Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is taking on the grim reaper after he reportedly invested in a startup that is trying to figure out how to reverse the ageing process, according to a report in the MIT Tech Review.

Altos Labs was founded earlier this year and is luring university scientists with high salaries of $1 million (€844,000) a year or more and allows them free reign to research how cells age and how to reverse the process, the report said.

What is Altos Labs? The aim of the company is to pursue a technology that can biologically reprogramme cells so they are rejuvenated to prolong human lives.

Who is working on the project? Spanish biologist Juan Carlos Izpisúa Belmonte is set to join the company, the MIT report said. He is known for his research in mixing human and monkey embryos.

Professor Steve Horvath is also said to be joining the team. He is the developer of a so-called ‘biological clock’ that can measure human ageing.

Altos is not the only secretive company looking into how to extend life.

Calico Labs, a longevity company that was announced by Google co-founder Larry Page in 2013, is also on the same track.