Is Aging a Disease? • Estrogen for Skin Aging • Hybrid Clinics • Prevuno adds Labs
Your sneak peek into the world of Longevity Docs.
Hey Docs,
Between longevity clinics, AI, and biotech, our field is evolving at lightning speed. Big shifts are happening but are you keeping up?
This week, I break down our latest discussions/news, and key trends shaping the future of longevity medicine.
The hybrid longevity clinic is here, and AI is making it unstoppable. Our poll shows doctors overwhelmingly back a model where telemedicine, in-clinic care, and research-driven interventions work together.
Imaging centers like Prenuvo are no longer just diagnostics, they’re turning into longevity hubs. With labs, biomarkers, and advanced health scans, will they partner with longevity doctors, or replace them?
Repurposed drugs and cancer. Metformin, ivermectin, and statins are gaining traction in cancer prevention. Hopefully we will get structured trials and registries to track real-world outcomes and validate these protocols.
Is Aging a disease? The Healthspan LongBio Report shows record investment in targeting the root cause of aging. Big opportunities ahead for longevity-focused physicians.
This is the most exciting time to be in medicine. The field is evolving fast, and the physicians who adapt will lead.
Happy Sunday!
David
#LongevityMindset
Which model will dominate longevity medicine in 10 years?
With 21 votes, the overwhelming majority of physicians believe in a hybrid model that integrates telemedicine, research, and in-person interventions. Longevity care is no longer confined to traditional settings but instead leverages technology, decentralized research, and personalized interventions.
Poll Results:
Hybrid model (21 votes) → Combining telemedicine, in-clinic care, and research-driven interventions will likely shape longevity medicine’s future.
AI-powered care (3 votes) → Some foresee a future where labs and drug prescriptions are managed by AI, replacing physicians.
Concierge longevity care (1 vote) → Despite the rise in VIP healthcare, few believe concierge longevity clinic will dominate the field.
Hospital-led longevity care (1 vote) → Very few expect large health systems to take the lead in longevity medicine.
5 Key takeways for Longevity Docs:
Love tech. AI, telemedicine, and digital diagnostics will be essential tools for optimizing patient outcomes.
Stay research-driven. You will have to show outcomes and proven interventions.
Personalized interventions. Patients will demand precision longevity care tailored to their biomarkers but specially their lifestyle.
Build trust and credibility. As more non-physician players enter the field, longevity doctors must differentiate themselves through evidence-based practices.
Understand biotech. The next wave of longevity breakthroughs will come from “longbio”.
As Longevity Docs, we have a unique opportunity to shape this transformation.
Should We Lower SHBG for a Healthy Patient?
Buzz: A case was discussed regarding a 48-year-old, metabolically healthy, lean vegan patient with high SHBG, low free testosterone, and no symptoms of concern. The debate centered on whether adjusting macronutrient intake to lower SHBG was a worthwhile goal or if intervention was unnecessary. Some physicians suggested increasing carbohydrate intake to lower SHBG via insulin response, while others questioned the clinical benefit of changing a stable and asymptomatic profile.
Key Takeaways:
High SHBG alone is not an indication for intervention unless symptoms or metabolic issues are present.
Some doctors cautioned against unnecessary testing and interventions when there is no clear clinical concern.
Optimizing testosterone may not significantly impact lipid markers, and a deeper look at muscle mass and metabolic health may provide better insights.
Some physicians emphasized the value of advanced imaging like MRI over blood tests to assess true metabolic health and visceral fat levels.
Can Estrogen Cream Reverse Skin Aging?
Buzz: Longevity Docs debated the use of topical estriol for anti-aging, with some reporting dramatic improvements in skin quality and others questioning safety, dosing, and long-term risks.
Key Takeaways:
GHK, estriol, and hyaluronic acid-based creams are gaining traction
Systemic hormone therapy may enhance results, especially in postmenopausal women.
Safety concerns remain, with some questioning long-term estrogen exposure risks in topical applications.
Can repurposed drugs provide an effective foundation for integrative cancer protocols?
Buzz: great chat around the use of repurposed medications in integrative oncology, including protocols using metformin, statins, doxycycline, and low-dose naltrexone, while others discussed cycling antiparasitics like ivermectin and mebendazole.
Key Takeaways:
Repurposed drugs are gaining traction in cancer care: Integrative oncologists are increasingly incorporating medications like ivermectin, metformin, statins, and doxycycline into treatment and prevention protocols.
