The Funding Channels of Geroscience

Abstract

This review examines the interconnected channels of government, individual, and corporate funding for geroscience. A sometimes-slow flow of federal and philanthropic funding over 50 years is now becoming sufficient to understand how the processes of aging drive disease. The amount has not yet been enough to push the benefits of geroscience into new therapeutics, but that is poised to change. Prominent billionaires, venture capitalists, and new foundations are investing billions in researching approaches for preventing, delaying, or curing the chronic diseases of older people; major pharmaceutical companies are poised to join them once the Food and Drug Administration qualifies aging as a treatable condition. The coming decade could see considerable progress, not only in the science but also in the creation of fresh nonprofit and for-profit funding streams.