Welcome to Epistémê Entrepreneur, the podcast dedicated to scientists and technological innovation.
I am Ari Massoudi, former stem cell biology researcher turned biopharma business development consultant.
In this episode, my co-host is Harold Knoll, serial entrepreneur, curious and futuristic Sci-Tech. Harold is the founder of the startup DAYU, which aims to tokenize your genes. Harold is also a Partner at AVA Capital, the investment company Alexandre Ichai.
In this new episode of e², we have an exceptional Guest: the French researcher who succeeded where a Nobel Prize failed!
On the occasion of the publication of his book “Guérir la vieillesse*” published by humenSciences, we have the great pleasure of welcoming Dr. Jean-Marc Lemaitre.
*Cure ageing
You surely watched the 89 adventure film "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" with Harrison Ford and Sean Connery.
Do you remember the mythical scene in which Indiana Jones and the villain are in a hidden temple housing the Holy Grail?
In the temple, the Grail is one of the cups among dozens of others.
The villain chooses the most majestic and luxurious cup, fills it with water from the fountain of youth and takes a sip.
But it's the wrong cup and the villain crumbles to dust.
Indiana remembers that Jesus was originally a carpenter and he deduces that he must choose the most modest of all cups, the time-worn terracotta one. And it is indeed the right one. He brings back the Grail and heals his father's wound.
Why am I telling you this Indiana Jones story?
Because we ALL got it wrong. Me included.
Over the past 20 years, in search of the Holy Grail and the fountain of youth, thousands of researchers around the world have rushed to find what shines brightest in our bodies: the stem cells.
Stem cells are immortal cells, extremely rare in our tissues and like the Sleeping Beauty, they are in a state of deep dormancy.
When awakened, they are able to multiply infinitely and transform into any cell type, muscle cells, pancreas cells, skin cells, blood cells... and even neurons or heart cells!
Their function is to ensure natural tissue renewal or to regenerate our damaged tissues in the event of trauma.
The promises of these majestic cells were endless. The idea was to find them in our tissues, take them out, multiply them and inject them into our tissues and organs damaged by time to allow us to overcome ageing.
First, we rushed to embryonic stem cells, then to stem cells present in adult tissues, then to iPS cells (induced pluripotent Stem cells) whose inventor was awarded with a Nobel Prize.
And we ALL screwed up. We have ALL failed. None of these stem cells is able to make our species immortal, to overcome ageing!
Like Gollum and his precious, we have all been blinded by the beauty and rarity of these stem cells!
Our blindness prevented us from seeing that the Grail was under our noses, right next to the shining and majestic stem cells.
We are about to break the Darwinian chains subjecting our species to the passing of time.
We are on the verge of becoming Gods!
The longest lifespan at your physical and mental prime without any sign of ageing?
In this episode of e², discover the French scientist who succeeded in finding the Grail where thousands of research teams around the world, including of a Nobel Prize winner, have all failed!
Dr. Jean-Marc Lemaitre is Inserm Research Director, Co-Director of the Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Biotherapies (IRMB) in Montpellier.
The IRMB has nine state-of-the-art and high-tech platforms, as well as five research groups dedicated to understanding the mechanisms causing aging and developing strategies for rejuvenation!
Dr. Lemaitre is one of the spearheads of research in longevity, a discipline that promises us to live more than 100 years and with the vitality of a forty-year-old!
Dr. Lemaitre will tell us about his atypical and remarkable journey through the French Academic World. We will also talk about his book “Guérir la Vieillesse” (Cure Ageing) launched last March by the excellent publisher Humensciences directed by Olivia Recasens.
Then we will discuss the incredible discovery from his laboratory!
"Rejuvenate 20 years in just one year, without suffering, without going through a surgeon's operating table"...
... is the Grail of immortality and eternal youth finally within reach?
All the answers in this new episode of e²!
Bonus
E² - Épistémê Entrepreneur