In the dogged quest for youth, one technology mogul is raising eyebrows and opening wallets, spending an estimated $2 million annually on a daring and provocative regimen aimed at undoing the ravages of aging. Bryan Johnson, a 45-year-old entrepreneur who cashed out Braintree Payment Solutions to eBay in his early 30s, is now all in on what he has termed Project Blueprint.
This project isn’t some other wellness fad. It’s a science-driven, full-court press to reverse or at least slowaging, led by doctors and regenerative health experts. Johnson wants to do the impossible: have all of his organs from his brain and liver to his skin, and even rectum function as if he was in his late teens.
1. Everyday Routine and Diet
The routine of Johnson’s daily life under Project Blueprint is meticulous and intense. His day starts religiously at 5 a.m., beginning with the intake of two dozen pills. These pills aren’t swallowed indiscriminately they’re precision-chosen to assist particular body systems, calibrated by his medical staff.
He then spends an hour exercising, adhering to a traditional routine for maximal efficiency. His diet is strictly controlled vegan, consisting of precisely 1,977 calories per day. Even the smallest habits, such as brushing his teeth, adhere to a programmed regimen involving a tea tree oil and antioxidant gel rinse, selected to maximize dental health.
Sleep, one of the cornerstones of his regimen, is carefully controlled. Johnson has a strict bedtime and works in blue light-blocking glasses for two hours before retiring. Technology tracks his body during sleep, such as the rate and duration of his nocturnal erections, which serve as an indicator of youthful biological function.
2. Medical Surveillance and Ongoing Testing
Monitoring this complicated regimen is a group of 30 medical professionals headed by regenerative medicine doctor Oliver Zolman. Their task is to monitor Johnson’s health in painstaking detail. Every month, Johnson has blood work, MRIs, ultrasounds, and even colonoscopies. Many of these are invasive and, in some cases, painful but Johnson considers them fundamental in his quest.
This information is constantly monitored, with his regimen being changed according to the outcome. This constant cycle of measurement and adjustment is at the heart of Project Blueprint, which uses a high degree of biofeedback and precision medicine to try to do what most would say is biologically impossible.
3. Advanced Procedures and Plasma Swaps
Along with the austere lifestyle and medical monitoring, Project Blueprint involves more sophisticated and expensive measures. Perhaps the most controversial is plasma exchange therapy. Johnson went through a multi-generational blood-swapping regimen involving his 70-year-old dad, Richard, and his 17-year-old son, Talmage.
During this process, Talmage donated one liter of blood that was separated into components such as plasma, red and white blood cells, and platelets. Johnson then received Talmage’s plasma via transfusion. After that, he underwent the same process so his father could receive his plasma.
Prior to enlisting family, Johnson had already been getting anonymous donors scrupulously vetted “blood boys” who met certain health parameters. “They were selected based on an ideal BMI, clean bill of health, and overall healthy lifestyle,” Johnson says. “We always tried to refresh his body with younger, healthier plasma.”.
The theory behind the practice is loosely derived from research in mice. During experiments, researchers physically joined the circulatory system of young and old mice. Old mice improved their cognitive ability and physical well-being, and younger mice also felt the benefits of frequent donation of blood. Yet authorities caution that evidence in humans is weak and not compelling.
Opponents such as Charles Brenner, a biochemist at City of Hope National Medical Center in Los Angeles, have labeled plasma swapping for aging “gross, evidence-free, and relatively dangerous.” Plasma transfusions are classically reserved for certain medical indications such as trauma, liver disease, or clotting disorders, according to the Red Cross.
4. Gene Therapy and Cosmetic Enhancements
Johnson recently added gene therapy to Project Blueprint. Last month, he was administered a dose of follistatin therapy by Minicircle, a biotech firm supported by investors such as billionaire Peter Thiel and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Follistatin is a protein thought to have the ability to increase muscle mass and lower inflammation. While the treatment is not FDA-approved and costs $25,000 per injection, Johnson received the therapy for free.
Minicircle co-founder Mac Davis pointed out that Johnson’s celebrity status provides worth beyond dollars. Johnson himself revealed the treatment on Instagram, saying he was now a “genetically enhanced human (GEH).”
Besides gene therapy, Johnson has had cosmetic and regenerative treatments, including facial fat scaffolding to build young fat cells. He has also adopted a contentious treatment with three sessions a week of shockwaves that are supposed to increase blood flow and nocturnal erectile duration.
Johnson says that Project Blueprint is already yielding quantifiable results. He boasts of having the heart of a 37-year-old, the skin of a 28-year-old, and gums as healthy as a 17-year-old. His doctors tell him his lung capacity and levels of fitness are those of an 18-year-old.
Jeff Toll, an internist on his staff, complimented Johnson on his work ethic, stating that none of his celebrity or sports clients test the boundaries as far as Johnson does. Nevertheless, chief physician Oliver Zolman points out that they have not reached blockbuster breakthroughs yet at least “small, reasonable results.” His ultimate goal is to cut back on aging by 25% in all 78 organs by 2030.
5. Philosophy, Public Reaction, and Personal Controversies
Johnson sees his radical health experience as a reaction to what he perceives as society’s acceptance of decline as irreversible. He is convinced that decay and harm can be avoided by being disciplined, using technology, and with the aid of data. In 2021, Johnson wrote in a blog post that Project Blueprint started when he let go of “Evening Bryan,” his previous life form that was guilty of overeating and sleeping badly. Data, rather than feelings, now controls my diet and sleep routines,” he declared.
He has also made Project Blueprint available to the general public via a platform referred to as the “Rejuvenation Olympics.” There, users can download and upload their epigenetic data and compare biological age statistics, effectively leading to something of a leaderboard for longevity fanatics.
The public response to Johnson’s radical lifestyle has been varied, from fascination to bitter sarcasm. Social media remarks have mocked his look, with comments such as “He resembles a raw chicken” and “Do we inform him he doesn’t appear to be 18?” But Johnson appears unruffled, even welcoming the spotlight. On X (previously Twitter), he posted, “Haters, I see you hard at work coming up with zingers, take-downs, and insults. I’m looking forward to them!”
Johnson’s tale also features a complex legal chapter with his ex-fiancée, Taryn Southern. The couple broke up soon after Southern finished treatment for stage III breast cancer. She subsequently launched a civil suit, citing emotional distress, breach of contract, and other claims, reporting she was coerced into signing a disadvantageous deal without the presence of her attorney.
Most of Southern’s charges were rejected by way of arbitration, an institution typically seen to be pro-employer. She was also instructed to pay for Johnson’s attorneys’ fees, which amounted to over $584,000. Johnson afterwards boasted on social media that he had put that money in a trust to cover Southern’s future medical expenses. Critics, however, viewed his reaction as manipulative. Southern has one friend refer to it as “one of control, power, and the idolization of false personas.
Johnson rejects all of Southern’s accusations, blaming her for trying to extort him using legal means. He posted a YouTube video called “My Ex-Fiancée Sued Me for $9,000,000,” in which he presented himself as a victim of a botched attempt at extortion.
Bryan Johnson’s remarkable quest to reverse aging complete with medical monitoring, intrusive treatments, experimental science, and personal scandal makes him one of the most divisive figures in contemporary biohacking. While others admire what he’s doing and laugh at his attempts, they unequivocally ask big questions about the future of human health, technology, and the limits of what it means to age.
He is not simply chasing longevity but trying to redefine the whole human experience. Whether he succeeds or fails, Johnson’s odyssey will probably be a model or a cautionary tale for those who are willing to push the boundaries of biology in their quest for immortality.
