Human Enhancement Is Here: How Biohacking, Gene Editing & BCIs Are Redefining Our Future
In a moment of psychedelic clarity, German tech investor Christian Angermayer discovered what he considered a profound personal mission: to help humanity evolve. His experience with hallucinogenic mushrooms, which he described as a spiritual awakening, became the foundation for a larger ambition—to promote not just mental well-being but full-scale human enhancement. His investment fund now backs innovations ranging from psychedelic therapies for depression to cutting-edge efforts aimed at boosting intelligence, physical strength, and life expectancy. Angermayer even co-sponsored a $101 million prize fund to reward groundbreaking anti-aging research and supports the controversial Enhanced Games—an athletic competition where performance-enhancing substances are not only allowed but incentivized with million-dollar prizes.
Although his ideas might sound far-fetched to some, Angermayer is hardly alone. The vision of enhancing human abilities has grown from fringe theory to a booming $125 billion industry, expanding at over 10% annually, according to the research firm IMARC. This includes everything from fitness wearables and bio-monitoring implants to advanced genetic therapies. In the first half of last year alone, nearly $5 billion in venture capital was funneled into longevity-focused startups.
Silicon Valley icons like PayPal and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel, and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, are betting big on this future. They’re investing not only in longer, healthier lives but also in a paradigm shift—where human potential is no longer capped by biology. As regulatory frameworks begin to show signs of catching up, some believe we’re standing at the threshold of a new evolutionary era driven by technology.
Techno-Utopianism Gains Political Ground
What’s drawing investors isn’t just a vision of a future where aging slows and athletic performance reaches new extremes. There’s also a growing belief that current political leadership in the U.S. may encourage these techno-utopian ambitions. In a symbolic move last month, Donald Trump Jr.—eldest son of the U.S. president—joined forces with Christian Angermayer and Peter Thiel by investing in the Enhanced Games. He praised the initiative for representing “excellence, innovation, and American supremacy”—values central to the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
This mix of enthusiastic private capital and emerging political will could accelerate the development of transformative treatments designed to stretch the limits of the human body and mind. However, not everyone sees this as revolutionary—some view it as eccentric, or even dangerous.
For centuries, humans have used tools to overcome physical limitations: glasses to see better, clothing for warmth, and pacemakers for heart rhythm. Yet the notion of deliberately enhancing a healthy person often triggers discomfort. The shadow of eugenics looms, and the enhancement industry is still navigating a fine line between visionary and villainous.
🧪 Supplements, Implants, and Bold Claims
Despite ethical questions, the human enhancement movement is already well underway across three major fronts: nutritional supplements, gene therapies, and brain-computer interfaces. The supplement market alone is massive, valued at $485 billion annually. While some products like ginseng or lion’s mane mushrooms are rooted in traditional medicine, others—like Adderall and testosterone—are prescription drugs being repurposed for off-label cognitive or physical enhancement.
Performance-focused users are turning to substances like spermidine, creatine phosphate, and nicotinamide mononucleotide to stave off aging or sharpen mental acuity. In men, testosterone is also widely adopted for vitality and confidence—even in cases where no medical deficiency exists.
🧬 Rewritten Article – Installment 3
Science vs. Speculation: Enhancement Without Proof
Many of these enhancement strategies are based on promising—but incomplete—scientific theories. In most cases, there’s little clinical proof that the treatments actually work as intended in healthy individuals. Take testosterone, for example. While it’s officially prescribed for men with hormonal deficiencies, it’s increasingly used off-label to boost energy, mood, and sexual drive—even though clinical trials haven’t confirmed such effects in otherwise healthy men.
Robert Kennedy, the newly appointed U.S. health secretary, uses testosterone not for medical necessity but as part of a personal anti-aging routine. However, since the hormone hasn’t been rigorously tested in this context, its safety and efficacy remain uncertain.
This lack of evidence is largely due to a gap in the medical research system, which has historically prioritized treatments for illnesses over performance enhancements for healthy people. Most regulatory frameworks—such as the FDA’s—are built to assess whether a drug can treat a disease, not whether it can improve well-being in the already well. The ambiguity around risks and benefits, combined with limited commercial incentives (especially for non-patentable natural substances), leaves a void in formal study.
