Putin pours billions to beat aging with mini pigs and lab-printed organs — WSJ
Photo: Russian president Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
Russian president Vladimir Putin is spending billions of dollars on research into various anti-aging methods, including organ printing, the use of mini pigs, and exposure to ultra-low temperatures, reports The Wall Street Journal.
$26 billion in search of immortality
According to the article, last month the Russian government announced that scientists are developing gene therapy aimed at slowing cellular aging as part of new health preservation technologies — Putin’s $26 billion life-extension initiative.
Research into increasing lifespan is being led by two people close to Putin: his daughter Maria Vorontsova, an endocrinologist overseeing state genetic programs, and physicist Mikhail Kovalchuk, head of the Kurchatov Institute and brother of Putin ally Yury Kovalchuk.
What Russian scientists are researching
According to WSJ, scientists appointed by Putin have focused on two key technologies: bioprinting (3D printing of living tissues) and xenotransplantation (growing human organs inside mini pigs — a breed considered genetically compatible with humans).
Russian scientists claim they have managed to bioprint human cartilage tissue and a mouse thyroid gland, and say they plan to replace human organs by 2030.
Similar timelines are also being discussed for growing organs inside pigs.
However, unlike similar research funded by Western billionaires such as Jeff Bezos or Sam Altman, the work promoted by Putin’s inner circle has received virtually no publications in peer-reviewed international journals.
“If there are no publications then there are no real results, and their statements should probably be taken as aspirations, not to say dreams. They are probably telling Putin what he wants to hear to secure funding,” said Russian scientist Alexander Ostrovskiy.
The Russian leader has also shown openness to far less authoritative approaches.
During a meeting at the Kremlin in 2018, Putin advised then-Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz to try a cryochamber — a kind of reverse sauna where the body is exposed to temperatures as low as minus 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
Kurz later recalled his surprise when Putin enthusiastically explained the benefits of regularly standing naked in the icy chamber.
WSJ notes that Putin is extremely concerned about physical decline.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Putin introduced complex quarantine protocols, including disinfection tunnels and lengthy isolation requirements for visitors.
Russian and Western media have also speculated about cosmetic procedures, as Putin’s appearance has visibly improved with age.
Most of Putin’s closest aides and allies are also over 70 years old. But Russia has some of the highest mortality rates in the developed world.
According to official statistics, the average life expectancy for men in Russia today is about 68 years, compared to around 76 years in the United States and more than 80 years across most of Western Europe.
Putin wants longevity
Earlier, the media reported that over the past few years, Putin has significantly increased funding for anti-aging projects.
In September last year, during a meeting in Beijing, Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping discussed longevity.
Putin claimed that with technological development, it would become possible to replace human organs with new ones, which would be a step toward immortality.
For his part, Xi Jinping said that at age 70, “you are still a child” nowadays, whereas in the past, few people lived to that age.
