细胞重编程(Cellular reprogramming)涉及将细胞的表观遗传状态重置为更年轻的状态,从而有可能逆转与年龄相关的变化。这一革命性的领域代表了在细胞水平上解决基本衰老过程的最有希望的方法之一,具有改变我们治疗年龄相关疾病和延长健康寿命的潜力。
细胞重编程使用转录因子或其他方法来重置细胞的身份和功能。其目标是逆转与年龄相关的表观遗传变化并恢复年轻的细胞功能。这种方法基于一项突破性的发现,即成熟的、已分化的细胞可以通过引入特定的转录因子被转化回多能(pluripotent)状态。[1]
自2006年山中伸弥(Shinya Yamanaka)首次发现诱导多能干细胞(iPSCs)以来,用于长寿的细胞重编程领域发展迅速。[2] 虽然最初的重点是完全重编程为多能性,但最近的研究表明,部分重编程(partial reprogramming)可以在不丧失其原始身份的情况下使衰老细胞恢复活力,这为治疗应用开辟了新的可能性。[3]
分级标准:A(多项高质量的随机对照试验荟萃分析);B(多项随机对照试验;结果总体一致);C(小型/异质性随机对照试验或强有力的临床前证据);D(证据有限/质量低或存在冲突);E(仅限临床前/机制研究);F(无效或有害)。
完全重编程涉及使用 Yamanaka 因子(Oct4、Sox2、Klf4 和 c-Myc)将分化细胞完全转化为多能状态。[8] 这一过程完全抹除了细胞记忆和身份,创造出具有胚胎样特性的细胞。虽然这种方法提供了完全年轻化的潜力,但它也带来了显著的风险,包括肿瘤形成和细胞身份丧失。[9]
部分重编程代表了该领域的突破,允许在不完全丧失身份的情况下实现细胞年轻化。这种方法利用重编程因子的瞬时表达来重置表观遗传标记,同时保留细胞功能。[10] 研究表明,部分重编程可以逆转细胞中与年龄相关的变化,同时维持其特化功能。[6:1]
靶向重编程专注于与衰老相关的特定通路或基因,为细胞年轻化提供了更精确的方法。[7:1] 该方法旨在解决特定的年龄相关变化,而不影响整体细胞身份,从而在维持治疗益处的同时潜在地减少副作用。[4:1]
化学重编程使用小分子来诱导细胞年轻化,而无需进行基因修饰。[11] 这种方法具有几个优势,包括增强的安全性、可扩展性以及微调重编程过程的能力。[12]
重编程(Reprogramming)通过以下方式发挥作用:
细胞重编程主要通过重置随年龄增长而积累的表观遗传标记来发挥作用。[13] 这些标记包括导致细胞衰老的 DNA 甲基化模式、组蛋白修饰和染色质重塑。[14] Yamanaka 因子(山中因子)可以逆转这些与衰老相关的表观遗传变化,恢复更年轻的细胞状态。[15]
重编程因子会激活与多能性和细胞年轻化相关的特定基因表达网络。[16] 这包括激活参与 DNA 修复、线粒体功能和细胞代谢的基因。[17] 年轻基因表达模式的恢复有助于改善细胞功能并减少与衰老相关的损伤。[18]
细胞重编程的关键机制之一涉及线粒体功能的年轻化。[19] 衰老细胞通常表现出线粒体功能障碍,这会导致细胞衰老和死亡。重编程可以恢复线粒体功能并改善细胞能量代谢。[20]
研究表明,细胞重编程能够增强 DNA 修复机制,而这些机制在衰老细胞中通常会受损。[21] 这包括双链断裂修复的恢复以及 DNA 损伤反应通路的激活。[22]
| 方法 | 因子/药物 | 暴露模式 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 部分基因重编程 | OSKM(± c-Myc 替代品) | 周期性、短脉冲 | 平衡年轻化与肿瘤风险[5:2][6:2] |
| 化学重编程 | 小分子鸡尾酒 | 瞬时暴露 | 非基因;具有可扩展潜力[11:1][12:1] |
| 靶向重编程 | 组织特异性因子 | 局部递送 | 侧重于安全性与特异性[7:2] |
目前的证据仅限于:
在小鼠中的研究表明,部分重编程可以使组织年轻化并延长寿命,而不会诱发肿瘤生成。[5:3] 研究表明,重编程因子的瞬时表达可以改善人类细胞中与衰老相关的标志。[23]
在小鼠中进行的里程碑式研究证明了细胞重编程在长寿方面的潜力。部分重编程已被证明可以延长早衰小鼠(一种加速衰老的模型)的寿命并改善其健康寿命。[24] 这些研究还显示了各种与衰老相关的表型的改善,包括肌肉功能、心脏功能和认知表现。[25]
广泛的体外研究表明,细胞重编程可以逆转人类细胞中与衰老相关的变化。[26] 这包括端粒长度的恢复、线粒体功能的改善以及细胞衰老标志物的减少。[27] 研究还表明,重编程细胞表现出增强的增殖能力和改善的抗应激能力。[28]
研究探索了细胞重编程在特定组织和器官中的应用。研究表明,重编程可以使衰老的肌肉干细胞年轻化,从而提高其再生能力。[29] 类似的方法已应用于心肌细胞、神经细胞和其他特化细胞类型,并取得了令人鼓舞的结果。[30]
尽管临床试验仍然有限,但几家公司和研究小组正致力于将细胞重编程方法转化为人类应用。[31] 早期临床试验正在计划中,以测试基于重编程的疗法治疗年龄相关疾病的安全性和疗效。[32]
| 场景 | 注意事项 | 监测内容 |
|---|---|---|
| In vivo 因子递送 | 肿瘤形成、异常增生 | 影像学、组织病理学、致癌标志物 |
| c-Myc 使用 | 致癌风险 | 首选无 c-Myc 方案、监测 |
| 病毒载体 | 插入突变、免疫反应 | 载体选择、免疫监测 |
| 眼部/神经应用 | 功能性风险 | 视力/神经检查、电生理学 |
数十亿美元已流入旨在将细胞重编程从实验室转化为临床的生物技术公司。主要的初创企业正在开发部分重编程疗法,使用各种递送方式——包括病毒载体、mRNA-脂质纳米颗粒和小分子——来治疗特定的年龄相关疾病或实现系统性年轻化。
开发体内重编程(In vivo reprogramming)方法代表了该领域的一个主要目标。[45] 这将允许直接使衰老组织恢复活力,而无需进行细胞提取和移植。[46]
细胞重编程可以通过允许基于个体遗传和表观遗传特征的个性化年轻化策略,从而实现精准医疗方法。[47] 这可能会为与年龄相关的疾病带来更有效和更有针对性的治疗。[48]
未来的研究正在探索将细胞重编程与其他长寿干预措施(如衰老细胞清除剂(senolytics)、NAD+ 促进剂和生活方式的改变)相结合。[49] 这些联合方法可能为健康衰老提供协同益处。[50]
| 结果 | 方向 | 效应量 (单位) | 研究数量 | 模型/参与者 | 证据等级 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 表观遗传年龄 (细胞) | 中等 (时钟单位) | 数项 | 人类细胞 | C | 部分/化学方案[3:2][4:2][12:2] | |
| 组织功能 (肌肉/视力) | 定性 | 多项 | 小鼠 | C | 肌肉再生,视力恢复[7:3][29:1] | |
| 寿命 (早衰小鼠) | 依赖于模型 | 少数 | 小鼠 | C | 安全窗口至关重要[5:4] | |
| 人类临床结果 | — | 不足 | 0 | — | F | 早期转化领域 |
Takahashi K, Yamanaka S. Induction of pluripotent stem cells from mouse embryonic and adult fibroblast cultures by defined factors. Cell. 2006;126(4):663-676. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(06)00976-7 ↩︎
Yamanaka S. Induced pluripotent stem cells: past, present, and future. Cell Stem Cell. 2012;10(6):678-684. https://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/fulltext/S1934-5909(12)00195-7 ↩︎
