But some experts are concerned that the trial involves giving multiple gene therapies to small numbers of healthy people. It will be impossible to draw firm conclusions from such a small study, and the trial certainly won’t reveal anything about longevity, says Holly Fernandez Lynch, a lawyer and medical ethicist at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Unlimited Bio’s muscle growth therapy is already accessible at clinics in Honduras and Mexico, says Morgunov—and the company is already getting some publicity. Khloe Kardashian tagged Unlimited Bio in a Facebook post about stem-cell treatments she and her sister Kim had received at the Eterna clinic in Mexico in August. And earlier this week, the biohacking influencer Dave Asprey posted an Instagram Reel of himself receiving one of the treatments in Mexico; it was shared with 1.3 million Instagram followers. In the video, Eterna’s CEO, Adeel Khan, says that the therapy can “help with vascular health systemically.” “I’m just upgrading my system for a little while to reduce my age and reduce my vascular risk,” Asprey said.
Genes for life
Gene therapies typically work by introducing new genetic code into the body’s cells. This code is then able to make proteins. Existing approved gene therapies have typically been developed for severe diseases in which the target proteins are either missing or mutated.
But several groups are exploring gene therapies for healthy people. One of these companies is Minicircle, which developed a gene therapy to increase production of follistatin, a protein found throughout the body that has many roles and is involved in muscle growth. The company says this treatment will increase muscle mass—and help people live longer. Minicircle is based in Próspera, a special economic zone in Honduras with its own bespoke regulatory system. Anyone can visit the local clinic and receive that therapy, for a reported price of $25,000. And many have, including the wealthy longevity influencer Bryan Johnson, who promoted the therapy in a Netflix documentary.
Unlimited Bio’s Morgunov, a Russian-Israeli computer scientist, was inspired by Minicircle’s story. He is also interested in longevity. Specifically, he’s committed to radical life extension and has said that he could be part of “the last generation throughout human history to die from old age.” He believes the biggest “bottleneck” slowing progress toward anti-aging or lifespan-extending therapies is drug regulation. So he, too, incorporated his own biotech company in Próspera.
“A company like ours couldn’t exist outside of Próspera,” says Unlimited Bio’s chief operating officer, Vladimir Leshko.