A life-extension startup delivers the first dose to humans in a bid to reverse age-related vision loss

The beginning of longevity She injected her first patient with a dose to treat age-related vision loss.

Life Biosciences is testing the drug ER-100 that the company claims it uses He has Restoring vision in monkeys, for safety and side effects in a study of about 18 adults over the following year.

It will target patients with glaucoma and NAION, two conditions that cause damage to important cells in the optic nerve, which transmits visual information from the back of the eye to the brain. ER-100 is designed to replenish those cells so they can function again and regain sight.

It is the first cell regeneration therapy ever to use this technology to gain FDA approval to enter human clinical trials, and thus the first opportunity to test whether the technology can “alleviate human disease,” according to David Sinclair, co-founder of Life Biosciences and professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School.

The biology of aging — understanding how the body’s cells and functions deteriorate over time — is at an advanced stage The root of the science of longevity. ER-100 is the focus of great interest in biotechnology for its ability to reverse cell aging. Boston-based Life Biosciences says it is developing applications for its technology to treat a range of age-related diseases in a variety of organs, such as Fatty liver disease.

“Our research has indicated that aging is driven largely by loss of epigenetic information, not irreversible damage,” Sinclair said. “This clinical study represents the first opportunity to test whether restoring that information can alleviate human disease.”