78 results match your criteria: "CHA Advanced Research Institute[Affiliation]"

Injectable PEG-PCL-PEG Copolymers for Skin Rejuvenation: In Vitro Cell Studies to in Vivo Collagen Induction.

Polymers (Basel)

July 2025

R&D Center, CHA Meditech. Co., Ltd., 119 Techno 2-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34116, Republic of Korea.

In this study, we designed an injectable skin-rejuvenating formulation based on polyethylene glycol-polycaprolactone-polyethylene glycol (PEG-PCL-PEG) copolymers to provide a synergistic combination of biocompatibility, antioxidative capacity, and regenerative potential. Through the systematic optimization of the precursor molar ratio and molecular weight, well-defined PEG-PCL-PEG copolymers were synthesized and structurally characterized using gel permeation chromatography (GPC), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H-NMR), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. An optimized precipitation and drying protocol effectively reduced residual solvents, as confirmed by gas chromatography (GC).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Extracellular vesicle as therapeutic agents in anti-aging: Mechanistic insights and future potential.

J Control Release

July 2025

College of Pharmacy, CHA University, 335 Pangyo-ro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si 13488, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea; CHA Advanced Research Institute, 335 Pangyo-ro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, 13488, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

Aging is a multifaceted biological process marked by a gradual decline in physiological functions, driven by cellular senescence, oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and stem cell exhaustion. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), naturally occurring nanoscale vesicles secreted by various cell types, have gained attention as potential therapeutic agents due to their ability to mediate intercellular communication by delivering bioactive molecules, including proteins, lipids, and RNAs. This review provides a comprehensive overview of EV biogenesis, cargo composition, and their mechanistic roles in counteracting aging processes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Chemotherapy-induced premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a major cause of infertility and hormonal imbalance in young female cancer survivors. In this study, developed a biomimetic scaffold is developed that incorporates polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) and melatonin to restore ovarian function. The scaffold is designed to mimic the ovarian extracellular matrix (ECM), enhancing angiogenesis, promoting antioxidant effects, and reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Macrophages play a key role in host defense and inflammation, with polarization ranging from pro-inflammatory M1 to anti-inflammatory M2 states. However, effective modulation of macrophage polarity via nucleotide delivery is challenging. This study developed polyethyleneimine-modified carboxyl quantum dots (QDP) as a biocompatible carrier for small RNA delivery to modulate macrophage polarization.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models are powerful tools in cancer research, offering an accurate platform for evaluating cancer treatment efficacy and predicting responsiveness. However, these models necessitate surgical techniques for tumor tissue transplantation and face challenges with non-uniform tumor growth among animals. To address these issues, we attempted to develop a new PDX modeling method using high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC), a fatal disease with a 5-year survival rate of 29%, which requires personalized research due to its morphological, genetic, and molecular heterogeneities.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Macrophages: a double-edged sword in female reproduction and disorders.

Exp Mol Med

February 2025

Department of Biomedical Science, College of Life Science, CHA University, Pocheon, Korea.

Reproduction consists of sequential inflammation-like events, primarily within the endometrium, from ovulation to embryo implantation, decidualization and delivery. During the reproductive cycle, the endometrium repeatedly undergoes cyclic periods of proliferation, differentiation, tissue breakdown and repair without scarring. Owing to their phagocytic activity, macrophages, key players in innate immunity, are thought to play crucial roles in the endometrium.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Dynamic communication between hepatocytes and the environment is critical in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. Clinical immunotherapy against HCC is currently unsatisfactory and needs more systemic considerations, including the identification of new biomarkers and immune checkpoints. Transmembrane 4 L six family member 5 (TM4SF5) is known to promote HCC, but it remains unclear how cancerous hepatocytes avoid immune surveillance and whether avoidance can be blocked.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Enhancing glioblastoma therapy via intranasal administration of highly potent cell-penetrating peptide decorated nanoparticles.

