EP 150: Cracking the biological code of aging with Martin Borch Jensen, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Gordian Biotechnology

The Genetics Podcast

0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast

01:00 Welcome to Martin

01:35 How a particularly large Indian meal resulted in a book about intermittent fasting and the biology of ageing

05:10 The biological mechanisms behind intermittent fasting, and whether it’s been established to extend life expectancy in humans.

10:13 What we know (and what we don’t) about the fundamentals of biological ageing and how it influences drug development

15:28 Using trial and error to identify the mechanisms and phenotypes which can improve biological age

17:20 How Gordian Biology got its name and how it links to the challenges of biological ageing

18:52 How and why Gordian’s in vivo screening approach aims to crack the code on biological ageing

23:19 Understanding the biology and genetics which make a disease occur uniquely in older individuals

26:30 How and why Gordian works with specific animal models to generate data

28:28 Exploring if there is potential to minimise use of animal models and carry out more experiments in silico

33:31 The phenomenon of chronological age testing and improvement – and whether or not to believe the hype

39:35 How the lack of sustainable business models in the field may be limiting progress, causing companies to shift their focus to treating age-related diseases instead of tackling the ageing process itself

44:49 The role of technology, and the limitations of siloed specialties and organs-based approaches to disease

46:14 Closing remarks