Lisbon’s Longevity Summit: Lessons in Longevity Practicality
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I recently spoke at the Longevity Med Summit in Lisbon and found the agenda packed with practical ideas to boost healthspan — not just speculative science, but tools already available and ready to implement. Here’s a small sample to broaden our collective horizons:
Cell therapies are advancing fast.
My longtime friend Bob Hariri of Celularity presented multiple applications of his company’s placental cells. Available at scale, they’re already being used in wound care, orthopaedics, and other regenerative settings. Celularity is also isolating Natural Killer (NK) cells and trialling them for cancer therapy — an exciting frontier. The regenerative field is maturing from hype to hands-on.
Holistic approaches still hold strong.
From high tech to high touch, Issac Mathai described his Bangalore wellness retreat, where yoga, meditation, herbal treatments, and breathwork are part of a comprehensive, natural healing system. It’s striking how ancient practices and advanced science now coexist on the same stage.
New biomarkers keep emerging.
Jesper Eugen-Olsen, a scientist from Vienna, introduced the suPAR test, which is now commercially available and aims to measure chronic inflammation — the “inflammaging" that underlies many diseases. Nikolina Lauc of GlycanAge reinforced this point and also discussed hormone impact on female aging, a rapidly rising area of concern. We’re not short on biomarker options — the real challenge is choosing which markers to trust and track, and for which groups of patients.
Dental health enters the spotlight.
In a powerful presentation, Miguel Stanley made the case that old root canals and compromised dental work may be undermining systemic health. His images of infected extractions were both fascinating and slightly alarming. Oral health is emerging as a critical — and often overlooked — pillar of longevity.
Red light therapy gets personal.
I’m experimenting with it myself. At the Summit, it showed up as both handheld skin treatment devices and full-body infrared booths. Joie Risk of Sunlighten made the case that the precise spectrum of light makes all the difference. There is something appealing and refreshingly low-tech about sitting in a relaxing sauna and simultaneously working on your healthspan — calm meets science.
Even water had a starring role.
Perhaps the most surprising practical product on offer was water! One booth offered samples of Hallstein Water, drawn from Austria’s Dachstein mountains and filtered naturally through hundreds of layers of limestone. Alkaline, ultra-pure, and now in demand globally, it reminded us that not all health tools require a lab. Longevity, it seems, also flows from the simplest sources.
Across three days, the agenda covered everything from NAD therapy and nutrition to breath analysis and personalised prevention. My congratulations to Jorge Lima and the team for curating such a relevant and diverse lineup.
What made this summit stand out to me was its sheer practicality. Most speakers weren’t just speculating — they were showing tools we can use now.
And in the evening… there was fado. If you haven’t experienced this hauntingly beautiful music, it’s worth returning to Lisbon just for that.
