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Aaron Traywick

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Aaron Traywick
Born(1989-12-19)December 19, 1989
Elmore, Alabama, U.S.
DiedApril 29, 2018(2018-04-29) (aged 28)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
EducationUniversity of Montevallo
Occupations

Aaron James Traywick[1] (December 19, 1989 – April 29, 2018) was an American businessman and life extension activist in the transhumanism and biohacking communities. He sought to develop gene therapies[2] to make inexpensive treatments available for incurable conditions such as AIDS and the herpes simplex virus.[3][4] His lack of any medical training and his unconventional methods—such as broadcasting an associate injecting himself with an "untested experimental gene therapy", then later doing the same to himself in an onstage public demonstration—drew widespread criticism.

Education

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Aaron Traywick was a resident of Elmore, Alabama, and a graduate of Stanhope Elmore High School.[5] He graduated from the University of Montevallo in Alabama with a degree in interdisciplinary studies; he held no background in the sciences or formal training in clinical medicine.[6]

Career

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From January 2016 to his termination in July 2016, he worked to advocate investment in radical approaches towards anti-aging at the Global Healthspan Policy Institute started by his cousin.[7][8] In 2017 he founded Ascendance Biomedical in Washington, D.C., with the mission to "make cutting edge biomedical technologies available for everyone".

Traywick's self-administered do it yourself homemade gene therapies received substantial media attention.[9][10][11][3][12][4][2][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] In October 2017, Ascendance Biomedical shared a live broadcast of Traywick's associate Tristan Roberts injecting himself with an "untested experimental gene therapy" for HIV over Facebook's live-streaming service.[21] During a presentation at the February 2018 BodyHacking Con in Austin, Texas, Traywick injected himself with something he referred to at the time as a "research compound". In a later conversation with BBC reporters, he spoke of it as a "treatment" for Herpes virus, a term with a specific meaning subject to FDA regulations.[22] Shortly after the event, the FDA issued a statement on the inherent dangers of this approach to untested gene editing, without mentioning the company by name:[23]

The FDA is aware that gene therapy products intended for self-administration and "do it yourself" kits to produce gene therapies for self-administration are being made available to the public. The sale of these products is against the law. FDA is concerned about the safety risks involved. Consumers are cautioned to make sure that any gene therapy they are considering has either been approved by FDA or is being studied under appropriate regulatory oversight.

— US Food and Drug Administration

At the time of his death, Traywick was planning a CRISPR gene therapy trial for the treatment of lung cancer in Tijuana, Mexico,[24][25] and served as managing director for Inovium Rejuvenation,[26] which was conducting pre-enrollment for FDA-approved trials in several US locations to reverse menopause, rejuvenate ovaries, restore fertility, and bring hormone levels back in line with those found in youth.[27][28][29]

He is featured as a subject in the 2020 Showtime documentary Citizen Bio, directed by Trish Dolman.[30] He is also a subject in the limited Netflix series Unnatural Selection.[31]

Death

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On April 29, 2018, Traywick was found dead in a sensory deprivation isolation tank, or "float pod," at a float spa in Washington, D.C., aged 28.[32][33][34] His body was discovered after spa staff noticed that he did not leave the float room after his appointment time had ended and the tank had automatically drained.[35]

