Research Shows Promise of Technology Used by Turn Biotechnologies to Develop Therapies for Age-Related Diseases

Journal article reports breakthrough: Rewind epigenome without inducing pluripotency

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Mar 25, 2020, 08:30 ET

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., March 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A study published in the respected Nature Communications journal highlights the promise of technology being developed by Turn Biotechnologies to treat age-related health conditions.

The study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine found that old human cells can be induced into a more youthful and vigorous state when they are exposed to a rejuvenating treatment that triggers the limited expression of a group of proteins known as Yamanaka factors, which are important to embryonic development.

Vittorio Sebastiano, a Stanford University professor and co-founder of Turn Biotechnologies, is part of a team of researchers who have "rewound" the aging clock of adult cells without inducing pluripotency.

What distinguishes the study is that it reports the first-time researchers have used Yamanaka factors to undo many of the effects of aging on cells without eliminating their DNA of the molecular tags that differentiate, for example, skin cells from heart muscle cells. Normally, Yamanaka factors transform adult cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, which can become nearly any type of cell in the body.

"We've wondered if it might be possible to simply rewind the aging clock without inducing pluripotency," said Vittorio Sebastiano, assistant professor at Stanford University and senior author of the Nature Communications article. "Now we've found that tightly controlling the exposure to these proteins can promote rejuvenation in multiple human cell types, including stem cells. This has profound implications for regeneration and restoration of cell functionality of aged tissues."

The technology described in the study is being used by Turn in the development of therapies that will induce the body to repair age-related diseases and conditions.

Sebastiano, a Turn co-founder who remains on the faculty at Stanford, said the research findings offer promise of breakthrough treatments for diseases that are currently untreatable.

"We are hopeful that we may one day have the opportunity to reboot entire tissues," he said.

ABOUT TURN BIOTECHNOLOGIES
Turn is a development-stage company focused on repairing tissue at the cellular level. Our proprietary mRNA technology combats the effects of aging in the epigenome, thus restoring optimal gene expression and enabling cells to function as vigorously as when they were younger. Our technology provides a platform from which to attack a variety of diseases related to age. We are currently researching applications in dermatological, respiratory and osteoarthritic conditions. For more information, see www.turn.bio.

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SOURCE Turn Biotechnologies