Unfortunately, the company he was involved with (Turn Biotechnologies) seems to have run out of funding and is being acquired)…
AI Summary
Introduction to Dr. Victoria Sebastiano
- Dr. Victoria Sebastiano is a leading expert in Aging research and serves as an associate professor at Stanford University.
- He is the co-founder and chair of the scientific advisory board at Turn Biotechnology, where he leads research initiatives.
- Dr. Sebastiano’s groundbreaking research focuses on epigenetic reprogramming of aging, which has garnered him prestigious awards, including the AAR Junior Investigator Award and the Glen Foundation Breakthrough in Gerontology Award.
Research Motivation and Focus
- Dr. Sebastiano aims to leverage reproductive biology to find solutions for aging-associated diseases.
- He emphasizes the need to understand the fundamental aspects of aging at cellular, tissue, and organismal levels.
- His central thesis is that aging is fundamentally an epigenetic problem, resulting from the deterioration of epigenetic information.
The Role of the Epigenome in Aging
- The epigenome is crucial for dictating cellular behavior, ensuring that genetically identical cells perform different functions in various tissues.
- Aging leads to dysfunction in this epigenetic program, caused by developmental factors and environmental exposures, termed the exposome.
- As epigenetic information deteriorates, genes that should be silenced or active become misregulated, contributing to the aging process.
Potential for Epigenetic Reprogramming
- Dr. Sebastiano believes the epigenetic program can be reset, unlike the more rigid genetic program, which can be altered using technologies like CRISPR-Cas9.
- He proposes that understanding and utilizing nature’s mechanisms for rejuvenation could lead to significant advancements in anti-aging therapies.
- He suggests that the secrets of rejuvenation may lie in studying women’s reproductive biology, particularly embryonic reprogramming in oocytes.
Development of ERA Technology
- Dr. Sebastiano’s lab developed a technology called ERA, which stands for epigenetic reprogramming of aging, aimed at rejuvenating aged cells without altering their identity.
- Inspired by the work of Shinya Yamanaka and John Gordon, ERA utilizes a cocktail of six mRNAs that encode for reprogramming factors.
- The technology allows for the rejuvenation of aged somatic cells back to a youthful state while maintaining their original cellular identity.
Results and Implications of ERA
- Dr. Sebastiano’s research demonstrated that aged dysfunctional cells could be rejuvenated, resulting in improved functionality and characteristics associated with younger cells.
- This rejuvenation process has been shown to positively affect multiple hallmarks of aging across various human cell types.
- The research has gained significant attention, indicating a growing interest and investment in the potential of epigenetic reprogramming technologies.
Future Directions and Applications
- Dr. Sebastiano aims to translate the findings of his research into clinical applications, particularly focusing on systemic interventions that could rejuvenate specific cell types, such as immune cells.
- The research team has initiated studies to explore the effects of ERA on T-cells and their potential to enhance immune responses against tumors.
- Ongoing collaborations are aimed at expanding the application of ERA technology to other cell types, including blood stem cells, with the goal of advancing preclinical research.
Understanding Epigenetic Changes
- The research has revealed that rejuvenation through ERA can be assessed using epigenetic clocks, which measure biological aging at the cellular level.
- Interestingly, significant rejuvenation effects were linked to a single CPG site in the genome, prompting further investigation into the broader implications of epigenetic changes.
- Dr. Sebastiano’s team is developing a new index, the PRC2 index, to better understand the specific genomic regions affected by aging and rejuvenation interventions.
Biomarkers of Aging Consortium
- Dr. Sebastiano is involved in the Biomarkers of Aging Consortium, which aims to consolidate research efforts on aging biomarkers to develop effective diagnostic tools.
- The consortium seeks to establish consensus on the most relevant biomarkers and their applications in aging research.
- An upcoming conference will focus on these efforts, and a longitudinal study on aging biomarkers is set to launch, providing further insights into the aging process.