David Sinclair, a Harvard University professor and fervent advocate for longevity, joined the discussion on the "X" platform to firmly assert: "Aging has a relatively simple explanation, and it seems possible to push it in the opposite direction... Clinical trials will launch soon."
اضافة اعلان
A Treatment to Reverse Aging
Sinclair was referring to "ER-100," the code name for a treatment developed by Life Biosciences, a Boston-based startup he co-founded. He confirmed that the treatment has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to proceed with the first targeted attempt to reverse aging in human volunteers.
Cellular Reprogramming
The company plans to trial the treatment for eye diseases using a radical regenerative concept called "reprogramming." This field has recently attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in investment, backed by major tech firms.
Generally, the proposed method relies on returning cells to a healthier state by resetting epigenetic controls—the genetic switches that determine which genes are activated or deactivated. Karl Pfleger, an investor supporting a smaller UK startup called Shift Bioscience, remarked: "Reprogramming is like AI for biology."
Due to its immense potency, reprogramming carries risks, including the potential to cause cancer in lab animals. However, the version developed by Life Biosciences has successfully passed preliminary safety tests in animals.
Glaucoma Treatment
Initially, the company will seek to test the treatment on approximately twelve patients with glaucoma—a condition where high eye pressure damages the optic nerve. According to the study description first published in December, safe viruses carrying three powerful reprogramming genes will be injected into one eye of each patient.
To ensure the process remains within safe limits, the reprogramming genes will be controlled by a special genetic switch, activated only while patients take a low dose of the antibiotic doxycycline. Volunteers are tentatively scheduled to take the antibiotic for about two months under close monitoring.
Michael Ringel, Chief Operating Officer at Life Biosciences, told the IEEE Journal: "This is a monumental step for us as an industry. This will be the first time in human history... that we are looking for something that regenerates cells."
Turning Cells into Stem Cells
This technology is based on a Nobel Prize-winning discovery from twenty years ago: introducing a few potent genes into a cell can revert it into a stem cell, similar to those in an early-stage embryo. These are known as "Yamanaka factors," often compared to a "factory reset" button for cells.
To mitigate the risk of tumors, scientists developed the concept of "partial" or "transient" reprogramming. This involves limiting exposure to these genes to make cells act younger without losing their specialized function. In 2020, Sinclair claimed that partial reprogramming restored vision in mice with damaged optic nerves, a report featured on the cover of Nature under the title "Turning Back the Clock."
An Innovative Treatment
The treatment utilizes an "antibiotic switching" mechanism, commonly used in labs but never before tried in humans. As this switch uses genetic components from E. coli and the herpes virus, scientists believe it may trigger an immune response in humans.
Life Biosciences’ choice of factors—a trio known as OSK—is considered bold, as these factors activate hundreds of other genes. Other firms, like NewLimit and Shift, are also researching specific genes to achieve reversal without side effects, though they are further away from human trials.
Daniel Ives, CEO of Shift, noted: "Are their factors the best way to rejuvenate the eye? We don’t think so... However, they are far ahead of any other company in terms of human trials. They’ve found an effective way in the eye that forms a complete and tight system."
