Life Biosciences conducts first human gene‑therapy trial to rejuvenate eye cells in the US

A private Boston company, Life Biosciences, performed the first gene‑therapy intervention aimed at cellular rejuvenation on a patient with glaucoma in the United States. The trial, the first of twelve planned interventions, used a viral vector to deliver three of four target genes intended to regenerate damaged neurons of the optic nerve.

The therapy works by partially reprogramming aged cells to regain youthful characteristics without erasing their identity. Gene activation is controlled by the patient’s intake of the antibiotic doxycycline; stopping the drug deactivates the genes, providing an added safety layer. Company official Sharon Rosenweig‑Lipson said, “This strategy gives us a high degree of control, allowing us to turn the genes on and off and not leave them active longer than needed.”

Life Biosciences plans to extend the study to patients with non‑arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) and continues research on other age‑related diseases, though it does not yet target whole‑body rejuvenation.