Ethics
Access for All
BioViva believes everyone should have access to the latest and the greatest. Now more than ever, new technologies are rapidly becoming accessible to consumers. Examples are cell phones, automobiles, dishwashers, big screen TVs, personal computers, solar panels, and countless other devices that have become commonplace. Note that, as exponential progress in all areas accelerates, the time needed for new inventions to dramatically drop in price is plummeting.
Gene Therapy: The Right Thing to Do
As so often in the past, massive global demand gives incentive to makers to improve the manufacturing process, which, as history has shown, quickly puts the latest and greatest into the hands of the many. So too in the case of novel therapeutics. To hasten this process we intend to construct a manufacturing facility to significantly reduce the cost of our gene therapies. We have invested in mass production technologies such as bioreactors, in order to produce more vectors, and reduce the final price for the consumer. We will continue to seek more efficient methods in our quest to bring access to everyone.
Longevity research offers a myriad of benefits. We believe life extension will be a tremendous boon to the human race. This award winning video, produced by Adam Alonzi for a contest sponsored by the International Longevity Alliance, makes a compelling case for increasing lifespans and health spans. Our goal is to eventually have insurers and governments work with us, once they have become aware of the financial benefits of our approach. We hope our therapies will one day be covered by insurance companies, or incorporated into traditional healthcare systems. We believe improved longevity and health will be of significant interest to world governments and are confident they will work with us once safety and efficacy is proven.
Ethical and Religious Concerns
Gene therapy has raised many ethical questions. Somewhat unfairly. Any treatment or procedure intended to prevent or delay death could be condemned for the same reasons. Yet most of us would never dream of opposing kidney transplants, blood transfusions, or appendectomies.
Most of us are even supportive of surgeries designed to improve quality of life, to restore vision or maintain mobility. A sizeable portion supports purely cosmetic procedures. Why would anyone oppose a way to stave off or remove the infirmities of old age, the same infirmities and ailments that
kill tens of thousands of people every day? Average lifespan has been rising steadily since the advent of modern medicine. Antibiotics and immunizations created the greatest rise in average lifespan in history. This trend has continued up to the present. Why should it stop?
Humans have learned to build tools, construct awe-inspiring cities, care for the sick, and shape their environments in accordance with their desires. They have done these things for pleasure, out of compassion, and for the sake of exercising their creative powers. This is a well-traveled road illuminated by the brightest and the boldest of our species. With time their courage and contributions have become less appreciated because their ideas are now so entrenched in our culture and so entwined in our daily lives. Seemingly mundane ideas, like the spherical shape of the earth, were once frightening and revolutionary. Gene therapy is no exception.
Although details differ, almost all systems of morality recognize the need to reduce harm and to alleviate pain whenever the option exists. They also recognize the essential goodness of promoting happiness, productivity, life, and liberty.
The Safety Of The Technology
Pharmaceuticals, including those that have undergone FDA scrutiny, are still experimental. When they don’t die of the disease itself, people die of the very drug that claimed to treat it. Approximately 200,000 people die as a result of prescription medications each year. The US accounts for only 5% of the world’s population, but consumes 75% of all prescription drugs. In spite of this, we have the shortest average lifespan of all industrialized countries. Fortunately there are now multiple clinical trials testing gene therapy in human subjects. The technology has been around for more than twenty years. It is time to pioneer new options—our health and future depend on it!
Since its inception gene therapy has become increasingly safe and accurate. It is the new frontier in medicine. We are taking every possible precaution in safety and manufacturing standards to make sure its full potential is realized.
Retirement And Economy
The world is facing a massive crisis. The age of our workforce is rising to levels not seen since the passage of the 1934 Social Security Act. It is projected that, by 2020, 25% of the total U.S. workforce will be composed of people fifty-five or older. A similar situation exists in many countries worldwide. A shrinking labor pool will have dire consequences for the global economy.
At this rate countries cannot sustain the cost of so many more elderly people needing retirement, social security benefits, and medical care. The healthcare system will also struggle to cope with the increased demand in geriatric care. Some experts suggest the need for medical staff could triple in the coming decades as workers retire or require medical assistance.
We believe that companies like BioViva are the answer to this impending catastrophe. The current paradigm tries to mask decrepitude by temporarily mitigating one condition at a time. We seek to break this vicious cycle by promoting lasting health and increasing healthspan. We believe our therapies could restore the health and independence of senior citizens by treating the numerous afflictions rooted in aging, that is, in cellular dysfunction. This benefits older people who may then prefer to continue working, contributing to society, and enjoying vitality.
Population
A common objection to longevity research is that extended lifespans would result in overpopulation. These concerns mirror those raised when antibiotics first appeared. There were predictions of overpopulation then, since people would no longer die in their thirties of bacterial infections. As we know, this did not, end civilization.
Simple demography shows longevity and fertility are inversely correlated. Many nations, most notably Japan, are now experiencing severe negative population growth. Others are likely to follow suit. There is no good reason to believe increased lifespans will outstrip our capacity to feed and clothe ourselves or, for that matter, lead to another population explosion. The evidence points strongly in the opposite direction.
Improved urban planning, 3D printed housing, advancements in transportation, terraformation of formerly inhabitable areas, and offshore living are all potential answers to the population problem.We believe that the human race is headed towards a new age of amazing technology and innovation.
If you are interested in reading more about longevity and population this article at IEET is worth a read and goes into further detail concerning this issue.
Resources
Employment
As new discoveries are made and new fields develop, jobs will be created. Old and young workers alike can fill these new positions. Much as the cottage industries of Europe and America gave way to factories and mills during the industrial revolution, old industries will steadily transform. We believe with the wealth of opportunities provided by nanotechnology, renewable energy, regenerative medicine, high tech agriculture, space exploration, quantum computers, and other disciplines we have yet to name will fuel a golden epoch of exciting careers and possibilities. We urge skeptics to consider the likelihood of a brighter future and to explore the myriad of wonders science will deliver to humanity in the near future.
