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Brad Pitt (the role of Benjamin Burton) in the movie ‘Benjamin Burton’s Time Goes Reverse’. It is an environment where aging progresses backwards (from left to right) and you get younger as you get older. Professor Gwang-Hyun Cho’s team from KAIST announced on the 26th that they have developed a source technology to reverse aging to return aged cells to young cells. [영화 장면 캡처]
The science fiction fantasy film ‘Time Goes Backwards by Benjamin Burton’ is about love and separation as a child born with an 80-year-old body becomes younger as time passes. Nobody wants to fight aging long enough to have a baby again like in the movie, but the desire to return to a young and healthy body before aging is a common dream of mankind. The basic source technology that takes this “reverse aging” dream one step further was developed by national researchers. KAIST announced on the 26th that the research team of Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho from the Department of Biological and Brain Engineering developed an early source technology to reverse aging to return aged human dermal fibroblasts to normal young cells through research. systems biology. Reverse aging refers to a phenomenon in which aging is reversed by returning cells to a younger cellular state.
Professor KAIST Kwang-Hyun Cho’s Research Team
Discovery of the PDK1 protein, the key to blocking aging
Proven skin rejuvenation by regulating the corresponding protein
“Basic source technology without carcinogenic side effects”
Professor Cho’s team first developed and simulated a computer model of a human dermal fibroblast network through systems biology research. As a result, they discovered that a protein called ‘PDK1’ acts as a ‘switch’ that blocks the network that causes aging. For example, many studies have been conducted showing that aging progresses when a protein that regulates cell growth (mTOR) or a protein that produces cytokines (NF-kB), an immune substance, is activated. However, this is the first time that we have discovered that ‘PDK1’ can effectively block these aging proteins. Through this, the research team showed that when ‘PDK1’ activity is inhibited, aging cells revert to normal young cells. Professor Cho explained: “It means that we have found a ‘master switch’ that can more effectively block the networks that lead to aging between the networks that are tangled like spider webs.”
The research team went one step further and discovered through experiments that cells regain vitality when “PDK1” is suppressed due to aging of artificial skin. As the dermal layer became thinner, it was confirmed that the skin, which had been showing an aging phenomenon in which collagen synthesis was reduced, suppressed “PDK1” and returned to its normal function.
What is reverse aging? Graphic = Younghee Kim [email protected]
In particular, the research team noted that the main achievements were reducing the risk of tumors and cancer, and ensuring stability, which was a challenge in reverse aging research. The reverse aging method, which has been widely studied so far, is a method of reverse differentiation of already differentiated cells. In this way, if cell division is not controlled, there is a risk of tumors or cancer. Professor Cho emphasized: “By inhibiting PDK1, it is possible to safely return to young, healthy cells because it can prevent fear of degenerating into cancer cells.”
Professor Cho said: “We have developed a source technology for anti-aging drugs that can prevent not only skin aging, but also various senile diseases that occur when senescent cells increase.” This is expected to be commercialized. ” Amorepacific, who participated in the research together, is developing cosmetics that improve wrinkles in aging skin by extracting PDK1-inhibiting ingredients from camellia extract.
KAIST Bio and Brain Engineering doctoral students, researchers Junsu Kang and Subeom Lee, and the AMOREPACIFIC Bioscience Lab participated in this research. The results of the study were published in the internationally renowned journal, The National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Reporter Kim Kyung-jin [email protected]
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