Here is Sharon Rosenzweig-Lipson’s, (the Chief Scientific officer of Life Biosciences) presentation at the December Longevity Summit on their OSK work that the company is focused on. @rapaalv
I don’t know what they are thinking regarding potential use of the conditional (doxy controlled) AAV vector in broader system applications… given its a random-integration vector it would seem to be unlikely as a platform for broad systemic use (because its a random integration vector which can cause “issues”) - but perhaps there are people here with more up-to-date knowledge about gene therapy vectors and their use who can comment here.
To me, it would seem that while this approach may work with targeted approaches (e.g ocular) where the vector is not going to likely spread more broadly, I don’t “believe” this approach would ever be practical for systemic use as it can disrupt other genes when its inserted.
It was interesting to hear that they are mostly a “virtual” company; they have less than a dozen employees and they contract most things out to CROs.
David Sinclair has shared extensively on their work on the eyes.
The liver is new to me.
As for AAV, David did mention delivery is an issue they need to solve in an interview. I remember he mentioned nanopaticles, etc, as emerging technology.
They use doxycline to turn on the OSK and then without doxycycline it is turned off. Basically they could blind the eyes, heal it, blind it again, heal it again, repeatedly.
It is like learning to fly, we are at the Wright brothers stage, we know it is possible now but we cannot do it well yet.
If the trials on the eyes and liver work, I think some rich guys would go to China Switzerland etc and do this frankly.
David did mention he wants to figure out how OSK works exactly and how the cell remembers how to go back to a youthful state.
His colleague Ryan Lu discovered GLPT4 recently as the main downstream gene activated.
Even if they can do organ specific work on the brain, heart, eyes, liver, frankly that would cure a ton of diseases already right?
The above is just based on my memory and opinions. I have no training in biology just an fan.
