Life Biosciences has been one of those struggling companies. Initially formed in 2017, it initially had a strategy to launch subsidiaries, each aimed at advancing one aspect of the problem of aging. But after making limited progress with these, in 2021 it appointed a new CEO, Jerry McLaughlin, who has refocused his efforts toward Sinclair’s mouse vision results and human testing.
The company has discussed the possibility of reprogramming other organs, including the brain. And Ringel, like Sinclair, entertains the idea that whole-body rejuvenation may someday also be possible. But for now, it’s better to think of the study as a proof of concept that’s still far from the fountain of youth. “The optimistic case is that it solves some blind spots for some people and catalyzes work in other indications,” says investor Pfleger. “It’s not like your doctor is going to prescribe a pill that will freshen you up.”
Lifesaving treatment also relies on an antibiotic switching mechanism, which is often used in laboratory animals but has not been attempted in humans before. Since the switch is made from gene components taken from e coli And herpes viruses, it’s possible it could cause an immune response in humans, scientists say.
“I always thought that for widespread use you might need a different system,” says Noah Davidson, who helped Sinclair implement the technology and is now chief scientist at a separate company, Rejuvenate Bio. And Life’s selection of reprogramming factors – it has chosen three, known by the acronym OSK – can also be risky. They are expected to turn on hundreds of other genes, and under some circumstances the combination could return the cells to a very primitive, stem-cell-like state.
Other companies studying reprogramming say their focus is on researching which genes to use to achieve the timing change without unwanted side effects. New Limits, which is conducting a broader search for such genes, says it won’t be ready for human studies for two years. In Shift, experiments on animals are just beginning.
“Are their factors the best version of Rejuvenation? We don’t think they are. I think they’re working with what they’ve got,” says Daniel Ives, CEO of Shift, about Life Biosciences. “But I think they’re way ahead of anyone else in terms of getting into humans. They’ve found a way to move before the eyes, which is a nice self-sustaining system. If it goes wrong, you still have a backup.”