🧪 Self-Experimentation and Biohacking
In response to that void, some enthusiasts are turning their own bodies into testing grounds. Tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson has taken self-experimentation to an extreme. Branding himself a “rejuvenation athlete,” he invests $2 million annually in a health routine supervised by a scientific team. His daily schedule includes waking at 5 a.m., consuming 100 supplements and medications, following a strict vegan diet, and engaging in extended physical training—all topped off with early bedtimes and solo sleeping to optimize rest.
But Johnson’s methods don’t stop at conventional routines. He claims to have replaced all his blood plasma with albumin, a protein-rich solution, and has even received a plasma transfusion from his teenage son—based on animal studies suggesting rejuvenation effects in mice. His aim is to reverse biological aging, though there’s no universal agreement on what aging markers are valid. He personally tracks unusual indicators, including the frequency of nocturnal erections—an unorthodox metric not backed by scientific consensus.
The Risks of DIY Enhancement
Bryan Johnson’s extreme regimen has drawn both fascination and criticism. Charles Brenner, a biochemist at the City of Hope medical research center, has warned that Johnson’s extensive mix of supplements and medications—sometimes referred to as “polypharmacy”—may do more harm than good. Brenner has even labeled Johnson’s goal of achieving immortality as “delusional.” The truth is, without carefully designed clinical trials, it’s impossible to validate the safety or long-term outcomes of such unorthodox approaches.
That’s why the scientific and medical communities are watching a new study with great interest. Known as TAME (Targeting Aging with Metformin), it’s the first clinical trial approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to specifically examine aging as a medical target. Rather than running the study for decades to track lifespan directly, researchers will measure age-related illnesses like dementia, cancer, and cardiovascular disease as proxy indicators.
The mere approval of TAME marks a shift in how aging might be regulated and studied in the future. If successful, it could lead the FDA to accept other aging biomarkers for future clinical trials, though reaching consensus on such indicators took years of negotiation.
🧬 Genetic Engineering: The Next Leap
Beyond supplements and drugs, a second major pillar of enhancement is gene therapy—modifying the body’s DNA to alter how it functions. Harvard geneticist George Church believes we’re nearing the limits of human performance achievable through traditional means like diet and exercise. To push beyond, he argues, we need to embrace powerful technologies such as gene editing.
Church co-founded Rejuvenate Bio, a company developing therapies aimed at reversing aging-related degeneration. In a recent study published in Cellular Reprogramming, scientists reported that mice given genes to produce Yamanaka factors—proteins that reset cellular age—lived significantly longer and showed signs of DNA rejuvenation. The firm now hopes to achieve similar outcomes in human trials.
From Mice to Humans: Gene Therapies in Action
While gene therapies are becoming more sophisticated, most success stories so far come from laboratory animals—not people. However, a few treatments have already crossed over into human experimentation. One of the most talked-about cases involves the biotech company Minicircle, which uses circular strands of bacterial DNA known as plasmids to insert new genetic material into the human body.
Minicircle’s most well-known enhancement triggers the production of follistatin, a hormone that promotes muscle growth and may be linked to delayed aging. Bryan Johnson, the same tech mogul known for his plasma swaps and anti-aging regimens, reportedly received this gene therapy on Roatán Island, an experimental medical hub located off the coast of Honduras.
The clinic is based in Próspera, a semi-autonomous city with relaxed medical regulations. It has attracted global attention for permitting treatments not allowed in many other jurisdictions. Investors behind Próspera include major names like Sam Altman, Peter Thiel, and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen—all of whom also have ties to Minicircle.
But Próspera’s legal freedom may not last. The Honduran government is now attempting to roll back its special regulatory status, casting doubt on the city’s future as a frontier for experimental medicine.
🧠 Brain-Computer Interfaces: The Third Frontier
The third category of enhancement gaining traction is brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), devices that connect the brain to external hardware or software. These range from simple headsets to complex implants. While still in early stages, BCIs have already delivered groundbreaking results. Scientists have decoded visual brain activity to reconstruct the images people are viewing. In some cases, these reconstructions are startlingly accurate.
