The spy who returned from the cold believes that the future belongs to biotechnology
Anna Chapman gave an interview to the Financial Times
"Of course, there should be more large grants and simple projects to support fundamental research. In fact, if this country does not triple the funding for basic research in the next two years, then there will be no major changes. In biotechnology, the number of lives saved and extended will depend primarily on these things," Chapman said in an interview.
The Financial Times notes that the journalist was interviewed by e-mail, while Chapman agreed to discuss only the topic of biotechnology. Both Chapman's questions and answers are very general. For example, she is asked to tell what interesting things are happening in the world of venture capital right now and how investments in biotechnology can save human lives.
Anna Chapman replies that since the beginning of the XXI century, a revolution has taken place in the field of biotechnology — the first artificial organ was created, the human genome was decoded, scientists managed to extend the life of worms and mice twice. According to her, this gives reason to believe that the duration of human life can also be increased. "Whether we are alive or dead after 60 years depends on the level of development of biotechnologies in (Russia). If we start growing bio—artificial organs in the next 10 years, we can add 20 years to the average life expectancy," she says.
Chapman notes the importance of research in the field of gerontology — the science of aging and ways to combat it — and genetics. She also recalls that the founder of the Internet company Google Sergey Brin (No. 21 in the ranking of billionaires in the world according to Forbes, the fortune is $ 22.8 billion) in 2008 found out that the probability of developing Parkinson's disease, which was diagnosed in his mother, by the age of 70 is 50%.
At the same time, Chapman points out that in Russia "there are almost no venture funds investing in biotechnology." "There are about four of them for the whole country," she says. And among potential investors, with rare exceptions, there are no people with experience in the field of biotechnology.
"The situation is aggravated by the fact that in this area the investment time horizon starts from 10 years, and the volume of investments is several times higher than (in) IT," Chapman notes.
FT notes that Anna Chapman publishes an information publication dedicated to venture capital. Probably, we are talking about the newspaper Venture Business News. According to information from the publication's website, the newspaper tells "everything about innovation and the venture market." It has been published monthly with a circulation of 20,000 copies since March 2010. Distributed by subscription.
On the website, Anna Chapman is listed as the editor-in-chief. At the end of 2012, the publication reported that Chapman would leave the post in 2013 due to an "extremely busy schedule." To date, no changes have been made to the contact information on the project website.
Chapman is the most famous member of a group of Russian spies arrested in the United States in the summer of 2010. Initially, she was singled out by the American media as the "hottest" spy. After being deported to her homeland, Chapman hosted a TV show on television, became a functionary of the Young Guard and took the post of adviser to the president of Fondservisbank on investments and innovations.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru19.06.2013