Aussie farmer Dr Geoff Keipert in the running for $80m for anti-ageing innovation

An idea conceived 25 years ago while working with cattle could lead an Australian farmer to the biggest pay packet he’s ever received.

An Australian farmer is in the running for an $80 million prize at one of the world’s most prestigious bioscience events for his anti-ageing innovation.

Dr Geoff Keipert, 79, collected $250,000 in New York this week as a finalist in the XPrize Healthspan competition, in a nod to his oral treatment which has the potential to reverse aspects of human ageing.

“It’s validation for the work we’ve put in,” Dr Keipert, a longtime cattle farmer and veterinarian from Mudgee, NSW, said.

“I’ve known for a while we had something special, but now we’re getting recognition from world leaders in this field.”

Dr Keipert is a longtime cattle farmer and veterinarian from Mudgee, NSW.

Dr Keipert’s research, stemming from an idea conceived 25 years ago while working with cattle, builds on the concept of heterochronic parabiosis — a process where young and old organisms share circulation, resulting in apparent age reversal.

“The old one starts getting younger,” Dr Keipert explained, with his son and business partner Andrew adding, “And quickly.”

Andrew and Geoff Keipert flanking XPrize Executive Vice President Jamie Justice.

While early research in the field stalled, Dr Keipert continued exploring, convinced he had found a way to replicate the phenomenon without invasive procedures.

His breakthrough centres on exosomes — nanoparticles naturally found in animals that can carry rejuvenating signals throughout the body.

“The key is tapping things called exosomes,” he said.

“If the exosomes circulate and carry messages related to a youthful profile, then that’s what happens — the other cells react and initiate reactions that support that profile.”

Dr Keipert’s idea is to do with apparent effects of age reversal.

Unlike other approaches using umbilical cord blood or young pig-to-old pig experimentation, Dr Keipert’s method relies on non-species-specific exosomes formulated as an oral supplement.

“We already consume exosomes in meat and dairy,” he said, “but just not in the quantity required, which is what we are facilitating.”

The Keipert family company, Exomed, aims to bring the supplement to market by 2026-2027, with the XPrize funding accelerating their Proof of Concept stage.

The regenerative biotherapeutics industry is projected to reach $40.6 billion by 2027.

Exomed was the only Australian company rewarded in the XPrize this week.

Geoff Keipert and his son Andrew are finalists (and the only Aussies) in the XPrize, the peak global science and health award.

The XPrize competition, aimed at addressing global ageing concerns, seeks treatments capable of restoring muscular, cognitive, and immune function by 10 to 20 years in adults aged 50 to 80 within a 12-month period.

Forty teams received $250,000 each to assist in early clinical trials, with 10 advancing to a million-dollar stage to be announced next year.

The Keipert’s believe their point of difference — providing an oral supplement rather than an injectable — will be a significant factor in the competition and the market.

“Supplements don’t have to negotiate the regulatory maze that’s imposed on innovations such as stem cells,” Andrew said.

Previously, Dr Keipert was hesitant to share details, fearing scepticism. The pot of gold at the end of the anti-ageing rainbow has long motivated both scientists and snake oil peddlers alike.

“In the early days, people would ask what you were doing, and I would make the mistake of saying, ‘We’ve got this anti-ageing supplement,’” he said.

“That would raise an eyebrow, so we reframed it by simply saying it was a rejuvenating supplement that helps wound healing.”

But public perception is shifting. “In the last five years after the landmark studies, people are starting to believe you can do something about it, and we’re part of that.”

Originally published as Aussie farmer Dr Geoff Keipert in the running for $80m for anti-ageing innovation