Engineering Longevity
The Systems Engineering processes applied to biohacking for longevity.
Introduction
Benefit and Environment
As the demographic landscape of the industrialized world shifts, we’re witnessing an unmistakable trend: the median age of our population is on the rise. This aging phenomenon isn’t just a statistical curiosity; it’s reshaping how we think about health, longevity, and personal well-being. In response to these changing dynamics, the practice of biohacking is gaining unprecedented popularity. It’s hardly surprising that as people seek innovative ways to combat the effects of aging and enhance their quality of life, biohacking emerges as a techno-influenced approach to health. In this article we will explore how biohacking overlaps processes in systems engineering, promising more effective and sustainable outcomes in our pursuit of health, longevity, and peak performance.
Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary approach that focuses on the holistic design and management of complex systems throughout their life cycles.
“Systems engineering considers both the business and the technical needs of all customers with the goal of providing a quality product that meets the user needs.” (INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook 4e 2015)
Although there is no formal definition of Biohacking, it broadly encompasses activities ranging from wellness lifestyles to quantified self-body hacking, utilizing everything from health and fitness trackers to surgical implants. Monitoring may start with basic routines to improve key health measures like blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and body mass index (BMI), and extend to elaborate protocols costing over 2 million dollars a year, such as the one followed by Brian Johnson in the Blueprint Protocol.
Environment and Stakeholders
While Biohacking was initially a fringe moment for individuals to shortcut improving health measures and performance, it has expanded to mainstream consumers and is now considered a wellness lifestyle. The interest has captured the attention of research scientists, physicians, and athletes, creating a social media tsunami of larger-than-life personalities such as Peter Attia and Andrew Huberman. While government agencies such as the FDA, CDC, or the surgeon general have yet to embrace biohacking as a formal practice, both are utilizing some of the same research as they provide guidance; however, remaining true to its Silicon Valley ethos, biohacking embraces the fail-fast data-driven iteration common to the startup culture.
Recently, Brian Johnson presented the “blueprint protocol” as the panacea of biohacking, with processes, measures, and quality products endorsed and utilized by the founder.
According to the website, Bryan Johnson’s Blueprint Protocol's objective is to “slow the speed of my biological aging” and maintain biological age while chronological time passes. The blueprint maintains that it is a “scientifically rigorous, data/evidence-based systematic way of being.
“Two years and millions were spent developing Blueprint, an algorithm that takes better care of me than I can myself. Now, you can build your Autonomous Self as well.” (Bryan Johnson, founder of Blueprint)
Grounded in Systems Engineering Principals
In Systems Engineering we would define the system of interest as the human body and specifically the biological process that results in aging.
The Blueprint provides measurements by which to baseline and then verify and validate against.
“The purpose of the Measurement process is to collect, analyze, and report objective data and information to support effective management and demonstrate the quality of the products, services, and processes.” (INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook 4e 2015)
Systems engineering measurement processes define the types of information needed to improve decision-making and outcomes, which is exactly what the Blueprint Protocol has done. Blueprint has dozens of health measures being collected, analyzed and reported to support effective management and demonstrate the quality of the service to slow biological aging.
“The purpose of the Quality Assurance process is to help ensure the effective application of the organization’s Quality Management process to the project.” (INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook 4e 2015)
To support the protocol, Blueprint offers products ranging from supplements to foods such as chocolate and olive oil. Each of their quality products is meant to improve several of the defined measures. For Blueprints EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil), their quality assurance process ensures sourcing from both hemispheres to guarantee freshness and abundant polyphenols while using only UV-resistant glass bottles. And if you have trouble believing their quality processes, Blueprint has taken quality a step further by utilizing a 3rd party lab to verify what they sell is real EVOO.
Conclusion
The complexity of the human body is matched only by the complicated human personality. This unique intersection of mind and body poses significant challenges for health and longevity because while we may know what is “good for us,” we may not always follow that advice. This intricate relationship of human nature coupled with gamified feedback loops presents an opportunity to approach healthcare outcomes through biohacking, which employs numerous systems engineering practices. That said, as a complex system, while improving the measurements for longevity may entirely extend the lifespan, there will always be variables out of reach when working to deliver a quality product or outcome.
Systems Engineering, as a practice in an organization, should reduce the risks associated with developing large, complex products and services for an organization. Inversely, Biohacking as a risk mitigator and driving one’s entire life from measures could miss the point of life: … living it.
Sources:
- SE Handbook. (n.d.-b). INCOSE. https://www.incose.org/products-and-publications/se-handbook
- Johnson, B. (2022). Don’t Die. Blueprint Protocol. https://protocol.bryanjohnson.com/
- Catawba Valley Family Medicine — Maiden. (2016). Four health numbers you should know. Catawba Valley Medical Center. https://www.catawbavalleyhealth.org/Medical-Center/About-Us/News/2016/January/Four-Health-Numbers-You-Should-Know.aspx
- Bhanote, M. (2022). Biohacking: What is it, types and hacks to try for beginners. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/biohacking
