During life’s early stages cells display high levels of plasticity, regeneration and resilience against stress, dysfunction, and injury, which are key features of human health. Juan Carlos, previously the Roger Guillemin Chair and Professor at the Salk Institute, has contributed towards understanding the molecular basis underlying embryogenesis and early postnatal life, as well as gained insights into how to program and rejuvenate adult and diseased cells. Currently in his role as Founding Scientist at Altos Labs, he is developing technologies to program cells to states similar to those observed in the early, healthy stages of life, with the objective of developing universal health therapeutics to overcome human disease and aging.