Business Insights Journal Interview with Dr. Matt Kaeberlein CEO of Optispan

Dr. Matt Kaeberlein shares how OptiSpan is redefining longevity care through science-driven, personalized healthspan optimization.

To begin, could you share your professional journey—from scientific research to co-founding Ora Biomedical, and now leading the charge at Optispan?

Certainly. My research career began at MIT, where I earned my PhD studying the genetics of longevity. I continued that work as a postdoc at the University of Washington and later became a faculty member, leading a research program focused on the biology of aging—specifically the genetic and environmental factors that influence lifespan and age-related disease.

About a decade ago, I became increasingly interested in translating that research into real-world impact. I co-founded the Dog Aging Project, a large-scale observational and interventional study in companion dogs, including a clinical trial testing whether rapamycin can slow aging.

That translational focus eventually led to co-founding Aura Biomedical. We developed a platform—using robotics and AI—to dramatically scale longevity drug discovery. Our “WormBot” technology enables automated lifespan screening in C. elegans at 100–1,000 times the throughput of traditional methods. Aura’s goal is to test over a million compounds to identify novel longevity therapeutics. We already have candidates showing promise beyond current benchmarks like rapamycin.

More recently, I stepped away from academia to launch OptiSpan. Our mission is to extend healthspan for as many people as possible by applying the best available science—whether that’s advanced diagnostics, lifestyle optimization, or targeted therapies. We’re building both clinical programs and a broader platform to enable longevity care at scale, while staying closely connected to emerging research and innovation.

The latest life expectancy data shows the U.S. is still lagging behind peer countries. What do you believe are the biggest contributors to this gap, and how is Optispan working to reverse the trend?

It’s a complex issue, but two major factors stand out: first, our healthcare system is reactive rather than proactive—we typically wait until people are sick before taking action. As a result, we’re good at managing disease, but not great at preventing it or keeping people healthy. That’s the core mission of OptiSpan: to scale proactive, evidence-based care that extends healthspan and delays the onset of age-related disease.

Second, the U.S. suffers from major healthcare disparities. A large portion of the population doesn’t have access to quality care, especially preventive services. We also spend more per capita on healthcare than any other country, but see worse outcomes in both life expectancy and quality of life.

Obesity and metabolic dysfunction are also major drivers. The U.S. has long led the world in obesity, which accelerates biological aging and increases risk for nearly every chronic disease. Unfortunately, other countries are beginning to catch up to this trend.

At OptiSpan, we’re addressing this by building programs that detect early signs of disease—before they become serious—and intervene to stop or even reverse them. Many chronic conditions are reversible if caught early: prediabetes, early fatty liver disease, even mild cognitive decline. That’s what our protocols are designed to do.

We’re also excited about the potential for AI to close the care gap. With the right tools and safeguards, AI could dramatically expand access to high-quality care and reduce health disparities—something we’re actively working toward in both the short and long term.

Optispan aims to help users reclaim 10–20 years of vitality. What makes your approach to longevity care different from traditional models of preventive or primary care?

The core difference is that our model is proactive, not reactive. Traditional healthcare—what I’d call “Medicine 2.0”—waits until people are sick before intervening. We believe it’s far better—for individuals and society—to keep people healthy in the first place.

Of course, we still need hospitals and reactive care when illness happens. But the focus should shift toward prevention and optimization—something the current system isn’t set up to deliver. That’s partly because of how insurance works, which often discourages proactive care.

Right now, we’re operating outside the traditional system to develop the tools, protocols, and scalable platform needed for true longevity care. Our long-term goal is to either integrate these solutions into primary care or make them widely accessible through a parallel system.

With more than 250 peer-reviewed publications and recognition from top aging research institutions, how has your academic background shaped the vision and technology behind Optispan?

What sets OptiSpan apart is our combination of world-class clinical expertise and deep scientific knowledge of aging biology. My academic background brings a clear focus on targeting the biology of aging as the most effective way to improve long-term health — and that perspective informs everything we do.

Lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, sleep, and relationships all impact aging at a cellular level, and we understand many of those mechanisms. That scientific grounding helps us prioritize interventions that actually move the needle.

I also bring a rigorous, data-driven mindset to our work. We constantly evaluate whether diagnostics and tools are accurate, actionable, and evidence-based. If they’re not, we don’t use them — no matter how trendy they are. For example, we’ve chosen not to rely on biological age or microbiome tests, which often lack precision and clinical utility.

Another unique aspect of our model is the collaboration between scientific and clinical perspectives. Our team of MDs and researchers regularly challenge each other’s assumptions, which helps us develop more thoughtful, effective programs. That back-and-forth is core to our culture and to building a better system of proactive, personalized care.

How does Optispan combine advanced diagnostics and precision interventions to deliver personalized longevity care?

Our approach starts with a comprehensive baseline assessment — including bloodwork, DEXA, MRI, cancer screenings, and patient-reported data — to get a full picture of where someone is in their healthspan journey.

From there, we determine if there are any urgent issues or pre-disease conditions that need immediate attention. If so, we address those first, sometimes by referring out for specialized care. Once that’s handled, we focus on identifying the biggest levers for impact — often things like metabolic dysfunction, low muscle mass, or hormone imbalances.

We create a personalized healthspan optimization plan tailored to each person’s needs, which may include lifestyle changes, nutrition support, exercise regimens, and, when appropriate, hormone therapy. Ongoing coaching provides support and accountability without being overly prescriptive.

We reassess quarterly using updated biomarkers to track progress and adjust plans. Ultimately, this is a long-term, data-driven strategy to help people maintain a high-functioning, healthy life for as long as possible.

We’re also building AI tools and a scalable platform to bring this model to more providers — making proactive, personalized longevity care more accessible in the future.

Many Americans are actively seeking wellness and self-care solutions. How can technology play a meaningful role in helping people extend not just lifespan, but healthspan?

I actually think technology will have a much bigger impact on healthspan than lifespan. While extending lifespan at a population level is still uncertain, we already know how to delay or prevent chronic disease — the core of extending healthspan. If widely implemented, current strategies could give people an extra 10–15 years of healthy life.

The real challenge isn’t knowledge, it’s implementation. About 60% of Americans have at least one chronic disease, most of which are age-related. That means many people spend 20+ years living with disease — but that doesn’t have to be the norm. I’m confident we can shrink that to 5 years or less for most people.

Technology — and especially AI — can play a huge role in scaling this kind of care. We’re not far from having personal healthspan agents in our pockets that can pull from wearables, diagnostics, and bloodwork to offer personalized, proactive health guidance. These tools could empower people and providers to act early, before disease takes hold.

There are still open questions — around regulation, adoption, and whether people will actually follow through. But AI can even help there, by making healthy options more affordable and accessible. It’s not a silver bullet, but I believe tech will help bring high-quality, proactive care to anyone who wants it.

As someone who has helped shape the field of longevity science, how do you see the future of aging research evolving in the next 5–10 years?

There are things I’m fairly certain will happen — and others I hope will.

First, I’m confident we’ll see a growing pipeline of interventions targeting the biology of aging. These will include small molecule drugs, medical devices like therapeutic plasma exchange, stem cell therapies, exosomes, and gene therapies. Many of these are already moving through regulatory pathways, and that momentum will only grow.

We’ll also likely see some of these therapies first approved for age-related diseases rather than aging itself. But a major milestone I expect soon is the FDA’s conditional approval of the first lifespan-extending drug for dogs. That will be the first time the FDA acknowledges a drug as targeting the biology of aging — even if it’s in companion animals. It’s a big moment.

At the same time, we’ll see changes in the regulatory process to help move aging-related therapies forward more efficiently — which is a good thing. We need safe, science-backed interventions to be accessible through trusted medical systems.

