The Longevity Code: Inside the biohacking boom in Singapore

The 46-year-old is currently the sole test subject of Delta. “It’s a new frontier for our research community. This isn’t just health monitoring; it’s interventional.” His routine is a carefully tracked experiment. He fasts for 20 hours a day, at least five days a week, and extends the fast to 48 hours twice a month to track how his metabolism and cholesterol respond. He clocks a minimum of a 90-minute workout every day and adopts an increasingly plant-based diet. He logs everything, including sleep patterns, glucose levels, cognitive sharpness—and makes daily tweaks.

Unlike what many would think, the catalyst for his health transformation was not his wife’s brush with brain tumour in 2018. “When my wife got sick, I remember thinking, ‘I have to be the healthy parent now’,” shares the father of two children. A month later, “I totally fell off the wagon,” he confesses. The pandemic made things worse, bringing more food deliveries and weight gain. What helped him back on track was not willpower, but data. When he first tested a glucose sensor on himself, the results were underwhelming. Despite fasting, Ho welcomes the growing interest in health sparked by biohacking, even as he questions some of its methods. “It’s encouraged more people to care about their health,” he admits. But for him, the future of longevity is not just about individual experimentation, but also about making personalisation scalable.

That is at the core of Eternami, a longevity clinic Ho founded with serial entrepreneur Veronika Linardi in March this year, at the new lifestyle hub, Kada. Built on the principle of precision, the clinic leverages AI to create personalised health optimisation plans based on each individual’s unique biology. “Our metabolism, fitness levels and cognitive health all evolve over time—and so do our needs, whether it’s nutrition, exercise, or how we approach self-care,” Ho explains. “What worked before might no longer be effective, which is why Eternami places such a strong emphasis on longitudinal data.” Rather than rely on population-wide benchmarks, Eternami analyses smaller, high-quality datasets to track shifts in metabolism, sleep and performance over time, adjusting protocols in real time. This results in a hyper‑personalised approach to longevity, grounded in data and designed for sustained impact.

This same philosophy drives entrepreneur Nicholas Lin, whose business ventures encompass the realms of food, aesthetics and wellness. Before we meet for this interview, he shared a detailed 10-page protocol—a personal blueprint charting everything from mobility and eyesight to skin elasticity and testosterone levels. “I like to say I’ve been doing this longer than Bryan Johnson,” Lin quips. “I’ve developed a protocol which has de-aged me quite significantly.”

The turning point for Lin came in his thirties, when a staff member mistook him for someone in his fifties. Now in his forties, he looks back on that moment as the catalyst for his deep dive into health and longevity. He began with a vegan diet to target chronic inflammation, and 18 months later, the issue had completely resolved. This marked the beginning of his data-driven approach to self-optimisation. “The science is out there. We know how to reverse these things—so why aren’t we doing it?” he questions. “I wanted to heal faster than I declined.”

Nearly a decade of self-experimentation has yielded steady improvements. “Last year, I deliberately gained five kilograms and increased my intake of glycine and creatine to repair my joints—and it worked. His routine, part habit and part experiment, is entirely self-directed but informed by in-depth research and continuous analysis. “When I first started, I increased my supplements from 10 or 15 to about 30,” he shares. He used to undergo blood tests every three months, tracking a comprehensive set of biomarkers. His experiments extended into pharmaceuticals too: at one point, he trialled a diabetes medication—without having the condition—“just to see what would happen”.

Beyond supplements, his collection of health‑optimisation devices includes an electrical muscle stimulation chair to strengthen the pelvic floor, red light panels to target inflammation, a clinical‑grade high-intensity focused ultrasound device for skin tightening and collagen support, and a nightly oxygen concentrator aimed at improving sleep quality. Yet despite the high-tech devices and detailed protocols, he insists that the basics matter most. “Sleep and exercise are the most important,” he says. “Supplements don’t [make that much of a difference].”

For those new to the longevity space, platforms such as Mito Health offer an accessible entry point. Founded in Singapore and now based in the US, Mito Health simplifies complex diagnostics into practical, personalised recommendations. A single blood draw is used to analyse over 100 biomarkers, spanning metabolic health, hormones, inflammation, micronutrients, and more. Rather than a static report, clients receive an AI-powered dashboard reviewed by medical professionals. It tracks biomarker trends over time, flags potential risks, and provides targeted recommendations across lifestyle, nutrition and sleep.

