Google's ambition to defy the limits of aging has fired up interest in the field, drawing in drug companies that are already quietly pioneering research despite the regulatory and clinical hurdles that remain.
In September life-science company Calico, which was set up by Google last year to investigate the aging process, joined with U.S. drugmaker AbbVie in committing an initial $250 million apiece to developing cures for age-related diseases.
Away from the limelight, Switzerland's Novartis and Denmark's Novo Nordisk, looking to cater to the ever-larger numbers of people living into their 80s and beyond, are already testing new roles for existing drugs that could keep people alive for longer.