Aubrey de Grey

Dr. Aubrey de Grey is a biomedical gerontologist based in Silicon Valley, California, and the founder, President and Chief Science Officer of LEV Foundation, a biomedical research charity focused on repairing the molecular and cellular damage of aging. He received his BA in Computer Science and PhD in Biology from the University of Cambridge.

Dr. de Grey's research centers on what he defines as the seven categories of cellular and molecular damage that cause aging. His approach, known as Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS), focuses on damage repair rather than slowing the aging process. He believes rejuvenation is more achievable because it doesn't require a complete understanding of aging's complex causes.

The SENS approach addresses seven types of damage: cell loss, cell senescence, protein cross-linking, nuclear DNA mutations, mitochondrial DNA mutations, and accumulation of intracellular and extracellular "garbage." For each type, de Grey has proposed specific repair strategies, from stem cell therapies to enzymatic degradation of cellular waste.

Dr. de Grey believes that within 30 years, it may be possible to rejuvenate a 50-year-old individual to such a youthful condition as to allow them to live to 130 or beyond. His more ambitious goal is to reach "longevity escape velocity," where rejuvenation technologies improve faster than we age, potentially allowing people to live to 1,000 years or more.

A highly sought-after speaker, Dr. de Grey gives frequent talks at scientific conferences, universities, and companies. He is a Fellow of both the Gerontological Society of America and the American Aging Association and sits on numerous editorial and scientific advisory boards. His direct communication style and willingness to make timeline predictions have distinguished him in the field, though sometimes putting him at odds with more conservative colleagues.