Lead epigenetic restoration therapy enters the clinic for glaucoma and NAION, targeting a root cause of age-related vision loss
BOSTON, June 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Life Biosciences, Inc. (“Life Bio”), a biotechnology company pioneering cellular rejuvenation medicines to reverse diseases of aging, today announced that the first participant has been dosed in its Phase 1 clinical trial of ER‑100, a novel therapy intended to treat optic neuropathies including open-angle glaucoma (OAG) and non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION).
The Phase 1 trial will evaluate the safety and tolerability of ER-100, with additional endpoints assessing visual function. ER‑100 is the first clinical candidate from Life Bio’s Epigenetic Restoration platform, which uses controlled expression of three transcription factors, OCT4, SOX2 and KLF4 (OSK) to restore cellular function by resetting the epigenetic code to more youthful patterns of gene expression.
“This is an important moment for Life Bio and for the field of aging biology,” said David Sinclair, Ph.D., Co‑founder of Life Biosciences and Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. “Our research has suggested that aging is driven in large part by the loss of epigenetic information, not irreversible damage. This clinical study represents the first opportunity to test whether restoring that information can ameliorate human disease.”
“This milestone reflects years of rigorous scientific development and translational research,” said Sharon Rosenzweig‑Lipson, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Life Biosciences. “Our preclinical studies have demonstrated that controlled OSK expression can reset epigenetic patterns associated with healthy cellular function, improve tissue performance, and restore visual function in animal models. Advancing ER‑100 into the clinic is an important step toward translating epigenetic restoration into a new class of medicines for age-related diseases.”
Optic neuropathies represent a large unmet medical need. Current treatments primarily address risk factors, such as intraocular pressure in glaucoma, but do not directly target the damage to retinal ganglion cells. As a consequence, the disease often leads to irreversible vision loss despite treatment. Vision loss not only directly impacts patients’ lives, but also increases the risk of loss of independence, damaging falls, and depression and dementia due to social isolation, underscoring the need for disease-modifying therapies.
Beyond ER‑100, Life Bio is developing applications of its proprietary Epigenetic Restoration platform for multiple indications in a variety of organs, reflecting the broad therapeutic potential of this platform.
About Optic Neuropathies
Optic neuropathies are a group of disorders characterized by damage to retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), the primary neurons connecting the eye to the brain. Because RGCs do not naturally regenerate, damage results in permanent vision impairment. One such optic neuropathy, open-angle glaucoma (OAG) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease and a leading cause of blindness in older adults. While often associated with elevated intraocular pressure, disease progression frequently continues despite treatment, and some patients suffer from OAG despite normal intraocular pressure. Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is the most common acute optic neuropathy in adults over fifty. It involves sudden, painless vision loss due to insufficient blood flow, for which there are currently no approved treatments.
About ER-100
ER‑100 is an investigational therapy in clinical development for the treatment of optic neuropathies including OAG and NAION. ER‑100 is designed to restore function in retinal ganglion cells using Life Biosciences’ Epigenetic Restoration platform, which utilizes controlled expression of three transcription factors, OCT4, SOX2 and KLF4 (OSK), to reset cellular gene expression patterns and restore cells to a more youthful and functional state. ER‑100 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical trial. More information can be found at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT07290244): https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07290244
About Life Biosciences
Life Biosciences is a biotechnology company pioneering cellular rejuvenation using epigenetic restoration to reverse diseases of aging. The company’s proprietary Epigenetic Restoration platform utilizes three transcription factors, OCT4, SOX2, and KLF4 (OSK), to restore older and damaged cells to a younger and healthier state. This innovative approach targets a root cause of aging at the epigenetic level, and has the potential to address a wide range of serious age-related diseases. Life Bio’s lead program, ER-100, is in development for optic neuropathies, including open-angle glaucoma (OAG) and non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), with a Phase 1 clinical trial initiated in the first quarter of 2026. Beyond ER-100, the company is strategically broadening its therapeutic pipeline to address additional age-related diseases, underscoring the platform’s versatility and transformative potential. For more information, visit www.lifebiosciences.com or follow Life Bio on Twitter (X) and LinkedIn.
Media Contact
Madelin Hawtin
LifeSci Communications
lifebio@lifescicomms.com
