[UNN] Konkuk University Professors Ssang-Goo Cho and Aram Kim Open New Possibilities for Treating Refractory Bladder Diseases

Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Open New Pathway for Treating Bladder Pain Syndrome

Joint Research Demonstrates Therapeutic Potential for Refractory Interstitial Cystitis

[Korea University Newspaper, Reporter Jang Hye-seung] A new possibility has emerged for the effective treatment of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS), a refractory bladder disorder.

Konkuk University announced on the 4th that research conducted jointly by Prof. Ssang-Goo Cho of the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biotechnology at the KU Institute of Science and Technology, researchers at StemExOne, and Prof. Aram Kim of the Department of Urology at Konkuk University Medical Center was featured in the Biological Research Information Center’s Korean Scientists Who Shine (Hanbitsa) section.

The study, titled “Superior Therapeutic Activity of TGF-β-Induced Extracellular Vesicles against Interstitial Cystitis,” was published in the internationally renowned pharmacology journal Journal of Controlled Release.

To produce highly functional mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), the research team focused on an efficient 3D rotational MSC spheroid culture system and signaling factors capable of effectively regulating hydrodynamic shear stress.

Using this approach, the researchers produced T-a3D-EVs, highly functional extracellular vesicles—or exosomes—derived from optimized 3D stem cell spheroids. The team demonstrated that T-a3D-EVs showed strong therapeutic efficacy against interstitial cystitis, a refractory condition for which no fundamental curative treatment is currently available.

In collaboration with Prof. Aram Kim of Konkuk University Medical Center, the researchers also established multiple animal models that closely reproduce the characteristics of interstitial cystitis observed in human patients. The strong therapeutic effects demonstrated by the extracellular vesicles in these models suggest promising potential for future clinical applications in humans.

StemExOne and Prof. Kim, both of whom participated in the study, said, “Based on these findings, we are preparing a clinical study in which T-a3D-EVs, high-efficiency and high-functionality stem cell-derived exosomes, will be delivered directly to the bladder wall of patients with interstitial cystitis via cystoscopy.”

The study has been recognized for proposing a new therapeutic approach to a refractory bladder disorder that causes severe pain and significantly reduces quality of life, while becoming increasingly prevalent with population aging. It also demonstrated the potential to restore age-related declines in bladder function.

The findings were published in the Journal of Controlled Release, which had an Impact Factor of 11.467 and ranked within the top 4.12% of its field, and were subsequently featured by BRIC’s Hanbitsa.

Prof. Cho said, “Beginning with refractory interstitial cystitis, one of the age-related diseases whose incidence rises sharply with aging, we will continue developing therapeutics using stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles to address a broad range of age-related diseases affecting different organs.”

Source: Korea University Newspaper (UNN)