J Control Release

February 2025

Department of Global Innovative Drugs, The Graduate School of Chung-Ang University, 221 Heukseok-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea; College of Pharmacy, Chung-Ang University, 221 Heukseok-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a devastating primary tumor of the central nervous system with a significantly poor prognosis. The primary challenge in treating GBM lies in the restrictive nature of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), impeding effective drug delivery to the brain. In this study, intranasal polymeric micelles encapsulating a quercetin-etoposide combination were developed to induce synergistic apoptotic effects and enhance direct drug delivery to the brain.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

root and () Merrill are rich in phytoestrogens. However, these bioactive ingredients have limited bioavailability due to their high molecular weight. In this study, we extracted two natural products and fermented with before mixing the fermented extracts (FPE-FGE).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Probiotics and their derivatives offer significant health benefits by supporting digestive health, boosting the immune system, and regulating the microbiomes not only of the internal gastrointestinal track but also of the skin. To be effective, probiotics and their derivatives must exhibit robust antimicrobial activity, resilience to adverse conditions, and colonization capabilities in host tissues. As an alternative to animal-derived probiotics, plant-derived lactic acid bacteria (LAB) present promising advantages, including enhanced diversity and tolerance to challenging environments.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Comparison of Natural Killer Cells Differentiated from Various Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Int J Mol Sci

July 2024

Department of Biomedical Science, College of Life Science, CHA University, Seongnam-si 13488, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.

Allogeneic natural killer (NK) cell therapy has been effective in treating cancer. Many studies have tested NK cell therapy using human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). However, the impacts of the origin of PSC-NK cells on competence are unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) are the most prevalent fractures among patients with osteoporosis, leading to severe pain, deformities, and even death. This study explored the use of ectopic embryonic calvaria derived mesenchymal stem cells (EE-cMSCs), which are known for their superior differentiation and proliferation capabilities, as a potential treatment for bone regeneration in OVCFs. We evaluated the impact of EE-cMSCs on osteoclastogenesis in a RAW264.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Natural killer (NK) cells are crucial for the body's defense against viruses and tumors, especially in the liver, and their dysfunction is linked to chronic liver diseases (CLDs) like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatitis.
  • Changes in NK cell numbers and activities are associated with the progression of liver issues and contribute to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), particularly during chronic hepatitis B and C infections.
  • The review evaluates recent findings on the role of NK cells in CLDs and HCC, highlighting the potential of targeting the MICA/B-NKG2D pathway in immunotherapy to improve immune responses against liver cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ovarian reserve diminishes with age, and older women experience a corresponding shift in sex hormone levels. These changes contribute to an age-dependent decrease in fertility and a decline in overall health. Furthermore, while survival rates following cancer treatment have improved for young female patients, a reduction in ovarian function due to the side effects of such treatments can be difficult to avoid.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), transporting diverse cellular components, play a crucial role in intercellular communication in numerous physiological and pathological processes. EVs have also been recognized as a drug delivery platform for therapeutic purposes and cell-free regenerative medicine. While various approaches have focused on increasing EV production for efficient use therapeutic use of EVs, enhancing the quality of EVs, such as ensuring efficient uptake by their target cells, has not been widely explored.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Parkinson's disease (PD), characterized by dopaminergic neuron degeneration in the substantia nigra, is caused by various genetic and environmental factors. Current treatment methods are medication and surgery; however, a primary therapy has not yet been proposed. In this study, we aimed to develop a new treatment for PD that induces direct reprogramming of dopaminergic neurons (iDAN).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Researchers are working on stem cell therapies to help preserve ovarian function and fertility as women age, using human embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal progenitor cells (hESC-MPCs).
  • In middle-aged female models, hESC-MPCs were found to improve reproductive health by increasing the number of primordial follicles, restoring hormone levels, and enhancing live birth rates compared to control groups.
  • The study suggests that multiple treatments with hESC-MPCs may effectively delay ovarian aging and could be a potential therapy for perimenopausal women to maintain reproductive function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been identified as probiotics with health benefits, and a newly isolated strain shows strong anti-inflammatory properties by enhancing the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway in cells under inflammatory conditions.
  • - The study explored the effects of lactic acid bacteria-derived extracellular vesicles (LpEVs) on skin cells, finding that they improved inflammation-related skin issues by promoting cell growth and collagen production while reducing inflammatory factors.
  • - LpEVs demonstrated effective skin penetration within 24 hours and showed strong antioxidant properties, indicating their potential as antiaging and skin-repair agents against inflammation-induced skin problems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: To overcome the limitations of current alternative therapies for chronic kidney disease (CKD), tissue engineering-mediated regeneration strategies have demonstrated the possibilities for complete kidney tissue regeneration. Given the challenges associated with the reproducibility of renal basal cells, the incorporation of intermediate mesoderm (IM) cells and bioactive materials to control bioactivities of cells with supported scaffolds should be considered as a viable approach to enable the regeneration of the complex kidney structure via renal differentiation.

