Rejuvenate Bio posts preprint showing OSK gene therapy extends remaining life of very old mice

Rejuvenate Bio/OSK partial reprogramming gene therapy

In a bioRxiv preprint, Rejuvenate Bio reported that an inducible AAV system delivering OSK (three Yamanaka factors) to 124-week-old mice increased their remaining lifespan by 109% versus controls, with epigenetic signs of age reversal in liver and heart. Elderly mice injected with the therapy lived another 18 weeks on average, compared with 9 weeks for controls.

• OSK gene therapy doubled remaining lifespan in very old (124-week-old) mice: 18 weeks vs 9 weeks in controls.
• Inducible AAV system prevented uncontrolled expression, a safety requirement for in vivo reprogramming.
• Epigenetic markers of age-reversal appeared in liver, heart, and in human keratinocytes expressing OSK.
• Preprint showed improvement in frailty scores, indicating gains in both lifespan and healthspan; peer review pending.