Gustavo Duque and the Canadian Translational Geroscience Network awarded $250,000 and selected to advance in the $101 million competition.
Gustavo Duque, MD, PhD, a senior scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (The Institute), and his team in the Canadian Translational Geroscience Network have been named among the milestone winners in the global XPRIZE Healthspan competition. This recognition positions the team as one of 40 advancing to the next phase of the ambitious $101 million competition focused on extending healthy human lifespan.
The XPRIZE Healthspan is the largest competition of its kind, seeking breakthrough approaches that can slow, halt or reverse age-related decline. The aim is not only to help people live longer, but to ensure those extra years are spent in good health—free from the disabilities, frailty and chronic conditions that often accompany aging.
Dr. Duque and his team, based in Montreal, are developing innovative therapeutics designed to prevent or reverse age-related musculoskeletal decline. Their approach focuses on targeting senescent cells and the biological drivers of frailty, with the goal of preserving independence, strength and resilience as people age.
“This is an extraordinary recognition of our translational geroscience program and of Canada’s leadership in healthy aging research,” says Dr. Duque, who also serves as director of the Canadian Translational Geroscience Network. “Being part of the XPRIZE Healthspan competition is an opportunity to accelerate the development of therapies that can truly change how we experience aging.”
Each of the 40 milestone winners will receive $250,000 USD, funding that will help them further validate and scale their solutions in preparation for the competition’s next phases. The ultimate goal is to deliver interventions that can extend human healthspan by at least 10 years, with the $101 million grand prize to be awarded in 2027.
The Canadian Translational Geroscience Network, led by Dr. Duque, brings together researchers, clinicians and innovators from across Canada, working to translate advances in aging biology into interventions that promote healthy aging for all.
“The prize funding allows us to move quickly into action,” says Dr. Duque. “We’re preparing to launch a clinical trial at the Centre for Innovative Medicine (CIM) at The Institute—an exceptional hospital-based environment dedicated to advancing clinical research. With its specialized staff, services and equipment, the CIM offers the ideal setting to accelerate our work. In this trial, we’ll be testing a couple of nutraceuticals that our team has been developing and refining for years, building on our preclinical and early clinical data. Our goal is to move these safe, accessible interventions closer to real-world application, helping extend healthy years of life.”