Methods: We developed PMEZ scaffolds by combining crucial bioactive components, such as ricinoleic acid-grafted Mg(OH) (M), extracellular matrix (E), and alpha lipoic acid-conjugated ZnO (Z) integrated into biodegradable porous PLGA (P) platform.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) such as human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), induced pluripotent stem cells, and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT)-hESCs can permanently self-renew while maintaining their capacity to differentiate into any type of somatic cells, thereby serving as an important cell source for cell therapy. However, there are persistent challenges in the application of hPSCs in clinical trials, where one of the most significant is graft rejection by the patient immune system in response to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatch when transplants are obtained from an allogeneic (non-self) cell source. Homozygous SCNT-hESCs (homo-SCNT-hESCs) were used to simplify the clinical application and to reduce HLA mismatch.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Covalent ligands of nuclear receptors.

Eur J Med Chem

December 2023

School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, 637551, Singapore; College of Pharmacy, CHA University, 120 Haeryong-ro, Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 11160, Republic of Korea; CHA Advanced Research Institute, 335 Pangyo-ro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, 13488, Republic of K

Nuclear receptors (NRs) are ligand-induced transcriptional factors implicated in several physiological pathways. Naïve ligands bind to their cognate receptors and modulate gene expression as agonists or antagonists. It has been observed that some ligands bind via covalent bonding with the NR Ligand Binding Domain (LBD) residues.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Axonal degeneration from optic nerve damage can lead to the death of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and permanent vision loss; two methods, optic nerve compression (ONCo) and optic nerve crush (ONCr), were compared for their effectiveness in studying this damage.
  • Both ONCo and ONCr successfully induced optic nerve damage as indicated by increased ischemia and changes in genes associated with neuronal regeneration, with neural progenitor cell (NPC) treatments showing more recovery in ONCo.
  • Proteomic analysis identified important genes related to mitochondrial function and inflammation in R28 cells; NPCs promoted neuroprotection and managed inflammation, suggesting that cell-based therapies like NPCs could help treat optic neuropathies caused by ischemic or
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Development of 3D Printable Calcium Phosphate Cement Scaffolds with Cockle Shell Powders.

Materials (Basel)

September 2023

Interdisciplinary Program in IT-Bio Convergence System, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Republic of Korea.

Three-dimensional (3D) printed calcium phosphate cement (CPC) scaffolds are increasingly being used for bone tissue repair. Traditional materials used for CPC scaffolds, such as bovine and porcine bone, generally contain low amounts of calcium phosphate compounds, resulting in reduced production rates of CPC scaffolds. On the other hand, cockle shells contain more than 99% CaCO in the form of amorphous aragonite with excellent biocompatibility, which is expected to increase the CPC production rate.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ferric citrate and apo-transferrin enable erythroblast maturation with β-globin from hemogenic endothelium.

NPJ Regen Med

August 2023

CHA Advanced Research Institute, Bundang CHA Medical Center, CHA University, Seongnam, Kyunggi-do, 13488, South Korea.

Red blood cell (RBC) generation from human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) offers potential for innovative cell therapy in regenerative medicine as well as developmental studies. Ex vivo erythropoiesis from PSCs is currently limited by the low efficiency of functional RBCs with β-globin expression in culture systems. During induction of β-globin expression, the absence of a physiological microenvironment, such as a bone marrow niche, may impair cell maturation and lineage specification.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Selection of iPSCs without mtDNA deletion for autologous cell therapy in a patient with Pearson syndrome.

BMB Rep

August 2023

Department of Biomedical Science, College of Life Science, CHA University, Seongnam 13488; Cell Therapy 3 Center, CHA Advanced Research Institute, CHA University, Seongnam 13488, Korea.

Screening for genetic defects in the cells should be examined for clinical application. The Pearson syndrome (PS) patient harbored nuclear mutations in the POLG and SSBP1 genes, which could induce systemic large-scale mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) deletion. We investigated iPSCs with mtDNA deletions in PS patient and whether deletion levels could be maintained during differentiation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF