Life Biosciences Raises $80 Million to Fund First Human Trial of Epigenetic Cell Rejuvenation
The Boston biotech closes a Series D round to advance ER-100, the first FDA-cleared therapy that uses partial epigenetic reprogramming to reverse cellular aging in humans.
Overview
Life Biosciences, a Boston-based clinical-stage biotechnology company, announced on April 8 the close of a fully subscribed $80 million Series D financing round. The proceeds will fund the completion of its Phase 1 clinical trial of ER-100, a gene therapy that uses partial epigenetic reprogramming to restore aged and damaged cells to a younger functional state, according to the company’s press release. The round extends the company’s runway into the second half of 2027.
The trial, initiated in the first quarter of 2026 under registration NCT07290244, represents a landmark in longevity research: it is the first time a cellular rejuvenation therapy based on epigenetic reprogramming has entered human testing.
What We Know
ER-100 is built on Life Biosciences’ proprietary Partial Epigenetic Reprogramming (PER) platform. The therapy delivers three of the four Yamanaka transcription factors — OCT4, SOX2, and KLF4 — via an AAV2 gene therapy vector injected directly into the eye, as described in the company’s Series D announcement. By deliberately excluding c-Myc, a factor linked to uncontrolled cell growth, the approach aims to rejuvenate cells without triggering tumor formation.
The Phase 1 trial is enrolling patients with two forms of vision loss: open-angle glaucoma and non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). Both conditions involve progressive degeneration of retinal ganglion cells for which no existing treatment addresses the underlying neuronal damage. The study will assess safety, tolerability, immune responses, and visual function outcomes.
The eye was chosen as the initial target for practical reasons. Local delivery keeps doses low, the organ’s relative isolation limits systemic exposure, and visual function provides clear, measurable endpoints. Preclinical studies in non-human primates demonstrated that the therapy was well tolerated, with restoration of epigenetic markers and improvements in visual function, according to data cited by the company.
Life Biosciences was co-founded by Harvard genetics professor David Sinclair, whose laboratory pioneered partial reprogramming research. In earlier non-human primate studies, Sinclair’s team demonstrated that induced optic nerve injuries resembling NAION could be reversed using the same three-factor approach, as Fortune reported in January. The FDA cleared the company’s Investigational New Drug application for ER-100 on January 28, 2026.
CEO Jerry McLaughlin stated that the financing “reflects the growing interest in our platform and the opportunity we have to reverse multiple diseases of aging,” according to the press release.
What We Don’t Know
Life Biosciences has not disclosed the investors who participated in the Series D round, nor has it revealed the company’s total funding to date. The size of the Phase 1 cohort and the timeline for preliminary results have not been publicly specified, though the company has indicated it expects data by late 2026 or early 2027.
The central scientific question remains unanswered: whether partial epigenetic reprogramming will produce meaningful functional improvement in human tissue, not just changes in molecular biomarkers. Previous human trials of senolytics — a related but distinct class of aging interventions — have shown only modest or subtle effects in bone health and cognition, underscoring the gap between preclinical promise and clinical outcomes in the longevity field.
It is also unclear how long any rejuvenation effect might persist. ER-100 is designed as a one-time treatment, but the durability of epigenetic resetting in human cells under ongoing biological aging has not been established.
Analysis
The $80 million raise positions Life Biosciences within a rapidly expanding longevity biotech sector. Altos Labs raised $3 billion in a single round to pursue cellular reprogramming, Retro Biosciences has secured $1.2 billion backed by Sam Altman, and NewLimit has raised $280 million with support from Coinbase co-founder Brian Armstrong, as Fortune detailed. Life Biosciences is notably smaller in scale but holds a first-mover advantage in reaching human trials.
The broader field faces a credibility test. Billions of dollars in venture and founder-conviction capital have flowed into longevity research over the past three years, but no cellular reprogramming therapy has yet demonstrated clinical efficacy in humans. The ER-100 trial — however narrow its initial scope in optic neuropathies — will provide the first direct evidence on whether the approach translates from animal models. The company has signaled that it is already conducting preclinical work to extend its PER platform to other indications, including liver disease and neurodegeneration.
Whether Life Biosciences’ deliberately cautious approach — starting with a small, well-contained organ and a safety-focused Phase 1 design — will yield data sufficient to sustain investor confidence through a multi-year development timeline remains the company’s most immediate strategic challenge.