What if we could slow biological aging itself—not just treat the diseases that come with it?

In Episode 34 of Decoding Longevity, Raghav Sehgal and Dr. Macsue Jacques sit down with Professor Matt Kaeberlein to explore the biology of aging and what it might mean to actually intervene in the aging process.

They discuss mTOR and rapamycin, the debate around rapamycin in humans, and why Matt believes some recent evidence has been misunderstood. The conversation also covers the Dog Aging Project, the TRIAD trial, Aura Biomedical, AI-powered lifespan research, and the future of longevity biotech.

From yeast and worms to dogs and humans, this episode explores how we can move from understanding aging to potentially changing it.

Could a shingles vaccine also influence dementia?

In Episode 33 of Decoding Longevity, Dr. Raghav Sehgal and Dr. Macsue Jacques are joined by Dr. Moshe Shay Ben-Haim to explore his team’s findings linking the Shingrix vaccine with improved survival and cognitive preservation in people living with dementia.

They discuss trained immunity, latent viruses, epigenetics, and what this surprising connection could mean for the future of neurodegeneration and longevity research.

Importantly, the findings are observational and do not establish Shingrix as a treatment for dementia.

What if your immune system is one of the engines driving aging?

In this episode, David Furman explores the biology of immune aging, chronic inflammation, inflammatory age, organ-specific aging, and intrinsic capacity—and how biomarkers could help us measure and ultimately change the trajectory of aging.

A blood-based epigenetic clock for intrinsic capacity predicts mortality and is associated with clinical, immunological and lifestyle factors:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40467932/

Can two people of the same age be aging at completely different speeds?

In this episode, Dr. Raghav Sehgal and Dr. Macsue Jacques speak with Associate Professor Daniel W. Belsky about the science behind DunedinPACE and why measuring the pace of aging may be more valuable than estimating biological age.

The conversation covers the Dunedin Study, aging biomarkers, the CALERIE trial, and the ARPA-H FAST Initiative—offering a look at how researchers are building the next generation of tools to evaluate longevity interventions.

Follow Decoding Longevity for more conversations with leading researchers shaping the future of healthy aging.

Can we really slow biological aging?

In this episode of Decoding Longevity, Professor Richard A. Miller—Professor of Pathology at the University of Michigan and a founding leader of the National Institute on Aging's Interventions Testing Program (ITP)—joins us to explore how scientists determine whether a longevity intervention truly works.

From rapamycin and acarbose to biomarkers, healthspan, and the challenges of translating mouse studies into human medicine, this conversation examines what decades of rigorous research reveal about slowing aging—and why evidence matters more than hype.

What if the greatest breakthrough in longevity isn't slowing aging—but preventing disease before it begins?

In this episode of Decoding Longevity, we speak with Professor Linda-Gail Bekker, one of the world's leading experts in HIV prevention, tuberculosis research, and global public health. Together, we explore how HIV research has transformed our understanding of longevity, from restoring life expectancy through antiretroviral therapy to preventing infection with groundbreaking advances like Lenacapavir.

We discuss healthspan versus lifespan, chronic inflammation, accelerated biological aging, health equity, and why prevention may be the most powerful longevity intervention of all. This conversation offers a compelling look at how advances in infectious disease research are shaping the future of healthy aging.

What can hibernating squirrels teach us about aging, disease, and human health?

In Episode 28 of Decoding Longevity, we sit down with Dr. Ashley Zehnder, Co-Founder and CEO of Fauna Bio, to explore how evolution-driven drug discovery is uncovering new therapeutic opportunities for some of humanity’s most challenging diseases.

Ashley explains how animals that naturally withstand oxygen deprivation, prevent fibrosis, rebuild tissues, and resist neurodegeneration may hold the key to future treatments for heart failure, metabolic disease, and age-related decline.

We discuss hibernation biology, comparative genomics, AI-powered drug discovery, regenerative medicine, and how nature’s most resilient species are helping scientists identify novel therapeutic targets.

Key topics include:

• Hibernation as a model for regeneration and tissue repair

• Comparative biology and longevity science

• AI, genomics, and evolution-driven drug discovery

• Brain resilience and neurodegenerative disease

• Heart failure therapeutics inspired by nature

• The future of biotechnology and healthy aging

Guest: Dr. Ashley Zehnder Co-Founder & CEO, Fauna Bio

Hosts: Dr. Raghav Sehgal & Dr. Macsue Jacques

Fauna Bio: https://www.faunabio.com/

Ashley’s Talks

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX-ulloH08w
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmowQzL_VjY
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9cy7vyTUGs

What if aging is not just damage — but a biologically regulated process shaped by metabolism, inflammation, and gene expression?

In this episode of Decoding Longevity, Dr. Eric Verdin, President and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, joins us for a wide-ranging conversation on the molecular biology of aging.

We explore how metabolism influences epigenetics, why immune aging may be central to healthspan, and what today’s longevity science actually tells us about extending healthy human life.

From NAD+ and ketone bodies to inflammaging, biomarkers, rapamycin, metformin, and epigenetic reprogramming, this episode breaks down some of the most important ideas shaping the future of longevity research.

We also discuss the growing hype surrounding longevity medicine — and why rigorous science, clinical trials, and evidence still matter.

Featuring:Dr. Eric VerdinHosted by Dr. Raghav Sehgal & Dr. Macsue Jacques

Follow Decoding Longevity for more conversations on aging biology, longevity science, AI, and the future of medicine.

Buck Institute of Aging: https://www.buckinstitute.org/

Eric Verdin's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-verdin-490212/

Can aging cells be reset — without turning them into stem cells?

In Episode 26 of Decoding Longevity, Dr. Janine Sengstack explains how Genevity is using AI, human data, and RNA therapeutics to identify the master regulators of aging and restore cells to healthier states.

This episode explores the intersection of aging biology, transcription factors, siRNA therapeutics, and precision longevity medicine.

🔗 Junevity: https://www.junevity.com/

What if the biggest barrier to healthy longevity isn’t scientific—but philosophical, economic, and ethical?

In this episode of Decoding Longevity, Raghav Sehgal and Macsue Jacques are joined by Dr. Raiany Romanni-Klein to explore how our beliefs about aging, death, and human value shape the future of longevity science.

From the idea that “natural is good” to the economic incentives holding the field back, this conversation challenges how we think about aging—and what it will take to change it.

🔗 Resources & Links:

• Silver Linings : https://silverlinings.bio/
• Raiany’s TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB1IFGYaYXo