Life Biosciences is testing its ER-100 drug, which the company claims has restored vision in monkeys, in a study on about 18 adults next year to determine safety and side effects.
It will target patients with glaucoma and NAION, two conditions that cause damage to vital cells in the optic nerve, which transmits visual information from the back of the eye to the brain. ER-100 is designed to rejuvenate those cells so they work again and restore vision.
It is the first cellular-rejuvenation therapy using this technology to receive FDA approval to enter human clinical trials, and is therefore the first opportunity to test whether the technology “can improve human disease,” according to Life Biosciences co-founder David Sinclair, who is also a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School.
The biology of aging – understanding how the body’s cells and functions deteriorate over time – is at the core of longevity science. ER-100 is the focus of major interest throughout biotech due to its ability to reverse cellular aging. Boston-based Life Biosciences says it is developing applications for its technology to tackle age-related diseases in various organs, such as fatty liver disease.
“Our research has suggested that the major cause of aging is the loss of epigenetic information, not irreversible damage. This clinical study represents the first opportunity to test whether restoring that information could improve human disease,” Sinclair said.
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