Prof. Sin-Hyeog Im, Ph.D, Ho-Keun Kwon research team (GIST) developing therapeutic probiotics and identifying mechanism for immune function.


One of the outstanding social phenomena as Korean society becomes advanced is that more people ranging from children to the elderly are experiencing hypersensitive immune disorders such as atopy, asthma, allergies and diabetes. In addition, even though many patients are suffering from various types of immune disorders at the same time, efforts to develop the technology or medication that can cure these patients without causing side-effects are still lacking. 

GIST research team led by professor Sin-Hyeog Im developed the technology with which hypersensitive immune disorders can be treated without side-effects, drawing much attention from the world medical circles. The research team successfully developed certain probiotics that can co-exist in our body with no adverse effects as anti-inflammatory medication. So far, probiotics as simple food have proven to be effective in intestinal functions. However, this achievement has provided theoretical feasibility that probiotics can be utilized as immune controller just beyond food.

This study result was chosen and posted early as one of the attracting researches on Jan. Issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the world’s most-cited scientific serials on immunology (doi:10.1073/pnas.0904055107). This journal is the renowned scientific serial established by the former president Lincoln with the longest history and highly respected.

The result of this research filed two patents and was registered and is planning to be commercialized through technology transfer to domestic industry.
Newly developed probiotics by GIST research team proved to be safe and to have no side effects. Probiotics can be used for therapeutic purposes or as medication in the market also and it is expected that not before long, will it hit the market through domestic companies.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sin-Hyeog Im, Professor of Department of Life science
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ho-Keun Kwon, Ph.D student in Department of Life science
 
At present, the research team is looking for companies for technology transfer. This achievement has already been registered as a patent guaranteeing exclusive right, expecting active interest and participation from the industry.

Professor Sin-Hyeog Im (46, Prof. of Dept. of Life Science) and Ho-Keun Kwan (30, Ph.D student of Dept. of Life Science) developed the method to effectively differentiate probiotics that can multiply regulatory T-cells from countless probiotic candidates. Taking advantage of this method, they succeeded in developing very powerful anti-inflammatory combination of lactic acid bacteria. 
 
When IRT5 that the GIST team invented injected, regulatory dendritic cells in intestinal immune system and then these cells help create suppressor T cells. These multiplied T-cells move to the part where the disease is progressing due to inflammation and successfully suppress inflammatory immune response, curing lots of diseases.

Why are many people suffering from lots of diseases? It has been said that the advanced society with much prosperity entails unexpected immune disorders.
 
Western diet, irregular lifestyle and stress trigger change in Microbiota, finally leading to digestive inflammatory diseases (diarrhea, ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome), immunologic diseases (atopy, asthma, allergies, diabetes, and arthritis), inflammatory diseases and other metabolic disorders.

It was revealed that patients with chronic diseases have microbiota different from that of ordinary persons and one patient develops various kinds of disorders at the same time. Accordingly, it is expected that by turning damaged intestinal immune system into clean microbiota like children’s, lots of diseases can be treated.

When humans take in appropriate level of lactic acid bacteria, the bacteria live within the intestine and encompass all the healthy microorganisms. Recently, there has been much evidence that probiotics interact with immune system in the body, making it possible to use probiotics as medication or medical food in the near future. Unfortunately, however, it is rarely known whether how probiotics control immune system.
 
Furthermore, as various probiotics are known to intermediate diverse immune response, sorting out certain effective probiotics is like digging up minerals in a mine.
In this research, Sin-Hyeog Im, professor of GIST and Ho-Keun Kwan, Ph.D student of Dept. of Life Science successfully invested IRT5, a combination of 5 kinds of anti-inflammatory probiotics through the sorting system.

When this combination was injected into the mouth of rice, the number and function of CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells that play a vital role in suppressing hypersensitive immune response within the body has intensified and it was proven that regulatory DCs, intrinsic immunity, controls the creation of T cells. It demonstrates that this new combination effectively treats inflammatory immune disorders such as atopy, rheumatism and inflammatory intestinal diseases.

 
*Title of the paper: (Generation of regulatory dendritic cells and CD4+Foxp3+ T cells by probiotics administration suppresses immune disorders)

*Website: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/01/11/0904055107.abstract?etoc=

 
* Reference

 
□ Abstract
The beneficial effects of probiotics have been described in many diseases, but the mechanism by which they modulate the immune system is poorly understood. In this study, we identified a mixture of probiotics that up-regulates CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs). Administration of the probiotics mixture induced both Tcell and B-cell hyporesponsiveness and down-regulated T helper (Th) 1, Th2, and Th17 cytokines without apoptosis induction. It also induced generation of CD4+Foxp3+ Tregs from the CD4+CD25- population and increased the suppressor activity of naturally occurring CD4+CD25+ Tregs. Conversion of T cells into Foxp3+ Tregs is directly mediated by regulatory dendritic cells (rDCs) that express high levels of IL-10, TGF-β, COX-2, and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase. Administration of probiotics had therapeutical effects in experimental inflammatory bowel disease, atopic dermatitis, and rheumatoid arthritis. The therapeutical effect of the probiotics is associated with enrichment of CD4+Foxp3+ Tregs in the inflamed regions. Collectively, the administration of probiotics that enhance the generation of rDCS and Tregs represents an applicable treatment of inflammatory immune disorders.