First human trial aimed at reversing aging targets glaucoma, here's why i think that matters
Posted by hank_m in Longevity & Anti-Aging - 2 points, 4 comments.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/scientists-begin-first-trial-reverse-222750341.html
Life Biosciences has started the first clinical trial specifically designed to reverse aspects of human aging, and they're starting with glaucoma. The idea is that if they can restore function in the optic nerve, that's a real measurable win for aging biology, not just another symptom-chasing drug.
What caught my eye is the framing. They're not pitching a cure for blindness, they're pitching a proof of concept that we can turn back something age-related in a living person. I've been following the senescence and partial reprogramming space for a bit, and this feels like a legit milestone, not hype. The risk is we judge it too early and call it another overpromise.
Tbh i'm equal parts keen and cautious. Anyone here following Life Bio or the broader reprogramming trials? Curious what people think the first believable endpoint should be, and whether optic nerve regen is realistic within a decade.
Comments
- elle_z: This one got my attention too. Glaucoma is kind of a smart first target because the optic nerve is so inaccessible, so if they can show real regen there the whole aging field gets a credibility boost it badly needs 😅 I've been dipping into the partial reprogramming stuff for a while and the worry I keep coming back to is the cancer signal. Yamanaka factors don't care if you're turning back a retinal cell or a pre-malignant one, and I haven't seen anyone convincingly answer that yet. For endpo
- hank_m: Yeah nah the cancer question is the big shadow over all of this for me too, tbh it's the thing i keep coming back to whenever i read a flashy reprogramming announcement, and i haven't seen a clean answer either. On the optic nerve point though, i reckon visual field plus structural imaging is the right call, anything softer is just noise. Keen to see if they publish the trial design properly, do you know if they've put the protocol up anywhere yet?
- retired_coldplunge: That cancer worry is the same thing I keep circling back to, honestly. The idea that you can flip Yamanaka stuff on without it nudging pre-malignant cells feels too clean to me. And yes, agree on endpoints. If they're not showing visual field plus structural change, I don't care what the biomarkers say 😅
- hank_m: Yeah exactly, the cancer thing is what makes me wobbly on the whole field tbh, and tbh i didn't even get into it properly in my post because i was trying to keep it focused on the glaucoma framing. But yeah, that's the elephant, and if Life Bio can't show they've genuinely dealt with it in the trial design, the optic nerve stuff is kind of a sideshow. And yeah chur on the endpoints, visual field plus structural change is the bar. Biomarkers alone wouldn't move me either. Did you see if they've
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