CHA Bio Group head outlines vision for stem cells to fight diseases, extend life
Summary
Dr. Cha Kwang-yul outlined a plan to use K-Cells to develop treatments for intractable diseases at an international conference in Busan, held Nov. 5-8. He said the research could later expand to aging and longevity, including efforts to preserve ovarian function. CHA also described an ongoing clinical study and plans for a platform to connect cell acquisition, manufacturing and clinical development.
Key Facts
- Cha’s donor-screening strategy combines medical and infectious disease histories, age, clinical characteristics, three generations of family medical history and whole-genome sequencing.
- He discussed genetic modification and somatic cell nuclear transfer as approaches to producing stem cells with desired characteristics.
- Bundang CHA Medical Center is conducting a clinical study using umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells to treat premature ovarian insufficiency.
- The Cell Gene Bioplatform is expected to open early next year and aims to use artificial intelligence to match researchers, hospitals and biotechnology companies with cells suited to particular diseases and therapeutic needs.
Dr. Cha Kwang-yul, head of CHA Global Research Institutes at CHA Medical Center and CHA Bio Group, delivers a keynote address at the 16th World Congress of the International Society for Immunology of Reproduction at BEXCO in Busan, Friday / Courtesy of CHA Medical Center
Dr. Cha Kwang-yul, head of the CHA Global Research Institutes at CHA Medical Center and CHA Bio Group, outlined an ambitious vision to use stem cells to treat intractable diseases and potentially extend human lifespan, drawing global interest at an international conference in Busan.
Cha delivered his keynote address, titled "Longevity and Reproductive Aging Using K-Cells," at the 16th World Congress of the International Society for Immunology of Reproduction, held Nov. 5-8, with about 400 participants attending.
The presentation focused on K-Cell, a proposed cell resource intended to support the development of treatments for intractable diseases before expanding into research on aging and longevity.
Cha outlined a donor-screening strategy that combines medical and infectious disease histories with age, clinical characteristics, three generations of family medical history and whole-genome sequencing to identify cells suited to specific therapeutic purposes.
He also discussed genetic modification and somatic cell nuclear transfer, a technique that involves transferring the nucleus of a selected body cell into an egg cell whose nucleus has been removed, as approaches to producing stem cells with desired characteristics.
Cha identified ovarian aging as another major research priority, arguing that preserving ovarian function could have implications for women's health beyond fertility and childbirth.
He cited research linking later menopause with greater longevity and presented delaying ovarian aging as a potential strategy for extending women's health span and lifespan.
The presentation also covered CHA's research into egg freezing and stem cells, as well as an ongoing clinical study at Bundang CHA Medical Center using umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells to treat premature ovarian insufficiency.
Cha also introduced plans for the Cell Gene Bioplatform, or CGB, which is expected to open early next year and connect cell acquisition, manufacturing and clinical development.
The platform aims to build cell banks containing various stem and immune cells and use artificial intelligence to match researchers, hospitals and biotechnology companies with cells suited to particular diseases and therapeutic needs.
CHA Medical Center and CHA Bio Group said they would prioritize developing treatments for intractable diseases while expanding K-Cell research into longevity and lifespan extension.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
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