Cellular Reprogramming
Early human trial
First human trial of partial epigenetic reprogramming doses its first patient
Source: Life Biosciences; ClinicalTrials.gov
What the study found
Life Biosciences reported dosing the first participant in a Phase 1 trial of ER-100, an eye-injected gene therapy that switches on three Yamanaka factors (OCT4, SOX2, KLF4) in people with glaucoma or NAION, a stroke-like injury of the optic nerve. The FDA cleared the company’s IND application, announced January 28, 2026, and the study’s goals are safety, tolerability and visual function.
Why it matters for healthspan
This is the first time partial reprogramming, which restored youthful DNA-methylation patterns and vision in aged and glaucoma-model mice, is being tested in people. It is a small safety study in one organ; no efficacy results exist yet, and it says nothing about whole-body rejuvenation.
Evidence level
Early human trial · Cellular Reprogramming
Source
Life Biosciences. First Patient Dosed in Phase 1 Trial of ER-100 for Optic Neuropathies. June 9, 2026. NCT07290244
Educational summary curated by Farhan Tahir, MD, FACR. Not individual medical advice.
Primary source
Life Biosciences. First Patient Dosed in Phase 1 Trial of ER-100 for Optic Neuropathies. June 9, 2026. NCT07290244