First proposed in April 2008, The Methuselah Foundation Undergraduate Research Initiative (MFURI)[14] provided undergraduate college students in any academic discipline with the knowledge and logistical support to develop projects which contribute to the advocacy or support of the Methuselah Foundation or its mission of radically extending healthy human life. The MFURI provided students within the United States education system with the opportunity to receive college credits, scholarships, and recommendations for their efforts. Students from other countries were eligible to apply for many of the available scholarships. The MFURI project was administered by a team of volunteer supervisors and coordinators and received scholarship funding from the Methuselah Foundation.[15] As of March 2009, MFURI has stopped under the Methuselah Foundation’s supervision and moved to SENS Foundation, where it goes under the name of “the undergraduate component of the SENS Foundation’s Academic Initiative.”[16]
In 2003, de Grey and Gobel cofounded The Mprize (known then as the “Methuselah Mouse Prize“), a prize designed to accelerate research into effective life extension interventions by awarding monetary prizes to researchers who extend the healthy lifespan of mice to unprecedented lengths. Regarding this, de Grey stated in March 2005, “if we are to bring about real regenerative therapies that will benefit not just future generations, but those of us who are alive today, we must encourage scientists to work on the problem of aging.”[2] The prize has been covered in many news sources, including the BBC[3][4] and Fortune magazine.[5]
The foundation believes that if reversing of aging can be exhibited in mice, an enormous amount of funding would be made available for similar research in humans, potentially including a massive government project similar to the Human Genome Project, or by private for-profit companies.[6]
The prize reached $1.5 million (USD) in August 2005, $3 million in November 2005, and $4 million in December 2006.[7][8][9]
The Methuselah Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) volunteer organization co-founded by Aubrey de Grey and David Gobel, which is based in Springfield, Virginia, United States.[1] Activities of the foundation include My Bridge 4 Life, a community tool designed to help people deal with the different diseases of aging; the Mprize, a monetary prize given to anyone who efficiently rejuvenates and/or extends the healthy lifespan of mice, and various collaborative projects under the umbrella concept of MLife Sciences.
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!