Ivermectin remains controversial but widely used: Some longevity doctors are using it in cycles for prostate cancer patients, reporting PSA reductions.
Prevention protocols differ from treatment approaches: Daily metformin, atorvastatin, and low-dose naltrexone (LDN) are common in high-risk patients, with doxycycline and antiparasitics cycled periodically.
A centralized longevity registry is critical: While many doctors are using these interventions, there is no structured data collection on patient outcomes. A Longevity Registry tracking real-world evidence on repurposed drugs in oncology and longevity medicine is urgently needed to validate protocols and drive future clinical adoption.
Welcoming New Longevity Docs
Longevity Docs unites board-certified physicians from diverse specialties - including cardiology, endocrinology, surgery, psychiatry, public health, regenerative, and functional medicine - across private practice, academia, and health systems worldwide.
Leonard Leng, MD: Singapore - Singapore
Arunkumar Govindarajanm, MD: Chennai - India
Simon Pimstone, MD: Vancouver - Canada
Nikita Grover, MD: London - United Kingdom
Ash Kapoor, MD: London - United Kingdom
Chuan-Jay Jeffrey Chen, MD: Burlingame - United States
Johan Sampson, MD: Alingsås - Sweden
Rashida Vassell, MD: Corning, New York - United States
Gary Cornette, DO: Overland Park - United States
If you are a physician (MD or DO) interested in longevity medicine. Connect with us!
What’s Hot? by Dr. David Luu
Is Aging a Disease? Longevity Biotech is betting on it
Instead of just treating age-related diseases like heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease, scientists are now targeting aging itself. Longevity Biotech is drawing massive investment from figures like Jeff Bezos and Peter Thiel, along with major players like Novartis, AbbVie, Pfizer, and top venture firms including Andreessen Horowitz, Goldman Sachs, and SoftBank.
The latest Healthspan LongBio Report highlights cutting-edge discoveries, AI-driven research, and biotech innovations accelerating progress.
Longevity biotech companies are focusing on distinct technological approaches to slow, halt, or reverse aging.
Removal: Eliminating senescent cells and reversing harmful aging-related changes.
Replacement: Replacing dysfunctional tissues using mitochondria, stem cells, and organs
Reprogramming: Using Yamanaka factors and other tools to reset cellular aging without altering identity.
Discovery Platforms: to identify new interventions targeting aging without a predefined molecular target.
Metabolic Modulation: Manipulating metabolic pathways like mTOR and NNMT, AMPK to reduce inflammaging.
Multiple Mechanisms of Action (MoAs): Companies pursuing multiple aging interventions simultaneously.
Why it matters for longevity Docs
Even though the FDA hasn’t classified aging as a disease, the world is treating it like one. Investors, entrepreneurs, and scientists are investing billions into biotech solutions that target aging at its root.
Longevity doctors can’t afford to approach aging through a traditional geriatrics or palliative care lens. We need to lead the charge in evidence-based interventions.
Patients now have a consumer mindset; they are more informed, tech-savvy, and demanding longevity solutions beyond conventional medicine.
To stay ahead, physicians must understand the science of aging, critically assess emerging biotech, and remain agile.
This isn’t something we learned in medical school…but it’s the future of medicine.
The Antitumor Potentials of Benzimidazole Anthelmintics as Repurposing Drugs
Investigates the potential anticancer properties of fenbendazole, a repurposed anthelmintic drug, in cell cycle regulation.
Immune Network - Recommended by John Haughton
Is it still worth pursuing the repurposing of metformin as a cancer therapeutic?
Over the past 15 years, there has been great interest in the potential to repurpose the diabetes drug, metformin, as a cancer treatment. However, despite considerable efforts being made to investigate its efficacy in a number of large randomised clinical trials in different tumour types, results have been disappointing to date.
British Journal of Cancer - Recommended by Tom Rifai
Low-Dose Naltrexone as an Adjuvant in Combined Anticancer Therapy
Data from existing studies indicate that low-dose naltrexone has a high anti-cancer potential, especially as an adjuvant in conventional chemotherapy and immunotherapy schemes.
