In 1986, Queen frontman Freddie Mercury asked a simple question: Who wants to live forever? Now, scientists have taken the first human step towards an answer. Boston-based longevity company Life Biosciences announced Tuesday that it had injected a drug into the eyes of a patient suffering from glaucoma – a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve, causing vision to deteriorate. The drug, called ER-100, aims to reverse this deterioration by persuading genes to 'reprogram' old cells to behave young.
The technique, known as cellular reprogramming, dates back to 2007, when scientist Shinya Yamanaka discovered four unusual genes – the 'Yamanaka Factors' – that tell cells to go wrinkly and grey. His experiment, which won the Nobel Prize in 2012, introduced these genes to the skin cells of an old mouse. Over two weeks, the cells essentially walked backwards through time and became something close to embryonic stem cells. Later studies found that reprogramming all four genes reverts cells to blank-slate stem cells, but tinkering with just three makes them youthful and resilient while maintaining their role.
“Scientists have injected the first human with a drug that aims to reverse ageing, targeting glaucoma.”
ER-100 targets these three genes in neurons of the optic nerve that grow tired and cannot regenerate. By manipulating the cells' genes, scientists turn back the clock, resetting the neurons to become 'more youthful and functional', according to Life Biosciences. The company did not share any other information about the patient, with National Library of Medicine records showing the study began in March.
Over the next six months, scientists will watch to see how well the technique works and monitor for health issues. The patient will take an antibiotic pill that acts as an on/off switch – if they stop taking it, the reprogramming will stop. Clinics in Boston, New York City, Los Angeles and Charleston are recruiting patients for the trial, which aims to enrol 20 people. The Phase 1 clinical trial, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, will finish by 2033 at the latest.
If successful, the same approach could one day be used on an ageing liver or brain, and longevity scientists hope it could pave the way for a pill that melts away wrinkles or makes us feel young again. But for now, the question remains: will this first patient's cells walk back through time, and what will it mean for the rest of us?