Contact: Eileen Teves, 210-450-7239, tevese@uthscsa.edu
Content provided by: Claire Kowalick
SAN ANTONIO, July 18, 2025 – A team of researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies has been selected as one of the semifinalists in the XPRIZE Healthspan competition to help advance therapies aimed at reversing the effects of aging.
Launched in 2023, XPRIZE Healthspan is a seven-year, $101 million global competition challenging researchers to develop safe, accessible treatments that help turn back the aging process and improve quality of life.
More than 600 teams from 58 countries entered the competition. That number was narrowed down to 100 semifinalists with the top 40 teams selected as Milestone 1 award winners. Each of the 40 received $250,000 and the UT Health San Antonio team was among them, moving them into the next phase.
“Being named an award winner and a semifinalist in XPRIZE Healthspan is a tremendous honor,” said Blake Rasmussen, PhD, chair and professor of the Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology at UT Health San Antonio. “Our goal isn’t just to add years to life, but to add life to those years by restoring strength, clarity and resilience as we age.”
Joining Rasmussen are Elena Volpi, MD, PhD, FGSA, director of the Barshop Institute and professor in the Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology and Palliative Medicine, and postdoctoral fellows Sean Kilroe, PhD, and Sanjay Kureel, PhD.
Rasmussen and Kureel began their research with Michael Sheetz, PhD, a distinguished cell biologist and Lasker Award winner with The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB). In the spring, Sheetz passed away after battling cancer, and Rasmussen was determined to continue the research they started. The XPRIZE Healthspan competition was a valuable part of that mission.
At UTMB, Sheetz and Kureel studied senescent cells, damaged cells that have stopped dividing but do not die off, which can cause inflammation, cancer and aging-related diseases. Rasmussen contributed his expertise in mouse models of aging to the study. Their early research showed that ultrasound treatment might reverse aging in these cells and improve cellular health.
Part of their research included a specialized low-frequency ultrasound spa, which the team called the “ultrasonic hot tub.” Through the Milestone 1 funding, the team transferred and installed the hot tub from UTMB to the Barshop Institute’s research clinic. It’s designed for participants to step into while the machine sends painless ultrasound waves through water.
The team will start with a small study of older adults to see if the treatment improves cell health and overall function. The goal is to develop a non-invasive, pain-free treatment that helps renew the body’s cells and tissues, possibly helping older adults live healthier, longer lives. Mouse model studies will also continue to explore the underlying biological mechanisms.
Semifinalists will launch clinical trials over the next year and submit results by April 2026. The top 10 finalists will be selected in July 2026, with a $10 million prize awarded. One grand prize winner will be chosen in 2030, earning $81 million in the final phase of this historic competition.
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