One of the most high-profile breakthroughs comes from Neuralink, founded by Elon Musk. The company has developed an implant that allowed a paralyzed person to control a computer using only their thoughts. Musk believes future versions of Neuralink’s technology could help individuals move robotic limbs or even restore sight to the blind. Long term, his vision is to merge human intelligence with AI—amplifying memory, reasoning, and cognitive performance.
Silicon Valley Bets on Brain-Tech Breakthroughs
The ambitions behind brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies extend well beyond medical treatment. Musk’s Neuralink is one of several companies attracting serious investor attention. The firm has secured multiple rounds of funding, including a 2023 investment led by Peter Thiel’s capital group. Other major players in the BCI space include Blackrock Neurotech, also backed by Thiel and Christian Angermayer, and Synchron, which counts Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates among its supporters.
Some of the earliest versions of BCIs are already on the market. For instance, Flow Neuroscience has developed a wearable device that applies mild electrical stimulation to targeted areas of the brain via scalp-mounted electrodes. The technology is currently being tested by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) as a possible treatment for depression. Meanwhile, other startups are exploring how similar wearable devices could be used to manage neurological conditions like ADHD or anxiety.
💡 From Healing to Hacking Human Potential
BCIs are not just for treating disorders. Many companies are positioning these devices as tools for mental enhancement. Some promise to improve memory, increase focus, and reduce stress. Others go as far as claiming they can elevate overall cognitive performance by fine-tuning brainwaves or reducing mental fatigue.
One potential future application? Helping workers stay alert or recognize burnout in real time. If these technologies become more accurate, BCIs could evolve into tools for optimizing human productivity—raising serious questions about privacy, consent, and workplace ethics.
Currently, China is at the forefront of BCI development, conducting trials on both animals and humans. Researchers there recently announced a major milestone: the world’s first non-invasive, bi-directional brain-computer interface that allows a human pilot to communicate with and control a drone using thought alone. The Chinese government has even issued national guidelines to accelerate the adoption of BCIs, signaling that it views neurotech as a strategic frontier.
The Ethics of Mind Enhancement
As brain-computer interface (BCI) technology becomes more advanced, so do the ethical and legal dilemmas it raises. If BCIs evolve to a point where they can influence thought patterns, decision-making, or emotional states, concerns about mental privacy, autonomy, and covert manipulation will intensify. Ensuring that these devices are used responsibly—and not as tools of surveillance or coercion—will be a major regulatory challenge.
Despite these risks, a growing number of entrepreneurs are betting that U.S. authorities will adopt a more permissive stance on enhancement technologies. Robert Kennedy Jr., now the U.S. health secretary, has voiced skepticism about traditional regulatory bodies like the FDA, especially when it comes to innovative treatments like stem-cell therapy. President Trump has even appointed Jim O’Neill, a Thiel-aligned biotech investor and vocal critic of FDA caution, to serve under Kennedy.
Aron D’Souza, the president of the Enhanced Games, believes this political shift could spark what he calls a “technological revolution.” He envisions a future in which outdated rules no longer inhibit scientific progress. In fact, he claims the FDA is already weighing regulatory reforms, including the loosening of bans on anabolic steroids for athletes.
Christian Angermayer echoes this optimism, arguing that if policymakers adapt the legal framework for longevity and enhancement therapies, private investment will flood into research—accelerating progress at an unprecedented rate.
🚨 Public Hesitation, Private Optimism
Yet, not everyone shares this enthusiasm. A 2018 survey revealed that while most Americans support treatments to restore lost physical functions, fewer are comfortable with enhancements that go beyond the natural range of human ability. This public hesitation could stem from deep-seated ethical beliefs, religious values, or simply fear of the unknown.
However, history suggests that skepticism can quickly dissolve. Technologies like smartphones and social media were once met with suspicion, but are now deeply embedded in everyday life. Proponents of enhancement hope for a similar trajectory—where normalization eventually leads to widespread acceptance.
D’Souza, speaking at a recent global summit, framed enhancement as both a human right and a moral imperative. “We have the ability to rise above the fragility of our biology,” he declared. “We can become something more.”
With events like the Enhanced Games gaining attention, and investors pouring billions into technologies once deemed science fiction, the question is no longer whether human enhancement will become part of our future—but how quickly, and on whose terms.