Originally, patent laws were introduced to encourage innovation and disseminate knowledge about new technologies by protecting inventors. The common contemporary perception of IP (intellectual property) rights seems to miss this important point.
The Lens aims to restore the original idea behind patents. Quoting the Lens itself, it "is an open global cyberinfrastructure to make the innovation system more efficient and fair, more transparent and inclusive." This open platform has been created by a team led by Richard Jefferson, a man who has a long experience enabling innovation, and supported (in part) by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Here's a link to the database itself -- the filter displays patents related to human longevity: http://www.lens.org/...q=longevity&p=0
