Shift Bioscience reported that one gene change (SB000) could reverse cell age reverses cellular ageing in multiple cell types without loss of cellular identity or signs of pluripotency [1]
Claims:
-SB000 demonstrates comparable efficacy to OSKM across multiple cell types
-No loss of cellular identity
-No evidence of pluripotency
-Gene shows twice the magnitude of cell methylome rejuvenation compared to OSKM
-Decoupling pluripotency from cell rejuvenation is possible
-The ability to rejuvenate multiple cell types with one tweak
-SB000 significantly modulated 11 of 20 hallmarks in a beneficial direction but negatively shifting expression in 6 of 20 pathways, with the strongest positive effects observed in extracellular-matrix organisation, inflammatory signalling, proteolysis, and nuclear-architecture maintenance
-Lower epigenetic age of treated cells
-SB000 was identified through a machine-learning-guided screen using the AC3 transcriptomic clock, but it does not reveal further details about its molecular identity
If this is confirmed, this brings visions of true aging reversal, with a gene therapy because it’s just one gene. That is still quite a hurdle, since gene therapies typically go for about 1 million each. But getting a Proof of Concept, of a gene therapy that really does rejuvenate,would still be huge. I am curious about the identity/sequence of gene SB000. So I’ll be watching for it. Let me know if you see it first.
Fantastic! Thx Yamanaka John.