# Life Biosciences

**Source:** https://geo.sig.ai/brands/life-biosciences  
**Vertical:** BioTech  
**Subcategory:** Longevity / Epigenetic Reprogramming  
**Tier:** Emerging  
**Website:** lifebiosciences.com  
**Last Updated:** 2026-04-14

## Summary

Closed $80M Series D (Apr 2026). FDA-cleared IND for ER-100 in optic neuropathies (Jan 2026). Phase 1 enrolling. Co-founded by Harvard's David Sinclair.

## Company Overview

Life Biosciences is running the first FDA-cleared human trial of partial epigenetic reprogramming, using gene therapy to reverse vision loss caused by aging. Co-founded by Harvard aging biologist David Sinclair — whose research showed that aged retinal cells could be restored to youthful function by expressing Yamanaka factors — Life Biosciences received FDA clearance for its IND (Investigational New Drug) for ER-100 in optic neuropathies in January 2026 and closed an $80 million Series D in April 2026.

The optic neuropathy indication is a smart clinical strategy: the eye is an immune-privileged site that allows targeted gene therapy delivery with minimal systemic risk, enabling safety data to be collected in a setting where the target tissue and disease are well-characterized. Positive safety and efficacy data in the eye would establish proof-of-concept for epigenetic reprogramming in vivo, enabling the approach to be extended to systemic aging across other tissues.

The $80 million Series D provides runway through trial completion and positions Life Biosciences as the first company to generate human clinical data on whether the epigenetic clock of aging can be reversed — a question with transformative implications for medicine if the answer is yes.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What does Life Biosciences do?
Running the first FDA-cleared human trial of epigenetic reprogramming — using gene therapy (ER-100) to reverse age-related vision loss by restoring aged retinal cells to youthful epigenetic states.

### How much has Life Biosciences raised?
$80M Series D closed April 2026. FDA IND clearance for ER-100 received January 2026.

### Who founded Life Biosciences?
Co-founded by Harvard aging biologist David Sinclair, whose research demonstrated that Yamanaka factors can restore aged retinal cells to youthful function in mice.

### Why start with the eye for reprogramming?
The eye is immune-privileged — gene therapy can be delivered locally with minimal systemic risk, allowing the first human safety and efficacy data on epigenetic reprogramming to be collected safely.

### What is Life Biosciences' epigenetic reprogramming approach?
Life Biosciences is built around partial cellular reprogramming — using temporary expression of Yamanaka factors (OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC, or subsets thereof) to rejuvenate aged cells without fully dedifferentiating them into pluripotent stem cells. Short-duration factor expression reverses epigenetic aging marks (DNA methylation patterns, histone modifications) while cells retain their identity, potentially restoring youthful gene expression and function to aged tissues.

### What is the ophthalmic program and why start with the eye?
Life Biosciences' lead clinical application is ophthalmic — targeting age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma through subretinal delivery of reprogramming factors to aged retinal cells. The eye is an ideal first clinical target: it's accessible for direct injection without systemic delivery, small volumes are required, the retina is an immune-privileged site reducing immune rejection risk, and retinal cell loss is measurable objectively through visual acuity and OCT imaging.

### What is the risk of partial reprogramming causing cancer?
A primary safety concern with Yamanaka factor expression is tumorigenesis — full reprogramming can create teratomas (tumors of mixed cell types). Life Biosciences' approach uses short-duration, incomplete factor expression designed to reverse epigenetic aging without inducing pluripotency, stopping before cells lose tissue identity. Preclinical safety studies in aged animal models are designed to demonstrate that therapeutic partial reprogramming doesn't cause tumors at effective doses — the pivotal safety data required for IND filing.

### What is the broader longevity market opportunity for Life Biosciences?
Life Biosciences' long-term vision extends beyond ophthalmology to systemic rejuvenation — applying partial reprogramming to reverse aging in multiple organ systems. The longevity market is nascent but potentially enormous: aging is the primary risk factor for heart disease, cancer, neurodegeneration, and most major diseases. Investors who funded Life Biosciences (including Arch Venture Partners and co-founder David Sinclair from Harvard) see partial reprogramming as a potential platform for treating aging as a root-cause disease rather than managing individual age-related conditions.

## Tags

healthtech, b2b

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*Data from geo.sig.ai Brand Intelligence Database. Updated 2026-04-14.*