Russia is working on what officials are calling a breakthrough in medical science, a potential “anti-ageing vaccine” aimed at slowing down the body’s ageing process. The project, still in its early stages, is part of a larger national effort to boost biotechnology and improve life expectancy.
Russia working on an experimental “anti-aging vaccine,” still in early stages pic.twitter.com/ppcyC9zfip
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Speaking at a health conference in the city of Saransk, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Denis Sekirinsky explained how the treatment is expected to work. According to him, researchers are focusing on a receptor in the body known as RAGE or Receptor for Advanced Glycation Endproducts, which is linked to the ageing of cells.
“The RAGE gene is a receptor whose activation launches the ageing of the cell. Blocking this gene, on the contrary, can prolong its youth,” he said.
The aim, he added, is to develop “the world’s first gene therapy drug” that can specifically block this receptor and slow down biological ageing.
Part of a larger national plan
According to a report by The Moscow Times, the research is being carried out by the Institute of Ageing Biology and Medicine under a major government-backed programme. This initiative is part of a broader health mission launched in 2025 under the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The programme, called the New Technologies for Health Preservation National Project, has been allocated a budget of over 2 trillion rubles (around $26 billion). It reflects Russia’s growing focus on tackling its ageing population and improving public health outcomes.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova had earlier said that production of such an anti-ageing drug could begin between 2028 and 2030. “What some time ago we could describe as an incredible future is now becoming reality,” she noted.
The announcement has drawn global attention, especially as countries like the United States are also investing heavily in similar research, though often under different terms like “longevity science” or “cellular reprogramming.”
However, experts point out that the Russian project is still at an experimental stage. So far, studies have mainly been conducted in labs and on animal models, and human trials have not yet begun.