We’ll also see a rise in longevity-focused medical practices. Some will be rigorous and evidence-based, others less so. That’s both exciting and concerning. On one hand, more people will have access to proactive care. On the other, the growth of unscientific or misleading practices risks creating confusion and harming the field’s credibility. That’s why at OptiSpan, we’re committed to guiding the space toward science-based, scalable care.

In the research world, we’ll continue learning more about the biology of aging. What I hope happens is a shift in funding. Aging is the number one risk factor for 9 of the top 10 causes of death in the U.S., yet only about 0.5% of the federal biomedical research budget goes to studying it. That’s a massive misallocation of resources.

If we change that — if we fund aging biology at a level that reflects its impact — we could see breakthroughs that far surpass the health gains from cancer, heart disease, and kidney disease therapies combined. The data strongly suggest this, but we won’t know for sure until that reallocation happens. I’m hopeful we’ll get there.

From a personal strategy perspective, how do you stay grounded and focused while working on a mission as ambitious as redefining human longevity?

There are a few key things that keep me grounded. First, my relationships—my wife of 25 years, my two grown children, my mother, and close friends—remind me what truly matters. I don’t spend much time thinking about the big-picture impact of our field. I see myself as one person among many doing important work. I don’t have an inflated sense of my role, but I’m grateful to contribute to something meaningful.

A defining moment for me was about 10 years ago when I realized that some of the aging research we were doing in mice could also slow aging in pet dogs. As a dog lover, that clarity gave me a strong sense of purpose and led to the creation of the Dog Aging Project. It was a moment when the impact felt real and immediate.

I do get frustrated with how slow progress can be, but I remind myself that this is part of the process. Ultimately, my relationships, knowing the importance of the work, and enjoying the journey keep me grounded and motivated.

What advice would you give to individuals who want to start taking better control of their long-term health but feel overwhelmed by conflicting information or wellness trends?

It’s a real challenge—there’s so much noise out there.

My first piece of advice is to approach everything with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Don’t be cynical, but be cautious of anyone who claims certainty or tries to sell you a one-size-fits-all solution. Be especially wary of people with a track record of exaggeration or misinformation—if someone has misled you once, they’ll likely do it again.

Find trusted sources. That includes looking for healthcare providers who take a proactive, whole-person approach to wellness. It’s not always easy, especially within the insurance-based system, but if you can afford it, investing in your health outside of that system is often worth it. There’s nothing more valuable than your long-term vitality.

Don’t get distracted by trends. Focus on the fundamentals. At OptiSpan, we focus on four core pillars: eat, move, sleep, and connect. That means optimal nutrition, regular movement, high-quality sleep, and strong personal relationships—including with pets. These are the areas that will move the needle the most.

Start by figuring out where you stand in each pillar and target your biggest gaps. Do some basic diagnostics to better understand your health status—comprehensive blood work, body composition (DEXA), and hormone levels are a great start, especially after age 40.

As for supplements, I’d recommend only taking what you truly need and can measure. A few that are worth considering: Vitamin D, omega-3s, magnesium, and possibly creatine. But if you’re taking more than five, definitely ask yourself why. Make sure your choices are data-driven—not based on hype.

Above all, remember: you only get one body. Invest in it wisely.

Finally, any closing thoughts on what excites you most about the future of longevity and Optispan’s role in it?

What excites me most is the scale of the opportunity—not financially, but in terms of real human impact. I truly believe we can give people 10 to 15 more years of healthy life with the tools we already have today, if we can just get them into the right hands.

I’m also excited about how technology, especially AI, can help us scale personalized care in ways we couldn’t before. And I’m encouraged by the growing momentum around aging biology. More people are starting to understand that aging is not just inevitable—it’s modifiable. It’s the most powerful lever we have for improving both lifespan and healthspan.

My hope is that in the coming decades, we’ll see policy makers, regulators, and the healthcare industry shift more attention and resources toward this space. If we get that right, the impact on public health could far exceed what we’ve achieved over the past 50 years focusing on one disease at a time. That’s the future we’re working toward at OptiSpan—and it’s incredibly exciting.