[Women Consumers Newspaper] Konkuk University Unveils Research on Exosome-Based Treatment for Sialadenitis

[Women Consumers Newspaper, Reporter Han Go-eun] A research team led by Prof. Ssang-Goo Cho of Konkuk University’s KU Institute of Science and Technology and Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biotechnology, in collaboration with Prof. Jae-Yeol Lim’s team from the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University, and the StemExOne R&D team, has demonstrated the potential of stem cell-derived exosomes for treating obstructive sialadenitis.

Obstructive sialadenitis is an inflammatory condition of the salivary glands that occurs when the flow of saliva is blocked or slowed by calcified deposits such as salivary stones.

The joint research team isolated exosomes from salivary gland-derived stem cells and applied them to three-dimensional salivary gland organoids that preserve key glandular functions, as well as to a mouse disease model.

According to the study, exosomes secreted by salivary gland-derived stem cells showed a higher uptake rate in salivary gland epithelial cells than exosomes derived from umbilical cord stem cells. In the organoid model, the treatment also restored expression of aquaporin-5 (AQP5), a key water-channel protein whose expression had been reduced by inflammation, to near-normal levels.

Prof. Cho said, “Stem cell-derived exosomes are attracting significant attention because of their excellent biocompatibility and therapeutic potential across a wide range of diseases. These findings further demonstrate the broad potential of stem cell exosomes, and continued interest and support for translational research will be essential to move the technology toward clinical application.”

The findings were published in the Journal of Controlled Release (Impact Factor 11.467), an internationally recognized journal ranked within the top 5% in the pharmaceutical sciences, and were also featured in the Biological Research Information Center’s ‘Korean Scientists Who Shine’ program.

The paper’s co-first authors were Dr. Kyung Min Lim of Konkuk University and Research Prof. Dong-Hyun Kim of Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University, while Prof. Ssang-Goo Cho and Prof. Jae-Yeol Lim served as corresponding authors.

StemExOne participated in the study while carrying out multiple government-funded projects related to the development of stem cell exosome therapeutics, including the Korea Regenerative Medicine Fund (KFRM) and TIPS, and plans to continue advancing the technology toward therapeutic development and commercialization.

Reporter Han Go-eun
h9@wsobi.com

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