Cellular reprogramming: Modern medicine's new way of giving us a health upgrade

Skeptics of cellular reprogramming often encourage researchers to slow down and be cautious. They say there is much we don’t know about the science – even, that it may be dangerous.

But that science is incredibly promising. As researchers continue their studies, we continue to support efforts to produce a therapy that will be accessible to everyone.

To understand cellular reprogramming, think of it as a software update or patch. People routinely install software patches because they repair little flaws and bugs that develop or emerge in computers over time. Cellular reprogramming works like a patch to restore the ability of cells to function as they did when they were more youthful. This enables them to fight disease and restore damaged tissue.

Reprogramming therapies would be especially helpful in treating and curing age-related conditions, including cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and others. These now-incurable conditions afflict millions of people.

One thing that successful cellular reprogramming does not do is rewrite the body’s DNA. That would be like a full software upgrade that wipes away what’s there. It’s hard to imagine why anyone would want to do that since it would eliminate the genetic traits that make us who we are.

Instead, successful cellular reprogramming triggers specific genes to express the proteins that optimize specific cell functions. It does not de-differentiate cells or cause them to lose their tissue-specific characteristics.

It is true that, just as there are many computer coding languages, there are different ways to successfully reprogram the human cell. In the lab, researchers have experimented with sendai virus, lentivirus, retroviruses, adenovirus, proteins, plasmids, adeno-associated virus, and - what we believe is the best option - mRNA. Literature has shown that mRNA is the most tweak-able and controllable way to reprogram the human cell, which makes it safer.

Many researchers who understand the potential of cellular reprogramming are working on the science. One company that we support, Turn Biotechnologies, was spun out of Stanford University. Their focus has been on this field for several years, using a unique mRNA-based technology called ERA™ to deliver transcription factors to the epigenome.

The ERA platform is safe, fast, efficient and tunable. It enables Turn Bio to control the time, duration and dosage of transcription factors to optimize the cellular response being sought. They also intend to be the first company to demonstrate that cellular reprogramming works in humans, the first step toward transforming how medicine treats many now-untreatable diseases.

We are certainly enthusiastic about Turn Bio’s work. But we are even more enthusiastic about the promise of cellular reprogramming to rekindle the body’s ability to cure itself. We know there will be several winners in this field, and the biggest winner will be humanity.