SNU patents cell therapy product

A team of Seoul National University professors completed research developing a cell therapy product that regenerates ischemic, or damaged, cardiac muscular tissues.

The research has been financially supported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and has been patented earlier this month, according to the Seoul National University Hospital Tuesday.

The team, including Professor Lee Eun-ju and Kim Hyo-soo, who are both specialists in internal medicine, came up with an independent development that differentiates mesenchymal stem cells from embryonic stem cells as the former is known to have a lower possibility of causing cancer and greater efficiency in treatment.

The newly-developed mesenchymal stem cells have the potency to differentiate into muscles, cartilage and nerve cells that ultimately help ischemic heart disease and foster cardiac impulses.

By Lee Eun-joo [angie@joongang.co.kr]