Olova N, Simpson DJ, Marioni RE, Chandra T. Partial reprogramming induces a steady decline in epigenetic age before loss of somatic identity. Aging Cell. 2019;18(1):e12877. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/acel.12877 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Gill D, Parry A, Santos F, et al. Multi-omic rejuvenation of human cells by maturation phase transient reprogramming. Elife. 2022;11:e71624. https://elifesciences.org/articles/71624 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Ocampo A, Reddy P, Martinez-Redondo P, et al. In vivo amelioration of age-associated hallmarks by partial reprogramming. Cell. 2016;167(7):1719-1733. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(16)31664-X ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Browder KC, Reddy P, Yamamoto M, et al. In vivo partial reprogramming alters age-associated molecular changes during physiological aging in mice. Nat Aging. 2022;2(3):243-253. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-022-00183-2 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Lu Y, Brommer B, Tian X, et al. Reprogramming to recover youthful epigenetic information and restore vision. Nature. 2020;588(7836):124-129. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2975-4 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Takahashi K, Tanabe K, Ohnuki M, et al. Induction of pluripotent stem cells from adult human fibroblasts by defined factors. Cell. 2007;131(5):861-872. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(07)01471-7 ↩︎
Okita K, Ichisaka T, Yamanaka S. Generation of germline-competent induced pluripotent stem cells. Nature. 2007;448(7151):313-317. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature05934 ↩︎
Chondronasiou D, Gill D, Mosteiro L, et al. Multi-omic rejuvenation of naturally aged tissues by a single cycle of transient reprogramming. Aging Cell. 2022;21(3):e13578. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/acel.13578 ↩︎
Hou P, Li Y, Zhang X, et al. Pluripotent stem cells induced from mouse somatic cells by small-molecule compounds. Science. 2013;341(6146):651-654. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1239278 ↩︎ ↩︎
Li X, Zuo X, Jing J, et al. Small-molecule-driven direct reprogramming of mouse fibroblasts into functional neurons. Cell Stem Cell. 2015;17(2):195-203. https://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/fulltext/S1934-5909(15)00251-4 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Horvath S. DNA methylation age of human tissues and cell types. Genome Biol. 2013;14(10):R115. https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/gb-2013-14-10-r115 ↩︎
López-Otín C, Blasco MA, Partridge L, et al. The hallmarks of aging. Cell. 2013;153(6):1194-1217. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(13)00645-4 ↩︎
Horvath S, Raj K. DNA methylation-based biomarkers and the epigenetic clock theory of ageing. Nat Rev Genet. 2018;19(6):371-384. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41576-018-0004-3 ↩︎
Buganim Y, Faddah DA, Cheng AW, et al. Single-cell expression analyses during cellular reprogramming reveal an early stochastic and a late hierarchic phase. Cell. 2012;150(6):1209-1222. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(12)00895-3 ↩︎
Polo JM, Anderssen E, Walsh RM, et al. A molecular roadmap of reprogramming somatic cells into iPS cells. Cell. 2012;151(7):1617-1632. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(12)01410-2 ↩︎
Stadtfeld M, Maherali N, Breault DT, Hochedlinger K. Defining molecular cornerstones during fibroblast to iPS cell reprogramming in mouse. Cell Stem Cell. 2008;2(3):230-240. https://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/fulltext/S1934-5909(08)00062-5 ↩︎
