foundation, a think tank supporting aging research worldwide. He heads the laboratory of bioinformatics at the Clinical Research Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, and is involved in the World Federation for Regenerative Medicine and the European Federation for Regenerative Medicine.

Review

“The devastating impact of population aging in the decades to come is becoming like the proverbial weather: everyone is talking about it but no one is doing anything about it. Zhavoronkov starkly sets out the nature and trajectory of this crisis - and then he elaborates what few others have yet described, and no one so expertly: the unique solution to it, namely the development of comprehensive rejuvenation medicine that will restore and maintain the health of the elderly so that they can continue to contribute wealth to society. This book has the potential to define medium-term economic and social policy for the entire industrialized world.” ―Aubrey de Grey, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer, SENS Research Foundation

“Alex Zhavoronkov claims that we do not have to age the way all other generations did. Or... possibly... at all? Controversial and assertive, he lays out the case for expanding research into what makes all human beings sink into twilight before a century of life. Shall we adjust social policies for an era of spry oldsters, or even semi-immortals? These matters will roil our arguments for the next five decades. The Ageless Generation presents one side with knowledge and verve.” ―David Brin, bestselling author of Kiln People, Foundation’s Triumph, and many others

“The Ageless Generation addresses the greatest socio-political/scientific challenge of our time. It is provocative, fast paced, and hard to put down. This book should stimulate a lot of thought and hopefully some constructive responses both scientific and in the health care system.” ―Charles Cantor, Chief Scientific Officer, Sequenom, Inc., and Professor Emeritus, Boston University

“Aging is getting interesting! Zhavoronkov provides a concise but thorough view of aging from changing global demographics to the latest research. Importantly, he outlines a point-by-point plan centered around aging research that if realized could solve the aging population problem, create major economic benefits and enhance dramatically the quality of life for elders. Everyone should take heed. The choices we make now will impact us all in the near future.” ―Brian Kennedy, Ph.D., President and CEO, Buck Institute for Research on Aging

“The research of Alex Zhavoronkov paints a picture of frightening reality: that our children might just live to 130. The financial and economic consequences of this cry out for more urgent attention from all sides of society. A huge physchological readjustment in our attitude towards retirement, as we know it, is required for us to start to cope with this new future.” ―Hugh Gallagher, Chairman, International Employee Benefits Association

About this edition

• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0230342205
• ISBN 13: 9780230342200
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256