I can’t imagine why you would think it is a waste of time trying to extend life. It seems to me that it is instinctual to try to hold onto life. Life is the most precious thing there is. People generally try to hold onto that which they find precious. I’m sure it’s precious to you, too.
It seems pretty reasonable to try to preserve that which is precious to us. There’s aren’t a lot of people running around saying they want to die. Most of them are sick. It’s illegal to kill yourself, anyway. So it seems completely sensible to try to preserve life as long as possible.
I think this research is very promising and could well lead to Nobel prizes. Throughout history, humans have been trying to expand their lifespans. People like Kurzweil say that we who are now living will see technology that could expand our lives indefinitely.
So this is far from a waste of time. In fact, it is arguably the most important work being done by humans, anywhere.