What is Silicon Valley actually funding in longevity, and what can cutting-edge aging science teach us about autism and chronic illness? Nadia sits down with Dr. Ronjon Nag, OBE, an AI pioneer turned Stanford genetics professor and longevity investor behind the R42 fund. Ronjon built some of the earliest neural networks that modern AI rests on, shipped voice recognition and the first mobile app store, sold companies to Apple, Motorola, and BlackBerry, and then pointed everything he knew at one of the biggest problems there is: aging.

The conversation is a tour of the frontier. Ronjon explains his vaccine for aging and why he starts with cancer as the proof of concept, what AI now makes possible in drug discovery and clinical research, how he invests across roughly 100 companies through R42, and how epigenetic reprogramming can take a cell back toward age zero. They get into the GLP-1 conversation, NeuroAge and cognitive testing, why menopause and women's health are an obvious next frontier, and the lifestyle medicine pillars he personally lives by. The throughline for this audience: what we learn chasing longevity extends straight into autism, Alzheimer's, and chronic disease. Every healthy year is another year of capacity to care for the person who needs you. Healthspan, not just lifespan.

"Every healthy year is another year of capacity to care for the person who needs you." - Nadia Elkhatib

CONNECT WITH DR. RONJON NAG

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronjonnag/

R42 Group (portfolio): https://www.r42group.com/

R42 Institute: https://www.r42institute.com/

R42 Institute AI Fellows Program: https://www.r42institute.com/r42-institute-ai-fellows-program

R42 Founders Program: https://www.r42institute.com/r42-founders-program

R42 Longevity Series: https://www.r42institute.com/longevity-series

R42 University (Luma): https://luma.com/r42university

Stanford courses (ExploreCourses): https://explorecourses.stanford.edu/instructor/ronjon

Stanford AI Longevity Lab Certificate Course: https://med.stanford.edu/genetics/events/Stanford_AI_Longevity_Lab_Certificate_Course1.html

Stanford Medicine profile: https://med.stanford.edu/profiles/ronjon-nag

Stanford DCI profile: https://dci.stanford.edu/ronjon-nag_impact-in-classroom/

Agemica: https://www.agemica.com/

CONNECT WITH BIOHACKING AUTISM

Website: https://biohackautism.com

Instagram: @biohackautism

TikTok: @biohackingautism

YouTube: @BiohackingAutism

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadiaelkhatib

Email: nadia@biohackautism.com

SUBSCRIBE

If this conversation shifted how you think about your own healthspan, follow Biohacking Autism wherever you are listening, and pass this episode along to another parent or caregiver who needs to hear that taking care of themselves is not selfish. It is how you stay in the game for the person who is counting on you.

PRODUCTS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED

Magnesium: https://amzn.to/3SrNqh5

Glycine: https://amzn.to/4wbIdZ5

Zinc: https://amzn.to/4wivi7P

Low dose naltrexone (LDN): https://agelessrx.com/ldn-science/

Fish oil: https://amzn.to/4eOhtqr

Creatine: https://amzn.to/4vnPXXr

Vitamin C: https://amzn.to/4w8LHvm

Copper: https://amzn.to/4vIgxeE

Vitamin D: https://amzn.to/4xWUAdm

Thymus bioregulator (Vladonix): https://vita-stream.com/a-6-vladonix-peptide-bioregulator-vladonix/

Pivot (GLP-1 food): https://getpivot.com

Mimeo Health (intermittent fasting mimic): https://mimeo.health

NeuroAge (cognitive testing): https://www.neuroagetx.com/

ABOUT THE GUEST

Dr. Ronjon Nag, OBE, is an adjunct professor of genetics at Stanford, a longevity investor, and an inventor. He built some of the earliest neural networks behind modern AI, founded companies acquired by Apple, Motorola, and BlackBerry, appeared on the cover of Fortune in 1993, and is a member of the Silicon Valley Engineering Hall of Fame. He was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his contributions to entrepreneurship and AI. Through the R42 fund and the R42 Institute, he invests in and teaches the science of aging.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The content reflects the personal views and experiences of the host and guest and should not be taken as medical guidance. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to your health regimen. This episode discusses specific compounds and protocols, including GLP-1, glycine, magnesium, zinc, low dose naltrexone, fish oil, creatine, peptides, and bioregulators. These are discussed for educational purposes only and are not recommendations. Always consult your clinician before changing any protocol.

Autism employment is one of the biggest questions parents carry: what happens when my child grows up, and will they find real work and purpose? In this episode on jobs for adults with autism, venture capitalist and autism dad Brian Jacobs shares what 15 years of investing in autism employment and raising a son on the spectrum taught him about preparing your child with autism for adulthood.

We get into why there is no single fix, why the job interview is an unfair social test for many on the spectrum, the small workplace accommodations that make the biggest difference, how AI could close the gap for adults with autism, and what meaningful work looks like for nonverbal and low-verbal young adults. It is a hopeful, practical conversation for any parent thinking about their child's working future.

