$1 million milestone award fuels Mount Sinai’s NYC-Vita clinical trial to advance healthy aging research
Mount Sinai Advances as Milestone 2 Awardee in XPRIZE Healthspan, a $101 Million Global Competition Focused on Extending Healthy Aging
New York, NY, Aug. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai are among the Milestone 2 Awardee teams in XPRIZE Healthspan, a $101 million global competition that challenges researchers to develop new approaches that help people live healthier, longer lives.
XPRIZE Healthspan is a 7-year global competition incentivizing teams to develop and test therapeutics that restore muscle, cognition, and immune function in adults aged 50 to 90 by a minimum of 10 years, with an ambitious goal of 20 years, to extend healthy life within one year or less of treatment.
After emerging from an international field of semifinalists announced in May 2025, Mount Sinai’s NYC-Vita clinical trial team was selected as a Milestone 2 Award recipient, advancing to the XPRIZE Healthspan Finals and receiving $1 million for its evidence-based approach to extending healthy aging.
“Advancing to the finals of this highly competitive global initiative reflects the exceptional scientific foundation we have built at Mount Sinai and the strength of our collaborative research enterprise,” says Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Executive Vice President of the Mount Sinai Health System. “By bringing together leading experts in immunology, neuroscience, metabolism, imaging, and clinical investigation, our researchers are furthering discoveries with the potential to redefine how we understand and promote healthy aging.”
The Mount Sinai NYC-Vita clinical trial is a first-of-its-kind study evaluating lifestyle and pharmaceutical interventions designed to improve immune system function and support healthier aging.
“We are honored to continue this journey with XPRIZE Healthspan and collaborate with innovators worldwide who are working to transform healthy aging,” says Miriam Merad, MD, PhD, NYC-Vita Team Lead and an internationally recognized expert in macrophage biology. “Earning a place among the finalists reflects the promise of our scientific approach and the dedication of our multidisciplinary team. This milestone award will help us accelerate research into new strategies that support healthier aging and help people maintain their strength, independence, and quality of life as they grow older.”
Dr. Merad is Dean for Translational Research and Therapeutic Innovation and Director of the Marc and Jennifer Lipschultz Precision Immunology Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She also serves as Co-Director of the new Colton Center for Autoimmunity, Chair of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Robin Chemers Neustein Professor of Immunology, and Director of the Mount Sinai Human Immune Monitoring Center.
The multidisciplinary research team also includes Zahi Fayad, PhD, a pioneer in medical imaging, wearable technologies, and the study of lifestyle stressors; Fanny Elahi, MD, PhD, a leading expert in neurodegeneration and brain health; Thomas Marron, MD, PhD, Principal Investigator of the NYC-Vita clinical trial; and Ryan W. Walker, PhD, MS, an accomplished scientist whose research focuses on the metabolic and nutritional factors that influence healthy aging.
Advancing to the XPRIZE Healthspan Finals marks another important milestone in building Mount Sinai’s comprehensive Healthspan Program. As the team continues the NYC-Vita clinical trial, it will seek additional collaborators and philanthropic support to expand the program and translate scientific discoveries into approaches that help people remain healthy, active, and independent as they age.
“The NYC-Vita clinical trial is part of Mount Sinai’s broader Healthspan Program, bringing together biomedical research and clinical care to address one of today’s most significant health care challenges,” says Dr. Fayad, Director of the Program. “By integrating research, clinical expertise, and innovation, Mount Sinai is well positioned to translate scientific discoveries into new approaches that may help prevent or delay age-related decline and disease.”
“Healthy aging is one of the defining challenges—and opportunities—in health care today and Mount Sinai is honored to be a finalist in XPRIZE Healthspan,” says Brendan G. Carr, MD, MA, MS, Chief Executive Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. ”Mount Sinai is uniquely positioned to lead at the convergence of wellness, prevention, and clinical care by combining world-class science with innovative models to help people live healthier, longer lives. This has the potential to improve the lives of millions of people and fundamentally change how we think about aging for generations to come.”
XPRIZE announced 20 Finalist teams today at an awards ceremony in Salt Lake City. Of those, 10—including the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai—will each be awarded $1 million as Milestone 2 Awardees. These teams span four countries — the United States, South Korea, Japan, and China — reflecting the global scale of the race to solve aging.
In addition to the $1 million Milestone 2 award, each awardee receives access to key clinical testing resources, bringing total milestone funding to $10 million, to accelerate development and clinical testing of its therapeutic approach.
The competition culminates in 2030, when XPRIZE will award a grand prize of up to $81 million — one of the largest incentive prizes ever offered for a single scientific breakthrough in health.
About XPRIZE
XPRIZE is the recognized global leader in designing and executing large-scale competitions to solve humanity’s greatest challenges. For over 30 years, our unique model has democratized crowd-sourced innovation and scientifically scalable solutions that accelerate a more equitable and abundant future. Donate, learn more, and co-architect a world of abundance with us at xprize.org.
About the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is internationally renowned for its outstanding research, educational, and clinical care programs. It is the sole academic partner for the seven member hospitals* of the Mount Sinai Health System, one of the largest academic health systems in the United States, providing care to New York City’s large and diverse patient population.
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai offers highly competitive MD, PhD, MD-PhD, and master’s degree programs, with enrollment of more than 1,200 students. It has the largest graduate medical education program in the country, with more than 2,700 clinical residents and fellows training throughout the Health System. The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences offers 13 degree-granting programs, conducts innovative basic and translational research, and trains more than 470 postdoctoral research fellows.
Ranked 11th nationwide in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is among the 90th percentile of U.S. private medical schools in Sponsored Programs Direct Expenditures per Principal Investigator, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. More than 6,900 scientists, educators, and clinicians work within and across dozens of academic departments and multidisciplinary institutes with an emphasis on translational research and therapeutics. Through Mount Sinai Innovation Partners (MSIP), the Health System facilitates the real-world application and commercialization of medical breakthroughs made at Mount Sinai.
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* Mount Sinai Health System member hospitals: The Mount Sinai Hospital; Mount Sinai Brooklyn; Mount Sinai Morningside; Mount Sinai Queens; Mount Sinai South Nassau; Mount Sinai West; and New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the nation’s leading integrated academic health systems and one of the largest in the New York metropolitan area. Its comprehensive system includes seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, over 600 research and clinical laboratories, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing. Together, the Health System comprises approximately 48,000 employees, more than 9,000 physicians, and 8,600 nurses.
As a leading learning health system, Mount Sinai combines clinical expertise with scientific discovery to improve patient care while training the next generation of health care and biomedical leaders. The Health System provides care across every stage of life, from prenatal care through geriatrics, while advancing personalized medicine through artificial intelligence, data science, and biomedical research.
Mount Sinai is consistently recognized among the nation’s leading academic health systems for patient care, research, and education. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 1 in New York by Newsweek and No. 5 on the magazine’s World’s Best Hospitals list. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai ranks No. 11 among U.S. medical schools and No. 1 among freestanding medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding, reflecting the strength of its scientific enterprise and leadership in biomedical research.
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- Mount Sinai Advances as Milestone 2 Awardee in XPRIZE Healthspan, a $101 Million Global Competition Focused on Extending Healthy Aging
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