Betterhumans Projects

Supercentenarian Study

The object of the Betterhumans Supercentenarian Research Study is to compare genomic and molecular data from extremely long-lived individuals among themselves (seeing what’s similar) and with “normal” individuals, especially those who died having known illnesses, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s, stroke, diabetes, etc. (seeing what’s different).

For more information, please visit the Betterhumans Supercentenarian Research Study website.

IRB-Approved Anti-Aging Studies

We intend to pursue many small scale human anti-aging studies to test the safety and efficacy of various FDA-approved drugs and therapies thought to have anti-aging effects. We will also seek Pre-IND approval for novel therapies, as we develop such. We will publish all results so that other researchers, physicians, and patients can have information which may aid their efforts.

IRB-Approved Clinical Pilot Studies

• Umbilical Cord Plasma Concentrate Safety Study in Elderly Subjects. Goal: The question seeking to be answered by this study is whether regular injections of human umbilical cord blood plasma (hUCBP) concentrate is safe to use in elderly patients. Patients will receive one 1 mL intramuscular injections, once a week for 10 weeks, for a total of 10 injections, administered by the Study Physician. We will be testing subjects prior to and following administration of these injections for changes to strength, balance, hearing, eyesight, memory, reaction time, and similar functions, as well as genomic, proteomic, and biochemical biomarkers for wellness (including CBC, lipid and metabolic panels, liver and kidney function panels, and urinalysis), systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, and immune function. Our collaborators may also run epigenetic and telomere-length assays on blood samples from our subjects. Trial was run from February, 2018 until April, 2018, with analysis of test results and follow up blood samples continuing.


• NAD+. The purpose of this study is to determine the pharmacokinetics and efficacy of molecules known to raise or maintain plasma and intracellular levels of NAD+ in humans, and to study the effects of NAD+ on various biomarkers of aging, age-related diseases, neurological disorders, and metabolic syndrome. We will administer different combinations of precursor molecules of NAD (e.g., nicotinamide riboside (“NR”) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (“NMN”)) and intravenous, subcutaneous, and/or intramuscular NAD+ to determine whether Topical, IV, Subq, or IM NAD+ and/or oral precursors NR or NMN will significantly increase cellular concentrations of NAD+, improve the NAD/NADH ratio, favorably change metabolic biomarkers, and upregulate expression of the anti-aging genes in elderly individuals who have Metabolic Syndrome or any of the following pathologies: Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Traumatic Brain Injury, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, “Chemo-Brain,” Major Depression, or Stroke.


• Senolytic Compounds: The question seeking to be answered by this study is whether the senolytic compounds Dasatinib (CAS no. 302962-48-8) and Quercetin (CAS no. 117-39-5) will significantly eliminate senescent cells contained in the muscle and fat tissue of elderly individuals who have Metabolic Syndrome and/or Osteoarthritis, and will reduce levels of systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, improve their immunological responses, and in those having Osteoarthritis, reverse the progression of this disease.


• Rapamycin: The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and efficacy of rapamycin for improving biomarkers for metabolic-disorders, inflammation, DNA-damage repair, and mitochondrial dysfunction in humans. The hypothesis of the Principle Investigator and Study Physician is that dose-timing to avoid high trough concentrations will result in inactivation only of mTORC1 and not mTORC2, thus avoiding the immunosuppression, insulin resistance, and other adverse events that accompany mTORC2 inactivation. We will thus administer rapamycin (Rapamune/Sirolimus) over a range of doses and periods of time to attempt to minimize adverse effects (see Safety) but maximize the positive effects described above.


• Others coming soon…

Betterhumans-related research papers