Elizabeth Parrish: Gene Therapy for Longevity

Gene therapy offers a transformative approach to reversing biological aging by upregulating specific regenerative genes, including hTERT for telomere lengthening, Klotho for cognitive and cardiovascular protection, Follistatin for muscle mass maintenance, and PGC1-alpha for mitochondrial health. Elizabeth Parrish, CEO of BioViva Sciences, explains that these therapies function by enabling cells to manufacture necessary proteins, effectively bypassing the limitations of traditional drug delivery. A recent preprint study demonstrates that using cytomegalovirus (CMV) vectors with intranasal delivery significantly extends lifespan and improves metabolic health in murine models. While current costs remain high due to precision manufacturing requirements, the field is shifting toward scalable, combinatorial gene sets to address the systemic nature of aging. These advancements aim to provide a long-term medical intervention that complements lifestyle choices, ultimately targeting the root causes of age-related decline.