How the XPRIZE Is Reshaping the Future of Aging

The world’s biggest prize in longevity science has just named its top contenders, and Timeline® is one of them.

Out of hundreds of teams from around the world, only 40 were selected to advance in the $101 million XPRIZE Healthspan competition. This isn’t just an award. It’s a recognition of our mission to transform aging itself—and a sign that the future of healthspan is closer than we think.

What Is XPRIZE?

Founded in 1994, XPRIZE is widely recognized as the global leader in designing bold competitions to tackle humanity’s greatest challenges. These include areas like space travel, carbon removal, and now, healthy aging through the XPRIZE Healthspan competition.

The XPRIZE mission is clear: “To inspire and empower humanity to achieve breakthroughs that accelerate an abundant and equitable future for all.”^[1]

While you may not yet be familiar with the name XPRIZE, you’ve likely seen the impact of their work. Past winners have gone on to launch groundbreaking technologies that have reshaped industries and created real-world change. Here are just a few standout examples:

• Space travel: SpaceShipOne won the very first XPRIZE in 2004 by becoming the first private craft to reach space twice in two weeks, jumpstarting the commercial space industry.^[2]
• Healthcare innovation: Final Frontier Medical Devices (now Basil Leaf Technologies) was awarded $2.6M for their AI-powered Dxter device that can detect 34 different medical conditions and monitor 5 vital signs.^[3]
• Water scarcity: Skysource won an XPRIZE for developing a high-volume, easily deployable water generator capable of producing clean water from air in nearly any climate.^[4]
• Climate innovation: Mati Carbon was awarded an XPRIZE for developing a scalable, carbon removal technology that harnesses the power of rock weathering. Their approach offers a practical, nature-based solution to help reverse climate change.

XPRIZE Healthspan

Launched in 2023, the $101 million Healthspan XPRIZE is one of the largest scientific competitions in history. This seven-year challenge aims to drive breakthroughs that can rejuvenate muscle, brain, and immune function, three systems critical to healthy aging. Competing teams must show that their interventions can restore 10 to 20 years of lost function in adults aged 50 to 80, based on real-world results.

Milestone 1 awardees were selected for the feasibility, safety, and transformative potential of their solutions.

Jamie Justice, the executive director of XPrize, shares, “This competition isn’t just accelerating progress, it’s shattering the limits of what’s possible when it comes to ageing.”

Timeline Named a Top 40 Team

Timeline is thrilled to announce that we have been named a Milestone 1 Award Winner, placing us among the top contenders for the final prestigious XPRIZE Healthspan competition. This recognition marks a major achievement and reinforces our position as a leader in the science of healthy aging.

Timeline was selected from a competitive pool of more than 600 teams across 58 countries, including pharmaceutical companies, biotech, and other innovators in lifestyle medicine.^[5]

“We’re honored to be named among the top 40 global teams advancing clinically backed solutions to extend healthspan,” says Chris Rinsch, PhD, Co-Founder and President of Timeline. “This milestone reflects our commitment to scientific excellence and our mission to create a new category of healthspan innovation—one that sets a higher standard for both nutritional and topical longevity interventions.”

Timeline’s Commitment to Advancing the Science of Aging

This award builds on more than 15 years of pioneering clinical research in mitochondrial health, including the discovery and development of Urolithin A, a natural compound that activates mitophagy, the body's process for clearing out damaged mitochondria and regenerating healthier ones.

Mitopure®, our proprietary Urolithin A supplement, is clinically shown to improve mitochondrial function, muscle strength, and immune fitness in multiple randomized placebo-controlled trials in humans.

Our research has shown that taking Mitopure daily results in:

• Improvement in cellular energy and markers of^[6] mitochondrial function.
• 12% increase in hamstring muscle strength in 16 weeks with a 500mg dose, in sedentary, middle-aged adults.
• 17% improvement in muscle endurance after 8 weeks when taking a 1000mg dose.

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Mitopure benefits extend beyond dietary supplements. Our Skincare Line brings the science of cellular renewal to the skin, supporting improved hydration, firmness, and visible radiance. When applied topically, research has shown that Mitopure:^[7]

• Slows the internal factors that contribute to skin aging.
• Protects against external drivers of aging, like UV damage.
• Reduces the wrinkle depth and volume.

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The State of Aging

Over the past century, global life expectancy has more than doubled, a remarkable achievement driven by advances in medicine, technology, and public health. ^[8]But while we’re living longer, we’re not necessarily living healthier.

The problem lies in the growing gap between lifespan and healthspan. This represents the number of years we live versus the number of years we live in good health.

• Globally, the average gap between healthspan and lifespan is 9.6 years, meaning people spend nearly a decade of life managing disease or functional decline. This gap is even more pronounced for women, who tend to live longer but also spend more years in poor health.^[9]10
• Men face a different challenge. They tend to have a shorter lifespan overall, but often experience serious health issues earlier, meaning fewer years lived in good health. While women live longer, men frequently experience a higher burden of chronic disease during midlife and earlier mortality.
• The largest gaps in lifespan and healthspan are in developed countries like the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand^[10]. Specifically, in the United States, life expectancy is around 77.5 years,^[11] but the average healthspan is only about 66 years. That means most Americans spend more than a decade living with chronic illness, disability, or reduced quality of life.

Looking Ahead

Being named a Top 40 team in the XPRIZE Healthspan competition is more than a recognition. It’s a call to action. It validates the years of rigorous science behind Mitopure® and reinforces our mission to redefine what healthy aging can look like.

As the competition moves forward, we remain focused on innovation. From expanding our product line with formats like Mitopure Gummies and The Eye Cream, to launching new clinical studies, we are committed to making cellular health more accessible and impactful for people at every stage of aging.

Healthy aging is no longer a future hope. It’s a reality we’re building every day.

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