Head to head
Chemical Reprogramming Cocktails against OSK Partial Reprogramming
Small molecules instead of gene therapy, aiming at the same epigenetic reset. All of the chemical ageing work is in cells in a dish plus one lifespan result in a nematode; the gene therapy version has mouse efficacy data and one recruiting phase 1 in 18 people, in one eye.
Column A
Chemical Reprogramming CocktailsChemical reprogramming cocktails (small-molecule induced pluripotency and partial reprogramming)
Combinations of small molecules that replace the gene therapy in reprogramming. All of the ageing work is in cells in a dish, plus one lifespan result in a nematode.
Column B
OSK Partial ReprogrammingOSK partial reprogramming (transient expression of Oct4, Sox2 and Klf4)
Three of the four Yamanaka factors, switched on briefly to reset epigenetic marks without erasing cell identity. Every efficacy result is in mice. One phase 1 safety trial is recruiting, in 18 people, in one eye.
Side by side, on the facts we can check
| Attribute | Chemical Reprogramming Cocktails | OSK Partial Reprogramming |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Longevity | Longevity |
| FDA status | Not approved anywhere. There is no registered human trial of a reprogramming cocktail for any ageing indication. These are laboratory reagents. | Not approved in any country for any indication. No reprogramming therapy has ever been approved. One investigational product, Life Biosciences ER-100, is in a recruiting phase 1 safety study (NCT07290244). |
| Half-life | Not reported | Not reported |
| Molecular weight | Not reported | Not reported |
| Mechanism | In vitro, in human cells. Small-molecule combinations induce an intermediate plastic state that permits reprogramming without transcription-factor delivery; inhibition of the JNK pathway was identified as necessary to induce that plasticity by suppressing pro-inflammatory pathways. For the ageing application, the readouts are transcriptomic age, nucleocytoplasmic compartmentalisation, genomic instability, senescence markers and oxidative stress, all measured in cultured human cells. No mechanism has been established in a living mammal, and none in a person. | Established in mice. OSK expression drives partial erasure and rewriting of DNA methylation marks, moving the methylation profile of a cell toward a younger pattern without progressing to pluripotency. In the 2020 optic nerve work the benefit required TET1 and TET2, the enzymes that carry out active DNA demethylation, which is direct evidence that the effect runs through methylation rather than through generic transcription-factor activity. In human cells, the only mechanistic work is in culture: keratinocytes expressing OSK showed epigenetic markers of age reversal in the 2024 Cellular Reprogramming paper. Nothing about the mechanism has been demonstrated in a living person. |
| Human studies cited | 0 | 1 |
| Legal status, US | Research use only; not approved | Investigational, not approved |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Chemical Reprogramming Cocktails and OSK Partial Reprogramming?
Chemical Reprogramming Cocktails: Combinations of small molecules that replace the gene therapy in reprogramming. All of the ageing work is in cells in a dish, plus one lifespan result in a nematode. OSK Partial Reprogramming: Three of the four Yamanaka factors, switched on briefly to reset epigenetic marks without erasing cell identity. Every efficacy result is in mice. One phase 1 safety trial is recruiting, in 18 people, in one eye.
Which has stronger research evidence, Chemical Reprogramming Cocktails or OSK Partial Reprogramming?
This database does not grade compounds. It counts what was run in people: 0 of the 4 studies cited on the Chemical Reprogramming Cocktails profile were human work, against 1 of 6 for OSK Partial Reprogramming. Those counts are of our own citation lists and understate any larger literature, and neither is a recommendation.
Are Chemical Reprogramming Cocktails and OSK Partial Reprogramming FDA-approved?
Chemical Reprogramming Cocktails: Not approved anywhere. There is no registered human trial of a reprogramming cocktail for any ageing indication. These are laboratory reagents.. OSK Partial Reprogramming: Not approved in any country for any indication. No reprogramming therapy has ever been approved. One investigational product, Life Biosciences ER-100, is in a recruiting phase 1 safety study (NCT07290244)..
Reviewed Sep 2026. This page sets two published records side by side. It is educational, it is not medical advice, and it contains no dosing protocols or recommendations for personal use.