{
  "id": 12937922,
  "title": "Eye Cells May Have Been Rejuvenated for the First Time in People",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/eye-cells-may-have-been-rejuvenated-for-the-first-time-in-people",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-08T19:20:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Time",
    "slug": "time",
    "url": "https://time.com/article/2026/10/08/eye-cells-rejuvenated-for-the-first-time-in-people/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a groundbreaking medical trial, three individuals have received a novel treatment aimed at rejuvenating vision cells affected by severe glaucoma. Researchers from Life Biosciences presented the results of the study at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, reporting that the treatment is safe and two recipients have demonstrated early signs of improved vision. This groundbreaking approach is one of the first to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, utilizing a unique method of reprogramming cells to restore their normal function, effectively rejuvenating them.\n\nThe scientists employed a modified version of the groundbreaking reprogramming strategy that earned Shinya Yamanaka the Nobel Prize in 2012 for transforming mature, adult cells back to an embryonic-like state capable of becoming any cell in the body, including healthy new retinal ganglion cells. In this Phase 1 trial, three out of the four previously used factors were utilized to perform a modified reprogramming of retinal ganglion cells in patients with a specific form of glaucoma, bringing the cells back to a functional state before they lost their ability to transmit visual signals to the optic nerve.\n\nRetinal ganglion cells, which extend long arms connecting the retina in the eye to the optic nerve, become impaired due to the eye's fluid failing to drain properly over time, leading to pressure on these cells and the loss of vision. Although these cells do not necessarily die, they significantly weaken their ability to transmit critical visual signals. To address this, scientists injected proteins, or transcription factors, coding for three of the genes into the vitreous, the gel-like fluid cavity located at the back of the eye near the retina. This strategic location is advantageous for testing the therapy as it is protected from the body's immune defenses, which could otherwise attack the newly created proteins.\n\nThe experimental therapy is based on research from Harvard Medical School professor of genetics and co-founder of Life Biosciences, David Sinclair. His theory posits that aging cells lose their functionality due to the accumulation of incorrect instructions for gene activation and inactivation, referred to as epigenetic noise. Sinclair believes that by restoring proper epigenetic information and removing this \"noise\" through cellular reprogramming, it could potentially address age-related diseases such as glaucoma. \"We are scientifically reversing epigenetic age to restore youthful function,\" Sinclair explains. \"We are restoring the code back to what it was when [the cells] were healthy and functional.\"\n\nThe drawback of full reprogramming using all four Yamanaka factors is the risk of uncontrolled cell growth and the formation of teratomas, tumors that can develop partially or fully developed tissues like teeth, muscle, and bone. To mitigate this risk, Sinclair and his research team focused on utilizing three genes instead of the four, effectively eliminating the most cancer-associated factor. After three years of unsuccessful attempts with mice, postdoctoral researcher Yuancheng Lu joined Sinclair and finally succeeded in regenerating the retinal ganglion cells in the animals using this modified reprogramming approach.",
  "summary": "An experimental therapy addresses aging cells in the eye that can lead to vision loss.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}