Bryan Johnson showed cells derived from his blood and wants to use them to grow tissues and organs
Bryan Johnson showed cells derived from his blood and wants to use them to grow tissues and organs
On July 21, Bryan Johnson reported that cells from his blood had been used to produce induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSC. He called the culture a “newborn clone” and presented it as a potential tool for repairing his body, from testing therapies to growing tissues and organs.
In a post, Johnson writes, “I just cloned myself… as a newborn.” He is referring to a cell line grown in a Petri dish. Cells from his blood were reprogrammed into iPSC. Researchers can use iPSC to produce different cell types in the laboratory, so Johnson links his cell line to testing therapies, growing tissues and organs for transplantation, and introducing “young cells” into his body.
In a 2007 study, Shinya Yamanaka’s group produced such cells from adult fibroblasts, which are connective tissue cells. The researchers used four transcription factors, proteins that alter gene activity. After reprogramming, the cells acquired properties that allowed researchers to produce tissues from them in experiments.
Producing a specific tissue requires directing the cells toward the relevant specialization, growing the tissue, and testing whether it functions in the body. A single source cell line can serve both as a disease model and as material for cell therapy. These two applications require the cells to perform different tasks.
This process has already reached early clinical testing for neural tissue. In a phase 1 study, four people with cervical spinal cord injuries each received two million neural progenitor cells grown from iPSC. The study evaluated the safety of the transplant.
Johnson proposes treating this cell line as a personal reserve for repairing his body. The source material came from his own body, and he describes potential replacement in terms of function, including vision, movement, blood formation, and organ function. In his model, the body could be repaired one step at a time, using his own cellular material for each new task.