Live to 130 with new mitochondria | Tom Benson, Mitrix Bio on Mitochondrial Transplantation

Hi, I’m Aastha, and welcome to Live Longer World, where I interview scientists researching the frontiers of longevity science and write about health & longevity practices.

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Mitochondria might be one of the most important organelles inside our cells. Best known as the cell’s powerhouse, they don’t just make energy; they regulate metabolism, control cell death, drive immune function, and may even be the reason multicellular life exists at all!

It’s no surprise they’re implicated in nearly every major disease, from heart disease and cancer to neurodegeneration, especially as they decline with age. What if we could slow or even reverse that decline by giving cells fresh, healthy mitochondria? That’s the promise of mitochondrial transplantation—a groundbreaking approach Mitrix Bio is pioneering.

In this episode, I talk with Mitrix Bio CEO Tom Benson about the science, the potential, and the early results from people already lining up for their trial.

Timestamps below cover the topics discussed well.

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Timestamps:

00:00 – Injecting new mitochondria into the body

01:39 – The evolutionary link between mitochondria & aging

04:35 – What happens when mitochondria grow old?

06:18 – Why do humans outlive most animals?

11:30 – The hidden role of mitochondria in heart disease

12:30 – Why the brain stays sharp even as we age

15:30 – The energy crash after 30 — mitochondria’s role

19:04 – Why doesn’t the body fix broken mitochondria?

22:42 – Mitochondrial defects in children explained

24:14 – How to test mitochondrial health

27:36 – Mitochondrial DNA: eternal or fragile?

33:18 – Where transplanted mitochondria actually come from

34:59 – Growing mitochondria in a bioreactor (sci-fi or real?)

39:07 – How neurons build their own mitochondria

40:52 – Mitochondria and the cancer puzzle

44:23 – The mind-body connection runs on mitochondria

48:32 – How chemo & radiation wreck mitochondria

50:38 – Proof mitochondrial transplantation works

56:06 – Sauna, fasting, sunlight — mitochondria hacks

1:00:01 – Do different races have different mitochondria?

1:02:57 – Why stop at 130 years?

1:04:48 – What could make this fail?

1:10:03 – How to volunteer for the Mitrix trial

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