"The parents are the soldiers in the war. They are out there talking about it and making it okay to talk about employment for people on the spectrum." - Brian Jacobs

Connect with Brian Jacobs:

Moai Capital: https://www.moai.vc/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianjacobsvc/

Autism Impact Fund: https://autismimpact.fund/

AASCEND: https://www.aascend.org/

AASCEND Job Club: https://www.aascendjobclub.org/

Stanford Graduate School of Business faculty page: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/brian-jacobs

Connect with Biohacking Autism:

Website: https://biohackautism.com

Email: nadia@biohackautism.com

Instagram: @biohackautism

TikTok: @biohackingautism

YouTube: @BiohackingAutism

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadiaelkhatib

Subscribe to Biohacking Autism wherever you listen, and on YouTube, so you never miss a weekly episode.

Companies and organizations mentioned:

Ultranauts: https://ultranauts.co/

Daivergent: https://www.daivergent.com/

Auticon: https://auticon.com/

About Brian Jacobs:

Brian Jacobs is a co-founder of Emergence Capital and the founder and Managing Partner of Moai Capital, a seed fund based in San Mateo. Over a career investing in technology startups, he has served on the boards of more than fifty companies, twelve of which have gone public, and he was twice named to the Forbes Midas List of top venture investors. He teaches venture capital financing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and holds degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT and an MBA from Stanford. Through Moai Capital, Brian invests in companies expanding employment for adults on the spectrum, including Ultranauts, Daivergent, and Auticon, and he is a founding Limited Partner of the Autism Impact Fund. He also serves on the board of AASCEND, the Autism Aspergers Spectrum Coalition for Education, Networking and Development. He is the father of an adult son on the spectrum who works today as a software engineer.

Medical disclaimer:

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast.

What if the most powerful autism intervention is not a protocol but the parent?

In this episode of Biohacking Autism, Nadia Elkhatib sits down with Len Arcuri, host of Autism Parenting Secrets and founder of All In Parent Coaching. Len came to this work as a dad first. A former finance executive and Six Sigma Master Black Belt, he met his son's diagnosis the way many of us do, by going into fix-it mode and treating his child as a problem to solve. What changed everything was the realization that the belief "my child is broken" was the very thing keeping him from meeting his son where he was.

Len and Nadia walk through the shift from fixing your child to leading your child's journey, and the two-step sequence at the heart of his work: unconditional acceptance first, root-cause strategy second. They get honest about parental guilt, why beating yourself up to be a better parent is a strategy that can never work, and how to protect your energy without empty self-care language. Len shares his decision framework for parents drowning in protocols, the CEO-and-caddy model for owning the plan while using good advisors, and why asking for help is not giving up, it is refusing to give up.

"Asking for help is not giving up. It's refusing to give up." — Len Arcuri

Connect with Len Arcuri

Website and free assessment: https://elevatehowyounavigate.com/

Podcast: Autism Parenting Secrets (available on all major platforms)

https://autismparentingsecrets.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/autismparentingsecrets

FB: https://www.facebook.com/autismparentingsecrets

Connect with Biohacking Autism

Website: https://biohackautism.com

Instagram: @biohackautism

TikTok: @biohackingautism

YouTube: @BiohackingAutism

LinkedIn: /in/nadiaelkhatib

Email: nadia@biohackautism.com

Subscribe to Biohacking Autism so the next conversation finds you. If this episode gave you one idea or a breath of relief, share it with another parent who needs it.

Products and Resources Mentioned

All In Parent Coaching and the parent assessment / power score: https://elevatehowyounavigate.com/

The twin study case study referenced by Len:

D'Adamo CR, Nelson JL, Miller SN, Rickert Hong M, Lambert E, Tallman Ruhm H. Reversal of Autism Symptoms among Dizygotic Twins through a Personalized Lifestyle and Environmental Modification Approach: A Case Report and Review of the Literature. J Pers Med. 2024 Jun 15;14(6):641. doi: 10.3390/jpm14060641. PMID: 38929862; PMCID: PMC11205016.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11205016/

ATEC (Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist): proxy measure referenced for tracking progress

https://autism.org/autism-treatment-evaluation-checklist/

About Len Arcuri

Len Arcuri is the host of Autism Parenting Secrets, one of the most listened-to podcasts for parents in this space, with over 300 episodes and approaching a million downloads. He is the founder of All In Parent Coaching, where he works one-on-one with parents of children with autism to help them lead their child's journey with clarity and calm. A former finance executive and certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Len brings a systems-and-strategy background to the inner work of parenting, after walking the journey himself with his now-19-year-old son.

Medical Disclaimer

This episode is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health protocol or your child's protocol. This conversation references functional and integrative approaches, supplements, and modalities such as homeopathy; these reflect the guest's personal family experience and are not recommendations for any individual child.