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Below is a modified version of an article that appeared in UT San Antonio newsroom on June 5, by Claire Kowalick:
A team from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) has been named a semifinalist and Milestone 1 award winner in the prestigious XPRIZE Healthspan competition — a global effort to extend healthy human life by 10 to 20 years.
Their project, “Rejuvenation Through Low Frequency Ultrasound,” builds on the visionary work of Michael P. Sheetz, PhD, a world-renowned cell biologist and Lasker Award winner, whose pioneering research in mechanobiology laid the scientific foundation for this novel approach to reversing cellular aging.
A Global Competition with a Bold Goal
Launched in 2023, XPRIZE Healthspan is a $101-million, seven-year international competition aimed at narrowing the gap between lifespan and healthspan — the period of life lived free from chronic disease or disability. More than 600 teams from 58 countries entered; only 100 were selected as semifinalists, and 40 as Milestone 1 awardees, each receiving $250,000 to advance their work toward human trials.
One of those awardees is the UT Health San Antonio team, now carrying forward Sheetz’s groundbreaking research into ultrasonic cellular rejuvenation.
Sheetz’s Foundational Discovery Michael Sheetz, widely regarded as a pioneer in cellular mechanobiology, was investigating the effect of low-frequency ultrasound (LFU) on the cytoskeleton — the internal scaffolding of cells — when he began collaborating with postdoctoral researcher Sanjay Kureel, PhD, on the role of cellular senescence in aging. Their studies revealed that LFU might reverse senescence, reviving aged cells to a more functional state.
Dr. Sheetz, based at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, co-developed the original XPRIZE submission with collaborators including Blake Rasmussen, PhD, who contributed expertise in mouse models. Following Sheetz’s untimely passing in spring 2025, the XPRIZE Foundation, UTMB, and his widow, Linda Kenney, transferred the Milestone 1 award to the UT Health San Antonio team in recognition of his foundational role. “This was Michael’s vision — that ultrasound could non-invasively restore cellular health,” said Rasmussen. “Our role now is to translate that vision into clinical application.”
Continuing the Vision at the Barshop Institute
The research is now being led at the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity & Aging Studies, where a custom-designed low-frequency ultrasound spa was recently installed. The system uses painless ultrasonic waves delivered through water, and is being prepared for initial human trials in older adults. The team is also continuing mouse studies to deepen understanding of LFU’s mechanisms at the cellular level.
“We’re not developing a new molecule. We’re harnessing physics to reset biology — a radically different approach made possible by Sheetz’s original work,” said Sanjay Kureel, who trained under Sheetz at UTMB before joining the Barshop Institute in 2025.
Toward a New Era of Healthy Longevity
If successful, this non-invasive therapeutic could represent a first-in-class treatment to reverse biological aging at the cellular level — extending not just life, but vitality.
“The real innovation here is Sheetz’s insight that physical forces can be used to repair and rejuvenate cells,” said Elena Volpi, MD, PhD, director of the Barshop Institute. “We’re proud to help carry that legacy forward.”
XPRIZE Healthspan semifinalists represent a broad range of approaches — from biologics to devices to functional foods — with a shared mission: to deliver at least a decade of added healthy life to adults aged 50-80.
The next phase of the competition will include clinical trials, with Milestone 2 finalists announced in July 2026 and a final grand prize of $81 million to be awarded in 2030.