Moscow – Russia has launched a state-backed longevity initiative, "New Health Preservation Technologies," allocating an estimated $26 billion to research aimed at extending human life and potentially achieving immortality, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The ambitious program, personally championed by President Vladimir Putin, explores a range of experimental biomedical research, including 3D bioprinting of human tissue and xenotransplantation, which involves growing human organs inside genetically modified mini-pigs.
The initiative focuses on two primary technological avenues: bioprinting and xenotransplantation. Russian scientists are working on perfecting 3D printing of living tissues, claiming early successes with bioprinted human cartilage tissue and a mouse thyroid gland. Simultaneously, efforts are underway to grow human organs within specialized mini-pigs, a porcine breed considered genetically compatible with humans, with the ultimate goal of achieving full human organ replacement capabilities by 2030.
President Putin's personal fascination with anti-aging research has become a state priority. A "hot mic" moment during a military parade in Beijing last September reportedly captured Putin discussing with Chinese President Xi Jinping the possibility of human immortality through organ replacement. Beyond organ technology, the program also investigates methods such as gene therapy to slow cellular aging and exposure to ultralow temperatures through cryotherapy.
The project is reportedly overseen by Putin’s eldest daughter, endocrinologist Maria Vorontsova, and physicist Mikhail Kovalchuk, a prominent figure in Russia’s scientific establishment. Kovalchuk has stated, "It is difficult to discuss immortality, but the ability to repair man will undoubtedly increase." However, some Russian scientists, like Alexander Ostrovskiy, have expressed skepticism, noting a lack of peer-reviewed research in major international journals to validate the initiative's ambitious claims.
The pursuit of longevity comes amid Russia's comparatively high mortality rates, with average male life expectancy around 68 years. This state-sponsored effort reflects a historical pattern among Russian leaders, who have long shown interest in defying bodily decline. The program aims to transform longevity science into a functional state project, promising to save 175,000 lives by the end of the decade.
