Partial epigenetic reprogramming: Life Biosciences ER-100 (David Sinclair, co-founder)
Stage: Phase 1 (safety) Updated 2026-10-15
What it is: A gene therapy injected into the eye that turns on three Yamanaka factors (OCT4, SOX2, KLF4) under doxycycline control, aiming to restore youthful function in optic nerve cells.
Latest verified: Phase 1 (NCT07290244) started March 2, 2026; first participant dosed (announced June 9, 2026). On October 8, 2026 the company reported that 3 glaucoma participants tolerated the lowest dose through day 56, with preliminary visual-field signals in 2 of them. Up to 18 adults (12 glaucoma, 6 NAION).
Critiques: Three people, open label, company-reported, no control group. Visual-field tests are noisy. The mouse work (Lu 2020) is strong, but the broader claim that aging is mainly loss of epigenetic information is debated.
Sources: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07290244 · Life Bio release, Jun 9, 2026 · Life Bio release, Oct 8, 2026 · Lu 2020, Nature · Yang 2023, Cell
Podcasts:
- Huberman Lab: Dr. David Sinclair: The Biology of Slowing & Reversing Aging (2021-12-27)
XPRIZE Healthspan and Fountain Life (Peter Diamandis)
Stage: Competition; finalist trials starting Updated 2026-10-15
What it is: A $101M, 7-year competition, co-founded by Diamandis, rewarding therapies that restore muscle, cognition and immune function in adults 50+. Diamandis also co-founded Fountain Life, a chain of executive-health clinics.
Latest verified: May 12, 2025: 40 Milestone 1 winners ($250,000 each). August 11, 2026: 20 finalists named, 10 awarded $1M each; finalist trials run 2026 to 2029, grand prize in 2030. Fountain Life raised an $18M Series B in August 2025.
Critiques: Prize trials last up to one year, too short for hard outcomes. Clinic-based full-body scans and extensive testing in healthy people raise false-positive and cost concerns.
Sources: XPRIZE, May 12, 2025 · XPRIZE, Aug 11, 2026 · TechCrunch, Aug 13, 2025
Altos Labs
Stage: Mostly preclinical; first authorized trial (Spain) Updated 2026-10-15
What it is: A cellular rejuvenation company launched in 2022 with about $3B, led by Hal Barron.
Latest verified: Acquired Dorian Therapeutics (senescence 'senoblockers') in May 2025. Spain authorized an Altos Phase 1/2a trial of ATX-2a, an intra-articular AAV for knee osteoarthritis, on December 15, 2025.
Critiques: Little peer-reviewed human data so far; most progress is disclosed through deals and regulatory filings.
Sources: Longevity.Technology, May 23, 2025 · MITECO resolution B/ES/25/15
Retro Biosciences
Stage: Phase 1 (safety) Updated 2026-10-15
What it is: Backed by a $180M seed from Sam Altman; lead drug RTR242 is a pill meant to restore lysosome function and autophagy, initially aimed at Alzheimer's disease.
Latest verified: Phase 1 in healthy adults in Adelaide (ACTRN12625001274460) began dosing in December 2025 and expanded to higher doses in August 2026. No efficacy data.
Critiques: Healthy-volunteer safety study only; the Alzheimer's hypothesis is untested in patients.
Sources: ANZCTR ACTRN12625001274460 · Longevity.Technology
NewLimit
Stage: Preclinical Updated 2026-10-15
What it is: Co-founded by Brian Armstrong; screens transcription-factor combinations to rejuvenate cells, delivered as mRNA in lipid nanoparticles. Lead target: liver.
Latest verified: $130M Series B (May 6, 2025); additional $45M including Eli Lilly (October 20, 2025). Reports prototype medicine M0004 improved liver regeneration and alcohol-injury resilience in old mice.
Critiques: Data shared via company blog, not peer review.
Sources: NewLimit, May 6, 2025 · NewLimit, Oct 20, 2025
Senolytics and Unity Biotechnology
Stage: Company dissolved; academic trials continue Updated 2026-10-15
What it is: Drugs that clear senescent (zombie) cells. Unity was the best-funded senolytics company.
