Russian President Vladimir Putin has made research aimed at slowing down the aging process and extending human lifespan one of the state's priority scientific directions. This was reported by The Wall Street Journal.
According to the publication, Russia is implementing a program called "New Healthcare Technologies" worth approximately $26 billion. It covers gene therapy, organ cultivation, and other biotechnological projects.
According to the authors' calculations, the program could help extend the lives of 175,000 people by 2030.
The WSJ notes that Putin's interest in the topic of longevity has been known before. The publication links this to his pursuit of physical fitness and the scientific traditions in Russia aimed at extending human lifespan.
Among the program participants are Putin's daughter Maria Vorontsova and the head of the Kurchatov Institute, Mikhail Kovalchuk.
However, the article emphasizes that these studies have not yet presented results widely recognized by the international scientific community. At the same time, the average life expectancy for men in Russia is 68 years.