A spokesperson for the spa told news media that drug paraphernalia was found among Traywick's belongings, though police did not confirm this at the time.[35] Traywick's autopsy, reported on in June 2018, concluded that he died from drowning; the drug ketamine was also found in his system. Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, is sometimes used as a recreational drug.[36]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Aaron Traywick - Inovium Rejuvenation". Inovium Rejuvenation. Archived from the original on May 1, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Brown, Kristen V. (February 12, 2018). "CEO Who Tested DIY Herpes Treatment Locks Himself in Lab as Fellow Biohackers Abandon Him". Gizmodo. Retrieved May 1, 2018. Ascendance says it is working to cure cancer, herpes, HIV, and aging. In October 2017, the company encouraged Roberts to inject himself with an untested gene therapy that the company claimed was capable of curing his HIV. That test was live-streamed on Facebook. In an early February 2018 biohacking conference in Texas in which Traywick injected himself on-stage, Traywick claimed the company may have created a vaccine and cure for herpes. This attracted much ire from the biohacking community.
  3. ^ a b Mullin, Emily. "A biotech CEO explains why he injected himself with a DIY herpes treatment on Facebook Live". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Zhang, Sarah. "A Biohacker Regrets Publicly Injecting Himself With CRISPR". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  5. ^ "Mr. Aaron James Traywick: Obituary & Service Information". Brookside Funeral Home | Memorial Services. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  6. ^ "DC Spa Confirms Controversial CEO Aaron Traywick Died on Its Premises | Washingtonian". Washingtonian. May 1, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  7. ^ Jan. 25, 2015: New Thinktank to Promote Research, Innovation for Treatment of Underlying Causes of Aging-Related Disease
  8. ^ Bromwich, Jonah Engel (May 19, 2018). "Death of a Biohacker". The New York Times.
  9. ^ "Biohackers Injecting Themselves on the Internet with Homemade Drugs is a Thing". www.acsh.org. American Council on Science and Health. February 8, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  10. ^ Lee, Dave (February 8, 2018). "Bodyhackers: Bold, inspiring and terrifying". BBC News. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  11. ^ Lussenhop, Jessica (November 21, 2017). "Why I injected myself with an untested gene therapy". BBC News. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  12. ^ "People Are Treating Themselves With DIY Gene Therapies and the Government Is Getting Worried". Popular Mechanics. February 8, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  13. ^ "A biohacker injected himself with a DIY herpes treatment in front of a live audience". The Verge. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  14. ^ "Surprise! It's a bad idea to hack your body, says prominent biohacker". Futurism. February 22, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  15. ^ "Biohacker Injects Himself With Untested Experimental Herpes Therapy On Facebook Live". IFLScience. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  16. ^ "Biohacker Publicly Edits His Own DNA, Massively Regrets It". IFLScience. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  17. ^ "BioEdge: Biohacking: the future of the biosciences?". BioEdge. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  18. ^ "r/Transhuman - The "Future Grind" podcast has an interview with Aaron Traywick, the CEO of Ascendance Biomedical, who injected himself with an experimental herpes treatment while on stage at the BDYHAX human augmentation conference in Austin". reddit. February 24, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  19. ^ "The Future Grind Podcast: Science | Technology | Business | Futurism: Ep. 15 - Aaron Traywick of Ascendance Biomedical". futuregrind.libsyn.com. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  20. ^ Zayner, Josiah (February 2, 2018). "FDA Crackdown on Aaron Traywick Coming Soon?". Twitter. Retrieved May 5, 2018. Aaron Traywick and Ascendance Biomedical are running Facebook ads and promoting another live gene therapy injection with claims it's a cure for herpes. Wondering how long till FDA cracks down on themーany bets?
  21. ^ Lussenhop, Jessica (November 21, 2017). "Why I injected myself with an untested gene therapy". BBC News. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  22. ^ "Controversial biohacker is found dead". BBC News. May 2, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  23. ^ FDA, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. "FDA Statement on Cellular and Gene Therapy Products: Information About Self-Administration of Gene Therapy". FDA.gov. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  24. ^ "CRISPR Rejuvenation". crisprrejuvenation.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  25. ^ Mullin, Emily. "Before he died, this biohacker was planning a CRISPR trial in Mexico". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  26. ^ "Aaron Traywick: Inovium Rejuvenation". Inovium Rejuvenation. Archived from the original on May 1, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  27. ^ "Aaron Traywick - Inovium Rejuvenation". Inovium Rejuvenation. Archived from the original on May 1, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  28. ^ "A New Anti-Aging Technique Just Made It to Clinical Trials". Futurism. January 15, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  29. ^ "The Power of Crispr Cas9 & How to Create a Clearer Truth w/Aaron Traywick - TOT Revolution". TOT Revolution. December 12, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2018.[permanent dead link]
  30. ^ "Biohacking is Really a Response to Corporatization of Science: Trish Dolman on Showtime Documentary Citizen Bio". CBS Boston. October 29, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  31. ^ Latham, Jonathan R. (November 10, 2019). "Netflix's Unnatural Selection ducks the big questions about gene editing". salon.com. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  32. ^ "Biohacker Aaron Traywick found dead in a spa". BBC. May 2, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  33. ^ "Biohacker Found Dead in Sensory Deprivation Tank at DC Spa". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  34. ^ Hermann, Peter (May 2, 2018). "Biotech engineer found dead in sensory deprivation tank in D.C." Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  35. ^ a b "Police Reportedly Found Drug Paraphernalia Among Aaron Traywick's Belongings". Washingtonian. May 2, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  36. ^ "It Wasn't Biohacking That Killed the Biohacker: He Drowned". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
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