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上周五上午聽的是Longevity Biotech Fellowship(LBF)的運營負責人Eric Magro的分享。這個成立約三年的非營利組織專注一件事:把“解決衰老”當成一個值得立項、撥款、招人的工程問題來做。
Eric開場放了一張死亡率曲線。年輕時,我們的死亡概率幾乎貼地飛行,到了某個年齡后會突然指數(shù)級拉升。衰老,是全球大多數(shù)人的死因本質(zhì),但目前沒有一個國家或大型機構(gòu)在系統(tǒng)性地拆解這個問題。LBF的路線圖就是想補上這個“戰(zhàn)略空白”。
Last Friday morning I sat in on a session by Eric, Head of Operations from Longevity Biotech Fellowship (LBF). Founded roughly three years ago, this nonprofit focuses on one thing: treating "solving aging" as an engineering problem worthy of formal project launch, funding, and hiring.
Eric opened with a mortality curve. When we're young, the probability of death hovers near zero; after a certain age, it spikes exponentially. Aging is essentially the leading cause of death worldwide, yet no country or major institution is systematically dismantling the problem. LBF's roadmap aims to fill this strategic void.
[ LBF把解題思路系統(tǒng)性地拆成三條(難度和資金需求依次遞減)]
生物工程(Bioengineering):徹底理解衰老生物學并干預(yù)。Eric認為這是最難、最花錢、最遙遠的方向,因為人類至今沒有公認的衰老理論框架,連因果通路都沒完全摸清。
生物停滯(Biostasis):在衰老被解決前,把人“暫停”。主要是低溫保存(cryonics),也包括其他尚未成熟的技術(shù)。Eric強調(diào)這更像工程問題而非基礎(chǔ)科學問題,且目前全球從業(yè)者極少、資金嚴重不足。
替換(Replacement): 哪里壞了換哪里,從細胞、組織、器官到全身替換。LBF認為這條路徑的成本和時間預(yù)估遠低于生物工程,因此他們最為之興奮。
[LBF breaks the solution into three paths, ranked by difficulty and capital needs]
Bioengineering— fully understanding and intervening in aging biology. Eric considers this the hardest, most expensive, and most distant route. Humanity still lacks a consensus theoretical framework for aging; we haven't even fully mapped the causal pathways.
Biostasis— putting people "on pause" until aging is solved. Primarily cryonics, plus other immature tech. Eric stresses this is more engineering than basic science, but global practitioners are scarce and funding is severely lacking.
Replacement— swapping out whatever breaks, from cells to tissues to organs to whole bodies. LBF estimates this path demands far less cost and time than bioengineering, which is why they're most excited about it.
[一些技術(shù)節(jié)點性事件已經(jīng)發(fā)生]
2018年,中國科學家完成世界首例靈長類動物體細胞克隆(“中中”、“華華”),成果發(fā)表于Cell,這是生殖生物學領(lǐng)域的一項背景性里程碑。Eric在現(xiàn)場討論LBF對遠期替換路徑的表述時,使用了“bodyoid / brain-knockout”這一術(shù)語,但他并未將2018年的這項研究作為該概念的直接技術(shù)基礎(chǔ)。
低溫保存領(lǐng)域已有商業(yè)機構(gòu)在運營。柏林的Tomorrow.Bio成立于2020年,截至目前已完成20名人類和10只寵物的低溫保存,另有800余人簽約,合同總額超過1.6億歐元。其與瑞士的European Biostasis Foundation合作,使用液氮罐長期儲存。美國老牌機構(gòu)Alcor Life Extension Foundation(1972年成立)和Cryonics Institute(1976年成立)也在提供類似服務(wù)。
納米復(fù)溫(Nanowarming)技術(shù)已有學術(shù)突破。明尼蘇達大學John Bischof團隊2025年在Nature Communications發(fā)表概念驗證:使用氧化鐵納米顆粒配合射頻線圈,實現(xiàn)了2升玻璃化體積的快速均勻復(fù)溫(約88°C/分鐘),為人體器官尺度的玻璃化保存與復(fù)溫提供了物理可行性。
小鼠斷指再生是真實存在的研究方向。Tulane大學和Texas A&M的Ken Muneoka等研究者長期追蹤成年小鼠指尖(digit tip)的再生機制,發(fā)現(xiàn)其可完整再生骨骼、血管、神經(jīng)和指甲,相關(guān)研究發(fā)表于Development、Regeneration等期刊。
至于Brian Johnson的Blueprint項目,Eric在現(xiàn)場做了明確切割:那是嚴格的健康優(yōu)化實驗,而非抗衰老療法。Brian做的是“在AI解決衰老之前盡量保持健康”,其項目每年花費約200萬美元,包含極端飲食、睡眠和biomarker監(jiān)測,但并未聲稱能單獨實現(xiàn)大幅延壽。
[Some technical milestones have already been reached]
In 2018, Chinese scientists achieved the world's first primate somatic-cell cloning ("Zhong Zhong" and "Hua Hua"), published in Cell — a relevant background milestone in reproductive biology. On-site, Eric discussed how LBF frames the longer-term replacement path using terminology like "bodyoid / brain-knockout," though he did not present the 2018 study as the direct technical basis for that concept.
