The Download: “reprogramming” aging, and the hidden sense of interoception

Life Biosciences dosed its first volunteer this week with an experimental treatment for glaucoma, aiming to regenerate healthy nerves in the eye. This therapy is based on the concept of "reprogramming" cells to a younger state, a strategy that Life Biosciences hopes could eventually reverse aging itself. The company's approach is part of a broader trend in biotech focused on slowing and reversing age-related diseases, with cell reprogramming emerging as a particularly prominent strategy.

Separately, research into interoception, the body's internal sense of its own state, is gaining momentum. Advances in mapping internal signaling across the body and understanding the brain-body connection are shedding new light on this "hidden sense." This burgeoning field, bolstered by a 2021 Nobel Prize, has significant implications for understanding and treating conditions such as obesity, chronic pain, and anxiety, potentially opening up a "new continent of awareness."