Optional add-ons include microbiome profiling, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, or DEXA, scans to assess bone mineral density, and early-detection full-body MRIs. Mito Health was launched in 2023 to fill a gap in traditional health screenings, says co-founder Chew Tee-Ming. “Typically, you’re told everything is in range and asked to come back next year. We knew there was more that could be done.” Strategic partnerships with diagnostic firms such as BodySpec and Prenuvo, along with the addition of longevity researcher Brian Kennedy to its scientific advisory board, have since expanded the platform’s capabilities.

Unlike traditional check-ups, Mito Health’s model is continuous and preventive, aimed not just at optimising performance but also at anticipating and reducing future health risks. “You might eat and sleep well, but without testing, you won’t know whether your genetics are working [for or against you],” says Chew. For first-time clients, platforms like Mito Health offer structure and a sense of safety—valuable guardrails in a rapidly evolving space. 

Meanwhile, at Chi Longevity, which prides itself as Singapore’s first evidence-based, science-led longevity clinic located at Camden Medical Centre, advanced diagnostics are paired with specialist care. Founded in 2023 by geriatrician and longevity researcher Andrea Maier, the clinic uses tools such as epigenetic clocks, microbiome sequencing, and genetic profiling to craft precision health plans tailored to each individual. Every intervention is data-driven and continually reassessed using tools such as a biological age snapshot, which tracks how protocols influence the ageing process over time.

Like Mito Health, Chi Longevity is data-first, but with clinical precision. “We only consider a protocol effective if we can measure a real biological change,” says Maier. “We don’t add interventions simply because they sound interesting or popular. Every person’s biology and psychology is different … if it’s not needed and not tested, it doesn’t go in the plan.” She cautions against one‑size- fits-all solutions, noting that five different genes can influence how the body absorbs vitamin D—a reminder that even the most common interventions need to be personalised.

But for many clients, that understanding comes only after trial and error. “I’ve seen first-hand how self-experimentation can become overwhelming, or even harmful, when done without proper diagnostics or oversight,” Maier says. “I often meet clients who arrive with a variety of supplements, having read about what works for others and trying to follow the same routines without knowing whether their body needs them or how these substances might interact.”

Such concerns about self-prescribed protocols are shared by Ho, who believes the real challenge in advancing longevity isn’t technological, but narrative. “The biohacking field is still fluid,” he observes. “People want simple, three- or four-word solutions that resonate. That is what’s shaping the field right now, and also what’s holding it back. It’s driven by snapshots of data, without real outcomes.”

And yet, even as individuals chase quick fixes, Ho argues that the true promise of longevity lies in a broader, more systemic view. “When it comes to longevity, there’s a lot more to it,” he says. “Economics, education, employment—these are what drive societal longevity and healthy ageing.” He believes the movement cannot succeed in isolation. “You can’t just have a thousand super-rich people testing their biomarkers every other day. The stability of the healthcare system matters,” he adds. “If we don’t serve the populations most at risk for chronic disease, the cost of healthcare rises for everyone—including the wealthy.” The reason, he explains, is systemic: longevity can’t be the domain of a select few.

“You can’t just have a thousand super-rich people testing their markers and imaging themselves every other day.” When broad segments of the population are left behind, the entire healthcare system is strained, driving up costs for all. The deeper issue, Ho suggests, is access. “[Some of these] tests cost $600—the average person [can’t afford that],” he says. Instead of promoting mass testing, he advocates for a more targeted and scalable approach. “I argue that most people would benefit more from tracking a few specific markers more regularly, rather than doing a one-time test with a gazillion markers just for novelty,” he explains. “And once you apply AI to that, the potential becomes [even more powerful].”

Ho’s goal isn’t to create an elite health protocol, but to show that even small, well-interpreted personal datasets can lead to more democratic and effective interventions. This belief fuels his work with Curate.AI, which is being tested in clinical trials across oncology, infectious diseases, and more, and at Eternami, where the guiding ethos is to “democratise access to optimised healthspans through sustainable, enjoyable solutions”.

In the end, the goal isn’t just to live longer, but to stay healthy and functional. Achieving that requires clarity, discipline and, above all, systems designed to benefit more than just the already-optimised few.

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