Commercial cryopreservation is already operating. Berlin-based Tomorrow.Bio, founded in 2020, has completed cryopreservation for 20 humans and 10 pets, with 800+ people signed up and contracts totaling over €160 million. It partners with Switzerland's European Biostasis Foundation for long-term liquid-nitrogen storage. US veterans Alcor Life Extension Foundation (est. 1972) and Cryonics Institute (est. 1976) offer similar services.
Nanowarming has posted academic breakthroughs. The University of Minnesota's John Bischof team published a 2025 proof-of-concept in Nature Communications: using iron-oxide nanoparticles with RF coils, they achieved rapid, uniform rewarming of a 2-liter vitrified volume at roughly 88°C/min, lending physical feasibility to organ-scale vitrification and rewarming.
Mouse digit-tip regeneration is a real research track. Teams at Tulane University and Texas A&M (Ken Muneoka et al.) have long studied adult mouse digit-tip regeneration, demonstrating full regrowth of bone, vasculature, nerves, and nails in journals such as Development and Regeneration.
Eric drew a sharp on-site distinction regarding Brian Johnson's Blueprint: it is a strict health-optimization experiment, not an anti-aging therapy. Johnson's aim is to "stay healthy until AI solves aging," spending roughly $2 million yearly on extreme diet, sleep, and biomarker protocols, without claiming it can independently deliver major lifespan extension.
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正式開場前,muShanghai第二周主題負責人Frank Ji(中)向Eric Magro(左)提問
[一些還在紙面和實驗室里的概念與理論探討]
AI設(shè)計低溫保護劑:目前確實有團隊在用機器學習尋找毒性更低、效果更好的化學組合,屬于進行中的研究。
漸進式大腦替換(progressive brain replacement):逐步用新生長的腦組織替換衰老部分。Eric承認這是“radical idea”,目前極少機構(gòu)在做。(Jean Hébert等研究者曾探索過相關(guān)概念。)
癌癥與衰老的“兩面硬幣”論:現(xiàn)場有聽眾提出,若可控地駕馭癌細胞的無限增殖能力并理解其生物學,或許能為衰老提供新思路。Eric回應(yīng)稱這是“interesting path”,但表示不清楚是否有人正在用這個框架推進。
Michael Levin(Tufts University)的“解剖學編譯器”(anatomical compiler):將人類可讀的指令轉(zhuǎn)化為生物電/化學信號,指導(dǎo)細胞再生。這是Levin實驗室的研究方向之一,已有早期工作,但距離人體應(yīng)用遙遠。
鱷魚/短吻鱷的“衰老可忽略”(negligible senescence):科學界確實觀察到部分爬行動物衰老極慢,但Eric在現(xiàn)場被問及“鱷魚細胞到達某年齡后不再衰老”時,明確回答“I don't know the specific example”,并提醒這類能力往往是動物整體系統(tǒng)的一部分,難以孤立移植到人體。
[Concepts still on paper or in the lab]
AI-designed cryoprotectants:Teams are actively using machine learning to hunt for less toxic, more effective chemical combos — ongoing research.
Progressive brain replacement:Gradually swapping aging brain tissue with newly grown tissue. Eric called it a "radical idea"; very few institutions are pursuing it. Researchers such as Jean Hébert have explored related concepts.
The "two sides of a coin" theory linking cancer and aging:An audience member proposed that if we could harness cancer cells' limitless proliferation in a controlled manner, it might illuminate aging. Eric deemed it an "interesting path" but said he didn't know whether anyone was actually building on that framework.
