Will Sam Altman beat death? ChatGPT creator backs anti-ageing research startup | Digit

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI which created the ChatGPT AI chatbot, made waves by announcing a multi-million dollar investment into a little-known life sciences startup that’s trying to solve the problem of biological ageing in humans. So in essence they’re trying to conquer death!

When Retro Biosciences, in 2022, announced that the company is launching with $180 million initial funding with the aim “to increase healthy human lifespan by ten years”, the biotechnology ecosystem was thrilled and sceptical as to the existence of the company, how it would accomplish this claim and above it all who were the investors that believed so passionately in this concept. To our surprise the MIT report disclosed, there’s only one investor who has invested 180$ million in the venture and he is none other than the ChatGPT mastermind, Open AI’s CEO, Sam Altman.   

The 37-year-old start-up genius, Sam Altman has made a path breaking advancement in technology with his artificial-intelligence company which offer electronic art programs and conversation AI who have been redefining the systems with human-like capabilities. Now we can further understand the ambitions of the CEO as he has invested his money in two other programs. Helion Energy, a fusion power start-up that required him to invest more than $375 million and the other is Retro which asked for $180 million funding. Altman made the investments in the same year.   

Also read: Meet AutoGPT, the ChatGPT version everyone’s talking about

What is Retro Biosciences 

Where Altman has invested in Helion Energy that aspires to tame atom smashing and promises to create a “limitless source of clean energy”, Retro’s is attaining the solution on how to rejuvenate our bodies and prolong life, said the CEO and cofounder, who is better known for inventing the world’s smallest personal computer, Joe Betts-LaCroix.

The company has “cellular drivers of ageing” and will be working on three programs. The three programs are aimed at cellular reprogramming, autophagy and plasma-inspired therapeutics. The company aids at achieving a process that is capable of multi-disease prevention. Retro states that its mission “is to increase healthy human lifespan by 10 years.”

However, is this truly achievable well according to Altman, hard startups have a better chance than the easy ones. While fusion and life extension could be unachievable projects, a few years ago everyone suggested that maybe AI could at one point pass a medical exam, and Open AI’s ChatGPT did this year, hence investing in implausible ideas is a double edged sword.

Also read: ChatGPT and the Generative AI Mania!

Increase of 10 years in human life span? 

There are multiple startups who have been working on the idea of longevity in different verticals of healthcare and medical treatments. 

Betts-LaCroix’s interest in cellular reprogramming involved techniques that could transform the cells to be younger through genetic engineering. Retro teamed up with the Chinese researcher, Sheng Ding, the developer of new ways to reprogram cells for the same. And the CEO finally thought of processes that cells use to dispose of toxins which is known as autophagy. If the company achieves the said goal, the healthcare industry will have an avenue to build upon treatments for cancer and heart diseases.

Apart from Retro there are other startups who are aiming to fight death, below is the list to explore their avenues of beating death and prolonging life.

Longevity Vision Fund – Neurodegenerative disease

Tempus – Gene editing, epigenetic programming and organ regeneration

Elysium Health – Biological age index

Valo Health – Age-defying unicorns

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