Prigione A, Fauler B, Lurz R, Lehrach H, Adjaye J. The senescence-related mitochondrial/oxidative stress pathway is repressed in human induced pluripotent stem cells. Stem Cells. 2010;28(4):721-733. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/stem.404 ↩︎
Suhr ST, Chang EA, Tjong J, et al. Mitochondrial rejuvenation after induced pluripotency. PLoS One. 2010;5(11):e14095. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0014095 ↩︎
Marion RM, Strati K, Li H, et al. Telomeres acquire embryonic stem cell characteristics in induced pluripotent stem cells. Cell Stem Cell. 2009;4(2):141-154. https://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/fulltext/S1934-5909(09)00003-2 ↩︎
Suhr ST, Chang EA, Rodriguez RM, et al. Telomere dynamics in human cells reprogrammed to pluripotency. PLoS One. 2009;4(12):e8124. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0008124 ↩︎
Sarkar TJ, Quarta M, Mukherjee S, et al. Transient non-integrative expression of nuclear reprogramming factors promotes multifaceted amelioration of aging in human cells. Nat Commun. 2020;11(1):1545. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-15174-3 ↩︎
Ocampo A, Reddy P, Martinez-Redondo P, et al. In vivo amelioration of age-associated hallmarks by partial reprogramming. Cell. 2016;167(7):1719-1733. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(16)31664-X ↩︎
Browder KC, Reddy P, Yamamoto M, et al. In vivo partial reprogramming alters age-associated molecular changes during physiological aging in mice. Nat Aging. 2022;2(3):243-253. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-022-00183-2 ↩︎
Sarkar TJ, Quarta M, Mukherjee S, et al. Transient non-integrative expression of nuclear reprogramming factors promotes multifaceted amelioration of aging in human cells. Nat Commun. 2020;11(1):1545. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-15174-3 ↩︎
Chondronasiou D, Gill D, Mosteiro L, et al. Multi-omic rejuvenation of naturally aged tissues by a single cycle of transient reprogramming. Aging Cell. 2022;21(3):e13578. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/acel.13578 ↩︎
Gill D, Parry A, Santos F, et al. Multi-omic rejuvenation of human cells by maturation phase transient reprogramming. Elife. 2022;11:e71624. https://elifesciences.org/articles/71624 ↩︎
Sinha M, Jang YC, Oh J, et al. Restoring systemic GDF11 levels reverses age-related dysfunction in mouse skeletal muscle. Science. 2014;344(6184):649-652. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1251152 ↩︎ ↩︎
Lu Y, Brommer B, Tian X, et al. Reprogramming to recover youthful epigenetic information and restore vision. Nature. 2020;588(7836):124-129. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2975-4 ↩︎
Chen Y, Lüttmann FF, Schoger E, et al. Reversible reprogramming of cardiomyocytes to a fetal state drives heart regeneration in mice. Science. 2021;373(6562):1537-1540. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abg5159 ↩︎
Abad M, Mosteiro L, Pantoja C, et al. Reprogramming in vivo produces teratomas and iPS cells with totipotency features. Nature. 2013;502(7471):340-345. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature12586 ↩︎
Altos Labs. "Altos Labs Launches with $3 Billion to Reverse Cellular Aging." Lifespan.io. 2022. https://www.lifespan.io/news/altos-labs-3-billion-launch-to-reverse-cellular-aging/ ↩︎
The Times. "Inside the $3bn quest to defy ageing that Jeff Bezos is backing." The Times. 2022. https://www.thetimes.com/uk/science/article/jeff-bezos-altos-labs-life-extension-human-ageing-pm5mjl67m ↩︎
