The laboratory will study how rising life expectancy affects healthcare, markets, career paths and state policy, Vedomosti reported.
Speaking at a forum held to mark the opening, Vorontsova proposed splitting longevity into two stages. The first is to live out "the potential laid down by nature of 85–90 years." That requires instilling a habit of caring for one's health from childhood, she said: eating properly and undergoing regular checkups.
Vorontsova described the second stage as an attempt to "outsmart God or nature" and move beyond the natural potential. Science has so far not achieved significant success here, she acknowledged. Among the obstacles, she cited the fact that aging is not considered a disease, which means creating drugs requires a precise diagnosis and clinical trials.
She tied confidence in progress to a "universal human fear of death": in her view, within 10–20 years it will push those responsible for healthcare to solve the problem.
Russia has already begun developing a vaccine against old age. Deputy Science and Higher Education Minister Denis Sekirinsky said the drug would block a gene linked to age-related changes in cells. Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova promised to set up production of an anti-aging medicine by 2028–2030. The work is being carried out under the national project "New Technologies for Preserving Health," launched at Putin's demand in 2025.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the Russian government is funding an anti-aging program worth $26 billion. The newspaper says the project is led by Vorontsova and Mikhail Kovalchuk, head of the Kurchatov Institute.
Life expectancy in Russia stood at 73.4 years in 2025. The authorities have set a goal of raising it to 78 years by 2030 and to 81 years by 2036. According to The Moscow Times, Putin himself is 74, while average male life expectancy in the country is 68.