The Buck Institute for Research on Aging has introduced Healthspan Horizons, a new initiative aimed at improving how human healthspan—the years lived in good health—is measured and extended. The project addresses the growing issue that while people are living longer, many of those additional years are spent dealing with chronic diseases rather than enjoying good health.
Healthspan Horizons seeks to build a research infrastructure that combines real-world data from sources such as wearables, sleep trackers, activity monitors, nutrition logs, and laboratory results with periodic in-depth measurements led by the Buck Institute. This approach is intended to create comprehensive datasets that can reveal what influences human healthspan over time. The initiative plans to use artificial intelligence and aging science to interpret these data streams into actionable insights for disease prevention.
According to the Buck Institute, collecting dense longitudinal datasets—multiple types of information about individuals over time—can help detect early signs of decline and identify factors contributing to resilience before serious illness develops. Participants will be able to contribute their data through partner programs or studies managed by the Buck Institute under clear ethical guidelines. In exchange, they will have access to shared insights derived from the combined data.
The platform is designed as an open, federated system where approved analyses can be conducted across different partner environments without transferring ownership or commercializing individual health data. This privacy-preserving model allows collaboration while maintaining control over personal information.
"Most of us don't just want a longer life—we want more years of energy, strength, and independence," said Nathan Price, PhD, Professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and Co-Founder of Healthspan Horizons. "What's been missing is a way to bring together deep, long-term health data and apply rigorous AI to understand what truly drives healthy aging—responsibly, interoperably, and at scale. Healthspan Horizons is built to make that possible."
Healthspan Horizons involves experts from various fields including research, healthcare, philanthropy, and innovation. Its advisory group features leaders such as Larry Brilliant (Co-Founder and CEO of Evity), Joel Dudley (Co-Founder and CSO of Bevimi), Kara Fitzgerald (clinician–researcher in epigenetics), Lee Hood (CEO of Phenome Health), Shaista Malik (Associate Vice Chancellor at UC Irvine), Sara Szal (functional medicine physician), and Eric Verdin (President and CEO of the Buck Institute).
"Medicine is shifting from reactive and episodic to predictive and preventive," said Lee Hood. "To make that transformation real, we must move beyond fragmented data silos toward shared, federated intelligence. Healthspan Horizons helps build the computational and ethical foundation needed to make healthspan measurable and actionable."
The initiative encourages participation not only from users but also from those interested in helping develop its framework further. Details about its scientific approach are available in a white paper titled "Bridging Wellness & Clinical Science: A Federated Healthspan Data Framework for the 21st-Century Longevity Economy," which can be accessed at https://healthspanhorizons.org/whitepaper. More information on joining or participating in Healthspan Horizons can be found at https://healthspanhorizons.org/join.
