What if medicine could target aging itself, rather than simply treating the diseases that come with it?
At VivaTech 2026, Dr. Joan Mannick, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Product Development at Altos Labs, explored that question during Longevity Unlocked: The Science Extending Human Healthspan. Her message was clear: the future of longevity isn't about living forever. It's about extending the years we spend healthy.
"Most of us think longevity isn't about just living longer, it's about living healthier longer."
She believes that future may arrive sooner than many expect.
"In the next 10 years, we'll have our first drug approved targeting aging biology."
Why Scientists Are Targeting the Biology of Aging
For Mannick, aging is not simply the passage of time. It's the gradual loss of the body's ability to protect and repair itself.
"What happens as we get older is we lose that buffer."
Longevity research is focused on restoring that resilience, helping people stay healthier well into old age rather than treating one chronic disease after another. One of the most promising areas of research is cellular reprogramming. Mannick pointed to the Yamanaka factors, four proteins capable of resetting a cell's biological age, which are now being investigated in therapies designed to regenerate damaged tissue.
Life Biosciences, for example, has launched clinical trials using this approach to restore vision in glaucoma patients.
Artificial intelligence is accelerating that work by modelling virtual cells, identifying drug targets, and helping researchers understand one of biology's most complex systems. A review published in Nature concludes that targeting the biological mechanisms of aging could transform medicine by delaying multiple age-related diseases simultaneously, rather than treating each one independently.
Despite the excitement surrounding the field, Mannick was equally clear about what works today.
"Right now there's nothing that's been proven to extend lifespan or healthspan except exercise, reasonable diet, sleep."
She also noted that she does not take longevity supplements herself, stressing the importance of evidence over hype. Longevity may be attracting unprecedented investment, but Mannick believes scientific rigor remains essential. She argued that progress will require patient capital, experienced teams, and a willingness to accept failure as part of discovery.
"You can't be scared when you go into this field."
That same philosophy shapes her confidence in regulation. Placebo-controlled clinical trials, she argued, remain the best way to understand whether new therapies truly work, while many supplements and peptides sold today have little evidence behind them.
Why Healthy Aging Matters
For Mannick, longevity is as much an economic challenge as a scientific one. As populations age, chronic diseases are placing increasing pressure on healthcare systems around the world. Alzheimer's disease, in particular, illustrates the scale of that challenge.
"It's going to be over a trillion dollars in the next decade of costs."
She believes therapies that target aging biology could transform healthcare in much the same way new medicines have reshaped the treatment of obesity and diabetes.
"It will have an enormous impact like the GLP-1 ones. Enormous."
Despite her optimism, Mannick remains careful not to overpromise. The field was inspired, she recalled, by Cynthia Kenyon's groundbreaking discovery that changing a single gene could double a worm's lifespan.
Decades later, longevity science has matured into one of biotechnology's most ambitious frontiers, but its success will depend on rigorous evidence rather than bold claims.
Her focus remains on delaying disease, not chasing immortality.
"By targeting aging biology, we'll get one big chronic disease delayed that we couldn't delay before in a new way."
Asked which disease she believed would be first, she smiled.
"I'm going to take the fifth on that one."
Want to explore the future of healthy aging? Watch the full replay of Longevity Unlocked: The Science Extending Human Healthspan, then join us at VivaTech 2027 as the world's leading scientists, entrepreneurs, and innovators continue exploring the breakthroughs shaping the future of health.
