World-first: therapy to make cells young again given to a person
World-first: therapy to make cells young again given to a person The first participant has been treated in a landmark clinical trial of cellular reprogramming, which aims to rejuvenate aging cells Test time has arrived: the first person has been treated in a highly anticipated
World-first: therapy to make cells young again given to a person
The first participant has been treated in a landmark clinical trial of cellular reprogramming, which aims to rejuvenate aging cells
Test time has arrived: the first person has been treated in a highly anticipated gene therapy trial that aims to coax aged cells to take on a younger identity.
The clinical trial will test a novel approach that involves turning on three genes that seem to “partially reprogram” old cells, allowing them to behave as if they were young again. Some scientists argue that partial reprogramming could rejuvenate old organs . But this trial will test activation of the three genes as an approach for treating disease — in this case, a form of glaucoma, a disease that can cause blindness.
The hope is that the proteins encoded by these genes will enable regeneration of neurons in the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain and can be damaged in people with glaucoma. These neurons do not normally regenerate in adults. The company sponsoring the trial, Life Biosciences in Boston, Massachusetts, announced on 9 June that it had treated its first participant.
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The stakes are high. The trial will test the safety of the reprogramming approach, which is a lingering concern for the field. Animal studies in several labs have suggested that partial reprogramming can be done safely, but there are fears that it could tip some cells into a cancerous state.
“Reprogramming has a big upside if it can be used safely in people,” says Matt Kaeberlein, co-founder of Optispan, a longevity-focused preventative medicine company in Seattle, Washington. “The technology is still really early, and the potential for catastrophic side effects is high.”
