He's now the single largest private supporter of research in aging, and he's opening the spigot further. Ellison's efforts come at a time when interest in age-related research is booming, spurred by breakthroughs in science that could soon promise billions and perhaps trillions of dollars in profits. Behind that interest are the aging baby boomers, the large number of people born in the prosperity that came after World War II, who have hit or are nearing their golden years. Few embody the preoccupation with age more than Ellison. Ellison and Oracle declined to comment last week.
Scientists generally agree that human life can be extended, but are divided about how much.
Optimists hope a breakthrough in the next 30 years will extend human life to 150 years or more, but conservatives believe life will be extended slowly, as a side effect of regenerative drugs. The investment community is taking note. Steve Jurvetson, a partner at the venture-capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson, is scouting out ways to get into the field. He believes that within 30 years, people will live 120 to 140 years. His partner, Tim Draper, has invested privately in a Sunnyvale firm, Layton Bioscience, which is refining a process of cell regeneration to cure brain damage after a stroke.