"Once Deemed Irreversible": Humanity's First 'Cellular Rejuvenation' Clinical Trial Begins

A clinical trial has begun in the United States to rejuvenate damaged optic nerve cells.

This is humanity's first attempt aimed at actual "rejuvenation," going beyond simply slowing down aging.

In Japan, a product that transplants dopaminergic neural progenitor cells into the brain to treat Parkinson's disease has been approved for public health insurance coverage.

Progenitor cells refer to cells in a stage before they are fully formed.

The core of these two innovative treatments lies in induced pluripotent stem cells, or "iPS cells."

The key principle is cellular reprogramming.

This technology was first introduced to the world through the research of Kyoto University Professor Shinya Yamanaka, who won the Nobel Prize in 2012.

It is a method of injecting factors into mature somatic cells to revert them back into immature stem cells—a process known as "dedifferentiation."

Cells created this way can differentiate into various tissues or organs and can multiply virtually indefinitely.

Unlike embryonic stem cells, another major advantage is that the patient's own somatic cells can be used, reducing the risk of immune rejection.

Originally, four factors injected into somatic cells were known as "Yamanaka factors," but because one of them can cause cancer, research has been underway to reduce the number of injected factors.

Based on these achievements, U.S.-based Life Biosciences is conducting a clinical trial targeting glaucoma patients.

The method involves delivering only three of the Yamanaka factor genes to the retinal ganglion cells of the optic nerve.

The international scientific journal Nature described this process as "partially reprogramming aged cells."

This means that instead of completely resetting the cells to a blank state, their existing identity and function are maintained while only their age is reversed to a youthful state.

In particular, the eye became the first stage for this rejuvenation clinical trial because the likelihood of life-threatening side effects is lower compared to other organs.

Dr. David Sinclair, co-founder of the company, highly praised the potential of this method.

"It suggests that aging is not driven by irreversible damage, but by the loss of epigenetic information," he noted, evaluating that it has opened up new possibilities for treating diseases.

The Korea Biotechnology Industry Association also attached great significance to this clinical trial.

"While existing clinical trials aimed to delay aging, this trial is on a different level because it rejuvenates cells without killing them," the association emphasized.

Neighboring Japan is accelerating the commercialization of Parkinson's disease treatments using iPS cells.

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has approved public health insurance coverage for "Amchepry," a regenerative medicine product developed by pharmaceutical company Sumitomo Pharma.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, the method involves making a hole in the skull of a patient under general anesthesia and directly transplanting the cells into the brain.

The transplanted cells are expected to secrete dopamine within the brain, thereby improving motor functions.

This treatment utilizes iPS cells made from the somatic cells of individuals with a low risk of immune rejection.

Cells of uniform quality are kept frozen and thawed at the time of administration.

Afterward, chemical agents are added to differentiate them into neural cells, followed by meticulous processing steps including selection, maturation, and washing.

Yoji Sato, deputy director of Japan's National Institute of Health Sciences, called for a cautious approach.

"Going forward, it is important to monitor the long-term prognosis of patients," he said, predicting that "understanding how effective Amchepry is depending on the severity of the disease will allow us to propose optimal treatments."

※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.