Cancers - Recommended by Sajad Zalzala
Longevity Docs Events
Coming Next
Longevity Docs Club Forum
📅 Date: February 28, 2025
📍 Location: Virtual
This event is reserved for private members of the Longevity Docs Club
Longevity Docs Hormones Mastermind
📅 Date: March 29, 2025
📍 Location: Convene 101 Park Ave, New York (In-person & Digital Access Available)
One-day, 10-course curriculum
featuring dozen world-renowned experts, offering an unique opportunity to elevate your expertise in hormonal health and longevity medicine.
Learn directly from an unparalleled lineup of physicians, including:
Drs. Amy Killen, Jessica Shepherd, Elizabeth Yurth, Angela DeRosa, Salome Masghati, Juan Bautista, Felice Gersh, Melissa Loseke, Marcos de Andrade, Elizabeth Poynor, Kyle Gillett.
Longevity Docs Cannes
📅 Date: June 25-26, 2025
📍 Location: Palace of Festival, Cannes - France
Others Events
Founders Longevity Forum - Singapore, February 27-28
Vitalist Bay - Berkeley, CA, Apr 4 - May 29
The Longevity Med Summit - Lisbon, May 6-8
Life Summit - Berlin, May 27-28
Inside Viral Biohacker Bryan Johnson’s Don’t Die Summit In New York City
The day consisted of panels, brand activations, on-site longevity testing, a dance party and a sing-along. WWD
Concierge medicine is booming — and some New Yorkers are willing to pay almost anything for the privilege
The doctor will see you — whenever you want. More and more wealthy New Yorkers are spending big for concierge medical care that goes way above and beyond annual check-ups. New York Post
Prenuvo adds new health tests to flagship full-body scan, raises $120 million in fresh funding
The company is launching a detailed blood test, neurological scan and body composition analysis that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in recent weeks. CNBC
New “Humanized” Mice Brings Scientists Closer to Reversing Aging
WSU researchers have created HuT mice with human-like short telomeres, allowing for groundbreaking studies on aging, cancer, and longevity. This innovation could lead to new treatments that protect telomeres and extend health span. SciTechDaily
At Longevity Docs, we offer two distinct membership to support doctors in longevity medicine:
Basic Membership
Become part of a global network of 300 longevity-focused physicians across 50 countries, access to our app, educational resources, and opportunities to attend exclusive events.
Private Club Membership
For those seeking a more immersive experience, the Private Club Membership offers all the benefits of Standard Membership, plus exclusive access to private events, monthly forums, deeper collaboration with experts, and early insights into cutting-edge longevity practices.
Eligibility: Open exclusively to medical doctors operating a healthcare practice or leading a business dedicated to longevity.
Every Doctor Should be a Longevity Doctor
As a heart surgeon, I was often the doctor you hoped never to need . If you were in my operating room it means prevention was no longer an option. My father, a physician specializing in Chinese medicine and acupuncture, taught me about preventive care very early on. At 21, in 2001, I launched a foundation focused on operating on children in Africa, India, Cambodia, and Haiti so they could live longer, healthier lives.
In 2020, everything changed. When my wife contracted COVID-19, I realized the future of medicine lies in prevention. This led me to found a digital clinic dedicated to combating preventable age-related diseases, immersing myself in longevity research and new tech.
However connecting with like-minded doctors was the hardest part. I started a WhatsApp group with a dozen doctors passionate about longevity. We shared publications, new tech tools, and discussed case studies. It quickly grew into something bigger, and I realized we lacked a structured platform to learn, exchange insights, and shape the future of evidence-based longevity medicine.
From this need, Longevity Docs was born. Today, we unite 300 physicians across 50 countries with a shared goal: to democratize longevity medicine. Imagine a world where physicians have access to evidence-based practices, collaborate with experts, and conduct research together - in real-time, anywhere in the world.
I firmly believe that a decentralized, collective intelligence of physicians is the key to extending human healthspan. Together, we can create a legacy where medicine helps people live better.
Dr. David Luu
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Newsletter Disclaimer:
The content shared in this newsletter, including the "Buzz in the Chat" section, is for educational purposes only. It is derived from peer-to-peer conversations among physicians within the Longevity Docs community and is intended to inform and engage our network of doctors.
Please note that these discussions do not reflect the official position of Longevity Docs and are not to be interpreted as medical advice or recommendations. The insights and opinions shared are those of individual physicians and are provided as part of our mission to foster collaborative learning and dialogue among healthcare professionals.
We encourage all readers to consult qualified healthcare professionals for personalized medical advice and to evaluate any medical information in the context of their clinical expertise and patient needs.