TIME Publishes 12 Profiles on the Biology of Aging, From Cellular Reprogramming to Human Trials
TIME Publishes 12 Profiles on the Biology of Aging, From Cellular Reprogramming to Human Trials
On August 20, TIME published its Longevity Leaders 2026 collection: twelve profiles of people working to modify and measure age-related cellular processes and test interventions in humans. The issue brings together researchers working at different stages of this process.
Shinya Yamanaka's discovery laid the foundation for cellular reprogramming, which seeks to return cells to a younger state. TIME presents David Sinclair and Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte as researchers advancing this line of work.
Nir Barzilai studies the genetic and biological traits of people who remain healthy after age 95. He also contributes to the search for biomarkers, which are measurable indicators of age-related changes. He describes the distinction between the desired outcome and the subject of research as follows:
“Longevity is the outcome. Geroscience is the mechanism.”
Geroscience examines how the biological processes of aging are related to disease. Observations of long-lived people and measurements of biomarkers make it possible to formulate a testable question: which change should researchers look for, and in whom should they measure it?
Andrea Maier takes this question into human trials. Her studies often recruit participants whose biological age, an estimate of age-related changes in organs and tissues, exceeds their chronological age. This measure should be compared with the function of aged tissue, as Steve Horvath proposes. Maier uses it to select a study group, and a planned trial with random assignment should determine whether the intervention benefits that group.
The XPRIZE Healthspan competition provides a common framework for comparing different approaches. Its finalists must assess how interventions affect muscle, cognitive, and immune function. TIME's collection presents cellular research, measurement, clinical testing, and shared criteria as successive parts of the same process.