Genomics — Timeline
Timeline
Key developments in precision gene editing and longevity, ordered chronologically (most recent at the bottom).
| Date | Event | Significance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Yamanaka factors published | Four genes (OSKM) reprogram adult cells to pluripotent state — Nobel-winning foundation for aging-reversal research | Life Biosciences FDA |
| 2016 | Base editing published (David Liu, Broad Institute) | First genome editing without double-strand breaks — direct C-to-T base conversion | Prime Editing Suppressor tRNAs |
| 2019 | Prime editing published (David Liu, Broad Institute) | Search-and-replace genome editing — all 12 point mutations, small insertions/deletions without DNA breaks | Prime Editing Suppressor tRNAs |
| 2020 | Sinclair mouse optic nerve paper (Nature) | Partial OSK reprogramming restored vision in mice — foundational preclinical data for 2026 Life Biosciences trial | Life Biosciences FDA |
| Dec 2023 | Casgevy approved (first CRISPR therapy) | FDA/MHRA approval for Sickle Cell and beta-thalassemia — gene editing enters clinical medicine | CRISPR Cholesterol Trial |
| Apr 2024 | OpenCRISPR-1 public release | Profluent releases first AI-designed CRISPR editor publicly, pre-publication | OpenCRISPR-1 |
| Apr 2024 | First FDA-approved prime editing trial begins | Prime editing moves from laboratory to human patients | Prime Editing Suppressor tRNAs |
| Jun 2024 – Aug 2025 | ANGPTL3 cholesterol trial enrollment | Cleveland Clinic Phase 1, 15 patients for CTX310 CRISPR cholesterol trial | CRISPR Cholesterol Trial |
| Jul 2025 | OpenCRISPR-1 published in Nature | Fully AI-designed gene editor edits human genome, 95% off-target reduction vs SpCas9 | OpenCRISPR-1 |
| Sep 2025 | CRISPR-GPT published (Stanford) | LLM copilot for gene editing — novice first-attempt success | CRISPR-GPT |
| Nov 2025 | Prime editing suppressor tRNAs (Nature) | Disease-agnostic approach for ~30% of rare diseases. Liu, 2025 Breakthrough Prize | Prime Editing Suppressor tRNAs |
| Nov 2025 | ANGPTL3 cholesterol trial results | LDL -50%, triglycerides -55%, sustained 60+ days | CRISPR Cholesterol Trial |
| Nov 2025 | Profluent raises $106M | Market validation of generative biology platform | OpenCRISPR-1 |
| Dec 2025 | Baylor precision longevity review (Frontiers) | Single-cell atlas framework for cell-type-specific aging interventions | Precision Longevity |
| Jan 2026 | Epigenetic editing without DNA cuts (UNSW/St Jude) | Demethylation-based Sickle Cell gene reactivation | Epigenetic Editing |
| Jan 2026 | Life Biosciences FDA approval | First-in-human trial of partial OSK reprogramming — Phase 1 glaucoma + NAION, ~12 patients | Life Biosciences FDA |
| Apr 2026 | Ledford Nature commentary on Life Biosciences | Major skeptic voices surface: Gladyshev, Williams, Chandra warn on cancer + cell-identity risks | Ledford Nature |
| 2026 (coming months) | Life Biosciences first patients | Phase 1 dosing begins; readout expected late 2026 / early 2027 | Life Biosciences FDA |
| Feb 2025 | Multiplexed in vivo base editing (bioRxiv) | Functional genomics platform — systematic gene-variant-context interaction mapping in vivo | Multiplexed base editing |
| Dec 2025 | Vertex CASGEVY pediatric data (ASH) | First clinical data in children ages 5-11; 1H 2026 global regulatory submissions planned | CASGEVY pediatric |
| Feb 2026 | RBM20 cardiac prime editing (bioRxiv) | First in vivo cardiac prime editing with tissue specificity — heart edited, no liver editing. Cardiomyopathy phenotype rescue | RBM20 cardiac prime editing |
| Dec 2025 | Single-cell long-read sequencing review (Briefings in Bioinformatics) | SCLR-seq matures: PacBio HiFi 99.9–99.95% + ONT ~99%; single-cell + long-read convergence moves transcriptomics to isoform-level resolution | SCLR-seq review |
| Mar 2025 | Beam BEAM-302 first-ever genetic correction in AATD patients | In vivo base editing corrects the PiZ mutation; dose-dependent durable AAT increase — base editing reaches human correction | Beam clinical 2026 |
| Apr 2026 | Intellia HAELO Phase 3 success (lonvo-z) | First in vivo CRISPR therapy to clear Phase 3 — single 50 mg dose cut HAE attacks 87% vs placebo (p<0.0001), 62% attack-free. Rolling BLA; US launch target 1H 2027 | Intellia HAELO Phase 3 |
| Jun 2026 | FDA clears BEAM-304 IND for PKU | In vivo adenine base editing of PAH (R408W) — corrective therapy aiming at dietary liberalization for phenylketonuria | Beam clinical 2026 |