Latest verified: UBX1325 missed its primary non-inferiority endpoint at weeks 20-24 in the ASPIRE Phase 2b eye trial (2025). Shareholders approved dissolution on September 18, 2025.
Critiques: Strong mouse data (Xu 2018) have not yet translated into clear human benefit.
Sources: SEC 8-K, Sep 19, 2025 · Xu 2018, Nat Med · Justice 2019, EBioMedicine
Podcasts:
- The Peter Attia Drive: #175 Matt Kaeberlein, Ph.D.: The biology of aging, rapamycin, and other interventions that target the aging process (2021-09-13)
Rapamycin trials (PEARL)
Stage: Phase 2 Updated 2026-10-15
What it is: Testing whether low, intermittent doses of the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin improve healthspan markers in people.
Latest verified: PEARL (114 adults, 48 weeks, published 2025): relatively safe; no change in visceral fat (primary endpoint); lean mass and pain improved in women on 10 mg weekly.
Critiques: Primary endpoint null, many secondary outcomes, sponsor sells rapamycin.
Sources: Moel 2025, Aging · Harrison 2009, Nature
Podcasts:
- The Peter Attia Drive: #175 Matt Kaeberlein, Ph.D.: The biology of aging, rapamycin, and other interventions that target the aging process (2021-09-13)
- Huberman Lab: Dr. Peter Attia: Supplements for Longevity & Their Efficacy (2024-07-29)
TAME (Targeting Aging with Metformin)
Stage: Not started Updated 2026-10-15
What it is: A proposed 6-year, ~3,000-person trial testing whether metformin delays age-related diseases in people without diabetes.
Latest verified: As of 2025, still not started: AFAR continues fundraising. Observational support was weakened by later analyses.
Critiques: Metformin may blunt some exercise adaptations; the case rests on observational data.
Sources: AFAR: TAME · Barzilai 2016, Cell Metab
Podcasts:
- Huberman Lab: Dr. David Sinclair: The Biology of Slowing & Reversing Aging (2021-12-27)
Epigenetic clocks
Stage: Research biomarker Updated 2026-10-15
What it is: DNA methylation patterns that estimate biological age or pace of aging (Horvath, PhenoAge, GrimAge, DunedinPACE).
Latest verified: In trials, calorie restriction slowed DunedinPACE (CALERIE, 2023) and omega-3 slightly slowed several clocks over 3 years (DO-HEALTH, 2025).
Critiques: Clocks predict risk but are not validated treatment targets; consumer test results vary between labs and repeats.
Sources: Horvath 2013 · Belsky 2022, eLife · Waziry 2023, Nat Aging · Bischoff-Ferrari 2025, Nat Aging
Podcasts:
- Huberman Lab: Dr. Peter Attia: Supplements for Longevity & Their Efficacy (2024-07-29)
GLP-1 drugs and aging
Stage: Approved drugs; aging use is investigational Updated 2026-10-15
What it is: Semaglutide and related drugs for diabetes and obesity are being studied for broader age-related effects.
Latest verified: SELECT (2023): semaglutide cut major cardiovascular events in people with obesity and heart disease. EVOKE and EVOKE+ (2026): oral semaglutide did not slow early Alzheimer's. A small trial reported slower epigenetic clocks (2026).
Critiques: Benefits are tied to weight and metabolic disease; muscle loss during weight loss is a concern. Prescription only.
Sources: Lincoff 2023, NEJM
Bryan Johnson's Blueprint
Stage: n-of-1 self-experiment Updated 2026-10-15
What it is: A self-experiment combining diet, exercise, sleep, dozens of supplements and medical procedures, with biomarkers published online.
Latest verified: Johnson reports improved biomarkers, including DunedinPACE values well below 1.0, in self-published data and a 2024 letter.
Critiques: One person, no control, many simultaneous changes, commercial products. Clock improvements do not prove slower aging.
Sources: Blueprint protocol · New Scientist