What has been tested, and how far it has got
ER-100 by Life Biosciences
Based on the work of David Sinclair, co-founder of Life Biosciences and professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School. Source ↗
A one-time eye injection that carries three of the four Yamanaka genes (OCT4, SOX2 and KLF4, called OSK) into cells at the back of the eye. A short course of the antibiotic doxycycline switches the genes on for 8 weeks. The aim is to reset the cells' epigenetic markings, the chemical tags that change with age, without changing their DNA. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07290244 ↗
In peoplePhase 1, about 18 adults with glaucoma or NAION (a sudden loss of sight sometimes called a stroke of the eye). One dose in one eye, testing safety first, at increasing doses. Participants are followed for up to 5 years. The trial, NCT07290244 →
The company reported that the therapy restored visual function in monkeys with an NAION-like injury.Company-reported, not peer-reviewed
“the company has demonstrated restoration of visual function and increased nerve axon survival in an NHP model that mimics human NAION deficits in retinal ganglion cells” Life Biosciences press release (ARVO 2023) ↗
The FDA cleared the trial to begin: the first time a partial epigenetic reprogramming therapy was allowed into human trials, according to the company.
“ER-100 is the first ever cellular rejuvenation therapy using epigenetic reprogramming to receive FDA clearance to enter human clinical trials.” Life Biosciences press release, 28 January 2026 ↗
The first participant received ER-100.
“today announced that the first participant has been dosed in its Phase 1 clinical trial of ER‑100” Life Biosciences press release, 9 June 2026 ↗
First results in 3 people with glaucoma at the lowest dose: no safety problems reported through 8 weeks, and early signs of better visual field test results in 2 of them. Not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal.Company-reported, not peer-reviewed
“The data demonstrated that a single intravitreal administration along with daily oral doxycycline was well-tolerated through Day 56 in all three participants and showed preliminary signals of improvement in visual field testing in two participants.” Life Biosciences press release, 8 October 2026 ↗
- Lu et al., Nature, 2020. Switching on OSK in the eyes of mice restored youthful epigenetic patterns and vision in old mice and in a mouse model of glaucoma. PubMed 33268865 ↗
- Yang et al., Cell, 2023. Disturbing cells' epigenetic information sped up signs of aging, including the DNA methylation clock, and OSK reversed these changes. The authors call loss of epigenetic information a reversible cause of aging. PubMed 36638792 ↗
Not yet knownWhether ER-100 is safe at higher doses and in more people, whether any vision gains are real and last, and whether the approach works outside the eye. A Phase 1 trial is designed to test safety, not whether a treatment works.
Recent research
New studies and trials on this appear here after the morning update.
What experts say
“It gives us a lot of control,” says Rosenzweig-Lipson. “And the ability not just to turn it on, but to turn it off and not leave on expression longer than is necessary to rejuvenate the cells.”
“Since then, Life Biosciences has studied the approach in rodents and monkeys and has not seen serious adverse effects of the treatment, says Sharon Rosenzweig-Lipson, chief scientific officer at the company.”
“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.”
This is general information gathered from the sources listed, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting anything new.