Introducing Hevolution Foundation Introducing Hevolution Foundation Dr. Mehmood Khan I was given an outstanding oppo

Introducing Hevolution Foundation
Introducing Hevolution Foundation
Dr. Mehmood Khan
I was given an outstanding opportunity to build Hevolution Foundation, a
pioneering new organization with a laser-like focus on dramatically
improving a condition that affects every human on the planet: aging.
Our mission is to drive efforts to extend healthy human lifespan, or
healthspan, and to better understand the processes of aging, because the
simple truth is: we all age; but we do not all age equally.
As a scientist, physician, and human being, I have seen that the
experience of aging is not sufficiently improving. The number of
individuals with chronic diseases has increased, despite average
lifespan lengthening. We live longer, but we do not necessarily live
better. As the world population grows, the population of the elderly
grows as well, leading to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) becoming the
leading cause of death worldwide. As such, aging is the second most
pressing challenge facing humanity after climate change.
Hevolution Foundation is the first non-profit to pursue age-related
therapeutic breakthroughs with a commitment to funding global scientific
discovery, and investing in private companies and entrepreneurs who are
dedicated to advancing aging science. Through the acceleration of
science, we can decelerate aging and its consequences.
Changing Accepted Views
The world doesn’t yet see aging as a treatable medical, scientific, and
biological condition. We’ve been encouraged to accept that aging means
decline. Changing this view is our opportunity to transform the
acceptance of age-related health decline into a courageous drive to put
world-class resources and talent toward extending healthspan.
We must move from reactive amelioration to proactive prevention. We must
engage not only individual scientists and entrepreneurs, but also
private and public sector organizations and institutions worldwide.
Finally, we must work across geographies and disciplines in a way that
is equitable, scalable, and responsible.
Building New Incentives
To encourage the best and brightest talent, we need a genuine,
independent and global set of incentives for researchers, academic
institutions, professional organizations, entrepreneurs and governments.
Our day-to-day work is in building, promoting, and protecting these
incentives.
Lessons of COVID
COVID-19 revealed that the elderly, especially those with pre-existing
chronic conditions, are among the most vulnerable and at risk in
society. However, it also demonstrated that with alignment and
incentives, scientists can achieve medical breakthroughs that were
previously thought impossible.
To mobilize great talent, we need the same razor-sharp focus, discipline
and support for new approaches and therapies.
A Transparent Global Organization
Hevolution was founded to make these great leaps forward possible. As a
non-profit organization devoted to collaboration and sharing
information, we seek to democratize science and knowledge, by creating
partnerships, offering grants, and making investments in the longevity
space.
Our highly experienced management team is assembling a staff of elite
scientists, clinicians, grant experts and investment professionals, and
is guided by a Board of Trustees and advisory panels comprising
thought-leaders from all over the world.
We are dedicated to supporting cutting-edge, peer-reviewed science,
particularly applied research, focused on accelerating therapeutic
approaches to aging, including drug discovery and delivery in key areas
of biology that underpin aging. We are able to fund science to a larger
scale and with longer investment horizons than traditional venture
capital, and with a more commercial mindset than traditional academic
research.
Balancing Funding, Scientific Integrity, and Regional Priorities.
Our initial funding comes from a variety of donors, including the
government of Saudi Arabia. Our annual budget of up to $1 billion USD
enables us to accelerate science and bring therapies to the market.
We aim to work closely with global entities and research centres that
share the same mission and objectives.
Global success depends upon global collaboration, which lies at the
heart of our mandate.
There is evidence that Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) populations are
aging faster biologically than they are chronologically. Despite the
region having one of the youngest populations in the world, its people
are experiencing higher mortality from chronic conditions like heart
disease and diabetes. Hevolution’s goal is healthspan equity and we will
devote the resources needed to achieve it. This region, with its history
of generating founding principles in science and medicine, yet suffering
from significant age-related risks, presents a strong case to be the
catalyst for healthspan transformation worldwide.
Giving Aging a Better Future
Today marks a hugely exciting milestone for our global team which has
worked tirelessly and quietly to create a Foundation that will enable
and catalyze the field of geroscience.
I am thrilled to lead this visionary organization, at the start of a
monumental effort to give aging a better future.
Dr. Mehmood Khan
Chief Executive Officer
Hevolution Foundation
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