Level 3 · RadicalRadical Life ExtensionPartial epigenetic reprogramming — resetting the cell's software to a youthful state, without erasing its identity.
The MissionCreating the MovementRigorous, safe, democratic science — and creating awareness so the whole field moves faster.
Live Beyond · A Great Mind on the Quest
Vittorio Sebastiano
Professor of Biological Chemistry, UC Irvine Partial epigenetic reprogramming · Cellular rejuvenation
Prof. Vittorio Sebastiano is a developmental and reproductive biologist — and one of the pioneers of partial epigenetic reprogramming. He is Professor of Biological Chemistry at the Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism at UC Irvine, and an adjunct professor at Stanford, where the science began.
His analogy: a cell works like a language. DNA is the alphabet; the epigenetic program is the grammar that decides which genes are switched on or off. With age, those rules become dysfunctional — and his lab was the first to show, in human cells, that they can be reset to a youthful state.
The catch is identity. Reset the epigenome too far and a cell forgets what it is — the basis of the Nobel-winning work of Yamanaka and Gurdon. Vittorio's breakthrough is rejuvenation without loss of cell identity: rebooting the system, but keeping the cell itself.
He has worked to turn this science into medicine — with early targets in skin, the immune system, the eye and the ear — and studies the ovary, one of the fastest-aging organs, as a lever on whole-body aging. His north star: safe, rigorous, democratic science.
We first met Vittorio at ARDD, and sat down for a long conversation at the Biomarkers of Aging Conference at Harvard, in Boston — on the cell as language, rebooting without losing identity, and rejuvenating the ovary. We picked up the thread on a cliffside walk at sunset in Los Angeles, and again in Porto, where I invited him to the AHWS conference.
Boston · Harvard
Biomarkers of Aging Conference
Where we filmed — epigenetic reprogramming, women's health, and doing radical science responsibly.
Los Angeles
California
A cliffside conversation at sunset — on whole-body rejuvenation and pulling the right strings.
Porto
AHWS conference
Together again in Portugal, where I invited him to speak.
"Today it seems science fiction. Tomorrow it's reality — we just have to face it rationally."
— Vittorio Sebastiano, in Boston
On the quest
Moments with Vittorio
The conversationA cliffside walk at sunset — Los AngelesTogether againAHWS conference, PortoAt his universityUC Irvine, CaliforniaTwo familiesOn the beach with Alek & Luca, IrvineGuitar at sunsetOn the beach, CaliforniaOn the stage togetherBiomarkers of Aging · Harvard, 2024BostonWhere the field gathersSunset talkIrvine Beach · 2025To the waterVittorio’s son, Alek & Marek · Irvine
In his words
On aging, rebooted
"Can we rejuvenate without losing identity? That's exactly the key of what we're doing."
Vittorio Sebastiano · Boston
A cell works like a language — DNA is the alphabet, the epigenetic program is the grammar. With age those rules become dysfunctional; we can reset them.
Vittorio Sebastiano
Nature already figured out how not to age: every newborn starts at age zero. Aging isn't transmitted vertically.
Vittorio Sebastiano
It's like rebooting the system — the key is to reboot it so you rejuvenate without loss of cell identity.
Vittorio Sebastiano
Today it seems science fiction. Tomorrow it's reality — we just have to face it rationally.
Vittorio Sebastiano
In his own words
Straight from the interview
Pulled from our conversation with Vittorio at Harvard, in Boston — his science, how he lives it, and his message for the journey.
Vittorio's view on longevity
Aging is a clock ticking from the very first day — but the epigenetic program can be reset to a youthful state.
"Can we rejuvenate without losing identity? That's exactly the key of what we're doing."
Boston · 2024
How Vittorio does longevity
Common sense over hacks — he works mostly on calorie intake, keeps it simple, and makes room to enjoy life.
"A long life alone would be miserable. You have to enjoy life — just have common sense."
In his own life
His message for the journey
Keep creating momentum and awareness — and pull the right strings, because rushed science can set the whole field back.
"Get there — and get there safely. Then build new ships so everyone can follow."
The video interview is coming. Recorded interviews go live after the launch of the film & series Live Beyond.
Selected passages from our filmed conversation with Prof. Vittorio Sebastiano — at the Biomarkers of Aging Conference at Harvard, in Boston.
On the cell as a language
Marek Piotrowski"What is partial epigenetic reprogramming — the basis of the science?"
Vittorio Sebastiano"A cell works like a language. DNA is the alphabet, the bases come together to form genes — the words. But the epigenetic program is the grammar that decides which genes are switched on or off. With age, that set of rules becomes dysfunctional. We showed, for the first time in human cells, that by expressing a cocktail of factors we can reset those rules back to a youthful, functional state."
On rejuvenating without losing identity
Vittorio Sebastiano"Yamanaka and Gurdon showed you can reset a cell so profoundly it goes back to an embryonic state — but then it loses its identity. Our hypothesis was: can we rejuvenate without losing identity? That's exactly the key of what we're doing. It's like rebooting the system — and the key is to reboot it so you rejuvenate without loss of cell identity."
On nature and age zero
Vittorio Sebastiano"Nature already figured out a way not to age. Every time we have children, the newborn isn't born with the age of the parents — it's born at age zero. Aging doesn't get transmitted vertically. Go back far enough and we're cellularly connected to the first form of life billions of years ago. So at the cellular level, life never aged — we just have to figure out how to apply that to the rest of the body."
On systemic rejuvenation, one tissue at a time
Vittorio Sebastiano"I don't believe in reprogramming every single cell in the body — that gives me goosebumps; it has safety implications, and safety is always our top priority. But if a tissue is a master regulator of aging, targeting it could have a systemic effect. The immune system is one. The ovary is another — there's a clear connection between ovarian aging and systemic aging in women."
On doing it the right way
Vittorio Sebastiano"There are ways to accelerate science dramatically — but it has to go through a rigorous process. My issue with the pioneer, non-standardized studies is that they only report the good things; there's nothing on complications or adverse effects, and that's the most important information. As a friend, I'd ask you not to do it now — but as part of a clinical trial done the right way? Absolutely, why not."
His message to the next generation
Aleksander Piotrowski"What's your message to the younger generation about longevity?"
Vittorio Sebastiano"Aging is a clock ticking from the very first day — so from the get-go we should think about our health. And what's the point of super-duper, science-fiction technology if we let child obesity skyrocket? It's a shame that, at least in the States, sodas are cheaper than water. There's already a lot we can do today — and we're not doing it."
More passages from the full interview will be published here.
Continue the quest
More minds on the quest
Vittorio Sebastiano explores Radical Life Extension on the Longevity Map — here are others on the same frontier, and the full cast of 100+.
