Partial cell reprogramming makes the eye its first clinical field

Rejuvenating cells without turning them into stem cells: this technique, inspired by the work of Nobel Prize winner Shinya Yamanaka, has its most advanced medical application in vision.

Partial cell reprogramming consists of reversing certain markers of aging within a cell without regressing it to the pluripotent stem cell stage, which would limit the risk of tumor drift associated with more radical methods. The organs of the human body, and in particular the eyes, the brain and various tissues, are studied as potential targets of this approach.

The eye is now the first clinical field of application of this technology, driven by Life Biosciences' ER-100 trial, validated by the FDA and supported by an $80 million fundraising. This research is a direct extension of the Nobel Prize-winning discovery by Japanese geneticist Shinya Yamanaka on the factors capable of reprogramming the identity of adult cells.