The XPRIZE Healthspan competition, worth 101 million US dollars, has entered its decisive phase. In August 2026, 20 finalist teams were announced, who are now testing their therapies in clinical trials in humans.
What is it about?
The non-profit XPRIZE Foundation offers large prizes for scientific breakthroughs. The Healthspan competition, launched in 2023 and planned to run for seven years, is the largest so far. It is looking for therapies that do not treat a single disease but target the biology of ageing.
The goal is ambitious: in people aged between 50 and 90, muscle strength, cognitive performance and immune function are to be “rejuvenated” by at least ten years within a maximum of one year of treatment. The stated long-term goal is 20 years.
The finalists
At a ceremony at the University of Utah on 11 August 2026, 20 teams advanced to the final. Ten of them – from the USA, South Korea, Japan and China – also each received one million dollars as a milestone prize to finance their trials. The approaches can be divided into four groups:
- New drugs and biologics against inflammation and for metabolism and neuroprotection
- Regenerative procedures such as stem cell and gene therapies
- Extracellular vesicles and new delivery systems for active substances
- AI-assisted precision medicine combining data, existing medicines, supplements and lifestyle
How will they be assessed?
Between 2026 and 2029, the teams will conduct trials lasting up to one year. To ensure that all are assessed according to the same standards, the Utah Data Coordinating Center is responsible for data and trial management and evaluates safety and efficacy independently. The Stein Institute for Research on Aging at UC San Diego serves as the central laboratory and sample archive.
Assessment
The competition is more than prize money: it could for the first time provide comparable data on whether ageing processes in humans can be measurably influenced – and which measures are suitable for this. Whether any team will actually reach the ten-year goal is open. It will be important that the results of the teams that fail are also published.
Note: This article is for general information only.
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