Life Biosciences gets FDA nod for vision trial
Cofounded by Harvard geneticist David Sinclair, Life Biosciences received FDA approval for a Phase 1 gene therapy trial using partial epigenetic reprogramming in optic nerve diseases; Fortune cites CDC data on glaucoma as the second most common cause of blindness worldwide.
Life Biosciences, cofounded by Harvard genetics professor David Sinclair, received FDA approval in January 2026 for a Phase 1 clinical trial of a gene therapy targeting two optic nerve diseases: glaucoma and non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, or NAION (Fortune, Jan 30 2026). The team has fewer than 20 people.
The therapy is injected directly into the eye and, according to the company, delivers "rejuvenation instructions" to damaged retinal ganglion cells. The approach is called partial epigenetic reprogramming. It builds on Sinclair's lab work with three of four proteins known as Yamanaka factors. Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka showed that all four factors together return a cell to its stem-cell state. A full reprogramming is dangerous: the cell "forgets" its function and can form a tumor. Three factors instead of four, according to Sinclair's research, partially rejuvenate the cell while preserving its specialization.
In preclinical primate studies, the company induced a NAION-like injury, then applied the therapy and, according to CEO Jerry McLaughlin, restored vision to healthy-animal levels. At the time of the Fortune report, enrollment of the first patients was planned within months, with results expected by late 2026 or early 2027.
Fortune cites CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) data: glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness worldwide, particularly prevalent in adults aged 64 to 84. According to McLaughlin, no treatment for NAION exists, and there is about a 20 to 30% chance the second eye will be affected within two to three years.
Open the related Eternal Search page
Sources
[1] Generali Česká pojišťovna | Tady a teď
[2] This startup has the lead in longevity, securing the first FDA-approved partial de-aging human trial | Fortune
[3] Kontakt | Generali Česká pojišťovna
[4] Klientská zóna Moje Generali
[5] I am an anti-aging scientist. Here is why we age. With scientific evidence.
The Fortune report on Life Biosciences' Phase 1 clearance for epigenetic vision-restoration therapy directly references CDC epidemiological data on glaucoma prevalence. The CDC organization page on Eternal Search gives readers a concrete entry point into the agency whose blindness statistics frame the scale of the problem this trial aims to address.