# First Human Treated With Cell-Rejuvenation Therapy in Landmark Trial to Make Old Cells Young Again

*2026-06-10 14:02 UTC · Science · 1 min read*

> The first human has received Life Biosciences' ER-100 partial cellular-reprogramming gene therapy, aiming to rejuvenate eye cells and reverse vision loss from glaucoma.

A patient has become the first person ever dosed with a partial cellular-reprogramming therapy, opening a landmark Phase 1 trial by Boston biotech Life Biosciences, co-founded by Harvard's David Sinclair. The gene therapy, called ER-100, was injected into the eye to regenerate optic-nerve neurons damaged by a form of glaucoma and optic neuropathy that can cause blindness.

ER-100 uses a modified adeno-associated virus to deliver three "Yamanaka" genes — OCT4, SOX2 and KLF4 — that coax aged cells to behave as if they were young again, while omitting the fourth, cancer-linked reprogramming factor. In 2020, Sinclair's team showed the same approach regenerated neurons and reversed vision loss in elderly mice and mice with glaucoma.

It is the first human test of an idea at the heart of longevity science. "Reprogramming has a big upside if it can be used safely in people," said Matt Kaeberlein, co-founder of Optispan, while cautioning that "the potential for catastrophic side effects is high" — chiefly the fear that reprogrammed cells could turn cancerous, something animal studies have so far not shown.

## Sources

- [nature.com](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01836-7)
- [lifebiosciences.com](https://www.lifebiosciences.com/life-biosciences-announces-fda-clearance-of-ind-application-for-er-100-in-optic-neuropathies/)

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TechTools News · https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/1807-first-human-treated-with-cell-rejuvenation-therapy-in-landmark-trial-to-make
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