Our story
The Oxford Longevity Project (OLP) was born out of disbelief. More than five years after the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Yoshinori Ohsumi—watch his webinar here—for his discovery of the genes involved in autophagy, the disruption of which is considered a hallmark of ageing, the wider public wasn’t talking about it. After a successful symposia on autophagy and ageing, we realized the hunger for this type of information, particularly if actionable.
We are guided by the belief that the latest scientific breakthroughs in longevity science should be understandable and actionable by all who are interested. It shouldn’t take 17 years for hard science to make it into the standard of care. Our idea is to reduce this time lag by translating hard science for non-scientists with two particular audiences in mind: healthcare practitioners and the interested public. Our role in the longevity space is as an amplifier and distributor of the latest scientifically-supported information; we bridge the gap between high science and actionable information, which is symoblised by the bridge on our logo.
Our efforts are centralised and/or available on our website, but we also distribute the latest breakthroughs in longevity science online via social media, newsletter, and webinars, and in-person at the annual Smart Ageing Summit.
OUR Founders
Sir Christopher Ball, Emeritus Professor Denis Noble, Dr Paul Ch’en and Leslie Kenny founded the OLP after hosting a successful online symposium on Aging and Autophagy in April 2021 connecting the world’s leading experts on autophagy from Osaka and Oxford under the auspices of the Interdisciplinary Institute, Balliol College, Oxford University. Oxford University continues to provide the backdrop to its efforts and strong supporting players in the form of world leading academics.
Professor denis noble
CBE FRS FMedSci MAE, is a British biologist who held the Burdon Sanderson Chair of Cardiovascular Physiology at the University of Oxford from 1984 to 2004 and was appointed Professor Emeritus and Co-Director of Computational Physiology. He developed the first mathematical model of cardiac cells in 1960 and is a pioneer in systems biology.
sir Christopher Ball
Sir Christopher John Elinger Ball is a British runner and academic, who served as Warden of Keble College, Oxford, from 1980 to 1988, and as the first Chancellor of the University of Derby, from 1995 to 2003. He started running at the age of 67 and has competed in multiple marathons since.
Dr. Paul Ch’en
General Practitioner. M.Biochem. (Hons) D.Phil, Oxford, B.M. MRCGP, is a GP Partner at the Observatory Medical Practice in Jericho, Oxford, where he is also the College Doctor to Keble and Somerville Colleges at the University of Oxford. He is keenly interested in preventing the diseases of ageing, cancer prevention and promoting general well being. He is the author of www.cansurehealit.com and used to be a cancer immunologist. Having had his early education in Japan, Dr. Ch'en also stays abreast of the latest Japanese therapies and research to promote health, reverse disease and live a long, healthy and happy life.
LESLIE KENNY
Is an autoimmune disease survivor, certified health coach, and founder of Oxford Healthspan, an Oxford, England based nutraceutical company bringing healthspan promoting molecules to market. She previously worked as a fundraiser for Oxford University regenerative medicine spinouts. Leslie has a Harvard MBA and a BA from Berkeley.