Longevity Medicine

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Longevity medicine's do-or-die moment

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Stock: Getty Images

The world's first human trial of whether a drug can essentially make a person's cells younger is underway, Axios' Caitlin Owens reports. 🔬 Catch up quick: "Cellular reprogramming" for longevity centers on the concept that aging is a biological process that can be altered therapeutically, just like thousands of other such processes. This early-stage clinical trial will signal whether it can be performed safely in humans, a prerequisite for any future claim that a treatment can slow or even reverse biological aging. Driving the news: The first person in the clinical trial was treated last week with an experimental gene therapy for eye disorders including glaucoma, which can cause blindness. The therapy targets three genes that can "partially reprogram" old cells, and in this case aims to restore function in neurons connecting the eye to the brain. Read on.