Retro Biosciences. "Our Pipeline." Retro Biosciences. 2024. https://www.retro.bio/pipeline ↩︎
Turn Biotechnologies. "FDA Meeting Feedback Puts Turn Biotechnologies on Track." PR Newswire. 2023. https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/fda-meeting-feedback-puts-turn-biotechnologies-on-track-to-be-first-longevity-company-taking-cell-rejuvenation-therapy-to-clinic-301965868.html ↩︎
Klotho Neurosciences. "Klotho Neurosciences Signs Letter of Intent to Acquire Select Assets from Turn Biotechnologies." PR Newswire. 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/klotho-neurosciences-signs-letter-of-intent-to-acquire-select-assets-from-turn-biotechnologies-anchored-by-300-million-global-pharma-partnership-302570344.html ↩︎
Life Biosciences. "Life Bio ready for world’s first partial epigenetic reprogramming trials." Longevity.Technology. 2024. https://longevity.technology/news/life-bio-ready-for-worlds-first-partial-epigenetic-reprogramming-trials/ ↩︎
Life Biosciences. "Life Biosciences Presents New Data at ARDD." Life Biosciences. 2025. https://www.lifebiosciences.com/life-biosciences-presents-new-data-at-ardd-2025-on-the-companys-partial-epigenetic-reprogramming-platform-in-liver-and-ocular-diseases/ ↩︎
NewLimit. "NewLimit raises $130M to push liver mRNA med into clinic." Fierce Biotech. 2023. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/anti-aging-biotech-newlimit-raises-130m-push-liver-reprogramming-med-clinic ↩︎
Rejuvenate Bio. "Gene Therapy-Mediated Partial Reprogramming Extends Lifespan." Cellular Reprogramming. 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10909732/ ↩︎
Rejuvenate Bio. "Rejuvenate Bio shows epigenetic reprogramming extends lifespan." Longevity.Technology. 2023. https://longevity.technology/news/rejuvenate-bio-shows-epigenetic-reprogramming-extends-lifespan-in-normal-mice/ ↩︎
Shift Bioscience. "Shift Bioscience Raises $16M to Advance Cell Simulation AI Platform." Business Wire. 2024. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241015745730/en/Shift-Bioscience-Raises-%2416M-to-Advance-Cell-Simulation-AI-Platform ↩︎
Longevity.Technology. "Shift Bioscience lands $16m to identify safe rejuvenation genes." Longevity.Technology. 2024. https://longevity.technology/news/shift-bioscience-lands-16m-to-identify-safe-rejuvenation-genes/ ↩︎
Chen Y, Lüttmann FF, Schoger E, et al. Reversible reprogramming of cardiomyocytes to a fetal state drives heart regeneration in mice. Science. 2021;373(6562):1537-1540. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abg5159 ↩︎
Lu Y, Brommer B, Tian X, et al. Reprogramming to recover youthful epigenetic information and restore vision. Nature. 2020;588(7836):124-129. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2975-4 ↩︎
Horvath S, Raj K. DNA methylation-based biomarkers and the epigenetic clock theory of ageing. Nat Rev Genet. 2018;19(6):371-384. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41576-018-0004-3 ↩︎
Gill D, Parry A, Santos F, et al. Multi-omic rejuvenation of human cells by maturation phase transient reprogramming. Elife. 2022;11:e71624. https://elifesciences.org/articles/71624 ↩︎
Chondronasiou D, Gill D, Mosteiro L, et al. Multi-omic rejuvenation of naturally aged tissues by a single cycle of transient reprogramming. Aging Cell. 2022;21(3):e13578. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/acel.13578 ↩︎
Browder KC, Reddy P, Yamamoto M, et al. In vivo partial reprogramming alters age-associated molecular changes during physiological aging in mice. Nat Aging. 2022;2(3):243-253. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-022-00183-2 ↩︎