Putin's ally promotes research on primates in search of a way to extend life. Bloomberg.
Mikhail Kovalchuk, a close ally of Putin and head of one of Russia's largest government research centers, said the institute is exploring ways to extend healthy human lifespans.
"We are now conducting tests on elderly monkeys to study all stages of aging," Kovalchuk said at the Kurchatov Genome Forum in Moscow.
The study involved more than 7,000 primates, including what Kovalchuk says is a "unique group" of older monkeys ranging in age from their 20s to more than 30 years.
According to him, the researchers study animals aged 18 to more than 30 years, and perform biochemical, structural, vascular and brain analyses.
Putin, who turned 74 last month, has long been interested in the subject.
In 2025, he found himself in an awkward position when his conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the possibility of people living up to 150 years became public knowledge.
Kovalchuk has long ties to Putin and is described as a close friend and unofficial adviser to the Russian president on scientific issues, including genetics.
Putin's eldest daughter, Maria Vorontsova, an endocrinologist who studies genetics, gave a lecture in October about how health care can help people live longer.