Michael Levin (Tufts University) and the "anatomical compiler":Translating human-readable instructions into bioelectric/chemical signals that direct cell regeneration. Early work exists in Levin's lab, but human application remains distant.
Negligible senescence in crocodilians:Science has observed that some reptiles age extremely slowly. Yet when asked on-site whether "crocodile cells stop aging after a certain age," Eric replied, "I don't know the specific example," adding that such capabilities are usually embedded in an animal's total system and difficult to isolate and transplant into humans.
[這個圈子有多小?]
長壽賽道里真正搞“硬工程”的人,可能比做AI應(yīng)用的還少。低溫保存全球只有六七家服務(wù)機構(gòu),做器官玻璃化的學術(shù)團隊屈指可數(shù)。Eric本人也簽了低溫保存協(xié)議。他估計,在當前社會優(yōu)先級下,自己在有生之年看到衰老被解決的概率很低(約5%到10%),但如果人才、資金和協(xié)調(diào)機制大幅增加,這一概率可能顯著上升。這種帶有條件的判斷,也是他主張生物停滯/低溫保存值得并行獲得更多資源的原因之一。
“死亡是緊急事件,但我們沒有把它當成緊急事件來處理。”Eric反復(fù)提醒我們:目前市面上“經(jīng)證實能大幅延長人類壽命的干預(yù)手段”數(shù)量為零。遇到聲稱能讓你多活幾十年的產(chǎn)品,應(yīng)該要求對方出示證據(jù),而不是交智商稅。
LBF今年10月計劃在深圳辦一場兩天的工作坊,8月會在美國北卡羅來納州辦另一場。他們的招募邏輯并不復(fù)雜,不管你來自金融、法律、機器人還是AI,只要想?yún)⑴c解決衰老,都可以申請。
想了解更多或聯(lián)系LBF: longevitybiotechfellowship.org
[How small is the circle?]
Globally, there are only six or seven commercial cryopreservation service providers. Academic teams working on organ vitrification are rare. Eric himself has signed up for cryopreservation. He estimates that, under current societal priorities, the chance of solving aging in his lifetime is low (roughly 5–10%), but that figure could rise significantly with much more talent, funding, and coordination. That conditional outlook is part of why he believes biostasis / cryopreservation deserves more resources in parallel.
"Death is an emergency, but we're not treating it like one." Eric repeatedly warned: the number of interventions proven to significantly extend human lifespan currently sits at zero. When a product claims it can add decades to your life, demand evidence — don't pay the intelligence tax.
LBF is planning a two-day workshop in Shenzhen this October, and another in North Carolina, USA, in August. Their recruitment logic is open: whether you come from finance, law, robotics, or AI, if you want to help solve aging, you can apply.
For readers who want to learn more or get in touch: longevitybiotechfellowship.org
《職場Bonus》接下來一周會繼續(xù)在muShanghai駐場觀察。這場號稱“國際科技火人節(jié)”的活動由國際開源社區(qū)The Mu發(fā)起、虹橋阿里中心聯(lián)合主辦,5月10日到6月6日整整28天,匯聚了來自全球50個國家的開發(fā)者、研究員和創(chuàng)業(yè)極客(氛圍很野,不是那種端著架子的行業(yè)峰會)。 目前是四大主題周——AI、生物科技、機器人、文化——的第三周。我們會繼續(xù)以這種輕便的方式把一手信息和判斷即時記給讀者們。如果你也在上海、恰好對AI和硬科技感興趣,歡迎來線下面基 ;-) 職場Bonus will continue its muShanghai field coverage over the next week. Billed as an "International Tech Burning Man", the event is initiated by global open-source community The Mu and co-hosted by Hongqiao Alibaba Center. Running 28 days from May 10 to June 6, it gathers developers, researchers, and startup geeks from 50 countries—the vibe is wild, not your typical buttoned-up industry summit. We're currently in Week 3 of four themed weeks: AI, Biotech, Robotics, and Culture. We'll keep feeding readers first-hand notes and judgments in this lightweight format. If you're in Shanghai and curious about AI and hard tech, come find us ;-)
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muShanghai四大主題周
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現(xiàn)場觀眾(右)向主講人Eric Magro(左)提出挑戰(zhàn)性問題
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觀眾互動提問
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