Gangnam Severance Hospital and Harvard Researchers Present Roadmap for Reversing Ocular Aging Treatment

Epigenetic Reprogramming-Based Approach
New Possibilities for Treating Glaucoma and Macular Degeneration

A joint research team from Gangnam Severance Hospital and Harvard Medical School has presented a clinical application roadmap for a treatment strategy based on "cellular rejuvenation," which restores aged ocular cells to a more youthful state. This is being evaluated as a new approach for degenerative eye diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration, which have been difficult to fundamentally treat.

On May 20, Gangnam Severance Hospital announced that a joint research team led by Junwon Lee, Professor of Ophthalmology at Gangnam Severance Hospital, and David Sinclair, Professor at Harvard Medical School, recently published a review paper in the ophthalmology journal 'Progress in Retinal and Eye Research.' The paper summarizes the mechanisms by which ocular aging can be reversed through epigenetic reprogramming and discusses the potential for clinical application.

Junwon Lee, Professor of Ophthalmology at Gangnam Severance Hospital. Gangnam Severance Hospital

The research team identified the main cause of aging as errors in the gene expression regulatory system, rather than damage to DNA itself, and focused on "epigenetic reprogramming" technology that reverses these errors. This approach uses Yamanaka factors (OSK) to erase cellular signs of aging and restore function.

In particular, the team explained that applying this technology to aged retinal neurons may promote regeneration of damaged optic nerve axons and restoration of visual fields. Unlike existing treatments for glaucoma and macular degeneration, which have focused on slowing disease progression, this represents a fundamental therapeutic strategy that aims to restore the function of damaged cells themselves.

The research team also proposed the necessary conditions for translating preclinical research results into actual treatment. They reviewed the establishment of appropriate therapeutic dosages to reduce tumorigenic risk, as well as drug delivery technologies based on mRNA, exosomes, and small molecules, and strategies for utilizing AI-based retinal aging biomarkers.

Professor Junwon Lee said, "The eye is a suitable organ to verify aging-reversal therapies, as it is relatively easy to deliver therapeutics and observe their effects," adding, "Success in ophthalmology could serve as a stepping stone for expanding aging treatments to other organs."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.