Yuancheng (Ryan) Lu, 34, is a scientist studying gene therapies to prevent vision loss caused by aging. His personal motivation comes from a family history of age-related blindness, including a great-aunt in China who died due to poor eyesight. Lu’s own genetic test through 23andMe revealed a mutation linked to macular degeneration, a major cause of vision loss in older adults. To protect his eyes, he wears aviator-style sunglasses that darken in bright sunlight, a precaution against a risk factor for the condition. Lu works at the Whitehead Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, under the guidance of longevity researcher David Sinclair. In 2018, while earning his PhD at Harvard Medical School, Lu used a technique called cell reprogramming to repair the optic nerves of mice. He intentionally damaged the nerves, causing blindness, and then injected gene therapy to restore them to a youthful state. Sixteen days later, the nerves began regenerating, and axons—nerve fibers—became visible under a microscope. Further tests showed that the mice could track moving light, suggesting they had regained some vision. This research, published in the journal Nature in 2020, generated significant interest in reprogramming and anti-aging medicine. This year, a genetic therapy similar to the one Lu developed for mice entered human clinical trials. On June 9, the startup Life Biosciences, co-founded by Sinclair, announced that a treatment called ER-100 had been injected into the eye of a person with glaucoma. Reprogramming is a process that resets cells to a more youthful state, similar to what happens in embryos. In 2006, researchers in Japan discovered that adding four specific genes—known by the acronym OSKM—could induce this process in adult cells, effectively turning them into stem cells. Lu refined this approach by using only three of these genes—OSK—removing the M gene, which is linked to harmful changes like cancer. His work has attracted attention from influential investors, including US tech billionaires and figures like Zhong Shanshan, one of China’s wealthiest individuals. Despite the progress, Lu remains focused on developing more advanced rejuvenation therapies. He has identified a gene that helps protect the retina from damage caused by free radicals, a key contributor to age-related macular degeneration. While Sinclair believes humans might eventually live to be 200 years old, Lu is more cautious, emphasizing the complexity of aging. He sees his work with OSK as a proof of concept rather than a complete solution. However, his research has helped shift public and scientific perspectives on rejuvenation, making the idea more widely accepted.