Head to head
OSK Partial Reprogramming against OSKM Cyclic Partial Reprogramming
Three Yamanaka factors against four. Dropping MYC is a safety decision: the full four factor set extended lifespan in a progeroid mouse rather than a normal one, and the same manoeuvre in living mice produces teratomas and kidney tumours.
Column A
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.
Column B
OSKM Cyclic Partial ReprogrammingOSKM cyclic partial reprogramming (short cycles of Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc)
The full four-factor Yamanaka set delivered in short bursts. It extended lifespan in a progeroid mouse, not a normal one, and the same manoeuvre in living mice produces teratomas and kidney tumours.
Side by side, on the facts we can check
| Attribute | OSK Partial Reprogramming | OSKM Cyclic Partial Reprogramming |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Longevity | Longevity |
| FDA status | 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). | Not approved anywhere. There is no registered human trial of four-factor OSKM reprogramming on ClinicalTrials.gov. The only registered human reprogramming study uses the three-factor OSK set. |
| Half-life | Not reported | Not reported |
| Molecular weight | Not reported | Not reported |
| Mechanism | 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. | Established in mice only. Short pulses of Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc push cells part-way along the dedifferentiation trajectory, resetting epigenetic marks associated with age while, if the pulse is short enough, stopping before the cell loses its identity and becomes pluripotent. Continuous induction is lethal in mice through teratoma formation and tissue dysfunction, which is why every protocol is cyclic. The therapeutic window is defined by duration and dose and has been mapped only in mice. Nothing about this mechanism has been characterised in a human being. |
| Human studies cited | 1 | 0 |
| Legal status, US | Investigational, not approved | Investigational, not approved |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between OSK Partial Reprogramming and OSKM Cyclic Partial Reprogramming?
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. OSKM Cyclic Partial Reprogramming: The full four-factor Yamanaka set delivered in short bursts. It extended lifespan in a progeroid mouse, not a normal one, and the same manoeuvre in living mice produces teratomas and kidney tumours.
Which has stronger research evidence, OSK Partial Reprogramming or OSKM Cyclic Partial Reprogramming?
This database does not grade compounds. It counts what was run in people: 1 of the 6 studies cited on the OSK Partial Reprogramming profile were human work, against 0 of 6 for OSKM Cyclic Partial Reprogramming. Those counts are of our own citation lists and understate any larger literature, and neither is a recommendation.
Are OSK Partial Reprogramming and OSKM Cyclic Partial Reprogramming FDA-approved?
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).. OSKM Cyclic Partial Reprogramming: Not approved anywhere. There is no registered human trial of four-factor OSKM reprogramming on ClinicalTrials.gov. The only registered human reprogramming study uses the three-factor OSK set..
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.