Hevolution pumps another $40 million into aging research projects

Aging research organizations, including the Buck and AFAR, benefit as Global Healthspan Summit funding commitments reach $100m.
The inaugural Global Healthspan Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia closed its doors yesterday with yet another significant injection of funding into the longevity sector. The event’s host, Hevolution Foundation, announced a total of $40 million in aging research grants on the summit’s final day, bringing the overall funding commitment during the two-day event to nearly $100 million.

Major funding allocations included $21 million for the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, aimed at accelerating discoveries focused on therapeutic interventions targeting aging. Additionally, $16 million was allocated to the American Federation of Aging Research to expand its New Investigator Awards program in Aging Biology and Geroscience, supporting early-career researchers in advancing knowledge of aging biology.

With an annual budget of up to $1 billion, Hevolution is on a mission to advance aging science and promote healthier lifespans. The non-profit organization aims to increase the number of aging-related treatments, expedite drug development timelines, and enhance accessibility to therapeutics that extend human healthspan.

Dr. Mehmood Khan CEO Hevolution
Dr Mehmood Khan, CEO Hevolution
“Helping fast track and support impactful healthspan science programs is a founding principle for us,” said Dr Mehmood Khan, CEO of Hevolution. “Through collaborative partnerships, we are catalyzing the incredible potential in the aging biology field and paving the way for new solutions to improve healthspan for all.”

A further $5 million will fund up to 15 postdoctoral fellowships in Saudi Arabia, focusing on advancing scientific discoveries related to unhealthy aging.

“As a Saudi scientist, I am enormously proud of how the Global Healthspan Summit has brought such diversity of thinking together in the Kingdom,” said Dr Haya Khaled Al Saud, Hevolution’s vice president of organizational strategy and development. “It has forged new channels and connections that will shape and catalyze the healthspan sector for the benefit of all. This is a launchpad for a stronger, more engaged, and action-oriented global collaboration that will encourage the world’s best minds to work together to solve the universal challenge of unhealthy aging.”

The Global Healthspan Summit, the largest international gathering of its kind, hosted over 120 distinguished speakers and nearly 2,000 delegates. Sessions covered diverse topics such as population aging, the pharmaceutical ecosystem, and next-generation medicine. Throughout the event, speakers emphasized the urgent need for innovation to address the global aging crisis, with the global population over 60 years old projected to double to 2 billion by 2050.

Hevolution pumps another $40 million into aging research projects