- Biological aggregates research opens the door to innovative therapeutic strategies to overcome intractable diseases.

- Elucidate biocondensate regulatory mechanisms and identify potential therapeutic targets.

A paper by Professor Wantae Kim of the Department of Life Science at the University of Seoul in collaboration with Dr. Bok Sik Cha from the Drug Development Support Center of the Daegu Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation (K-MEDIhub) was published in the internationally renowned journal Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy. 

The journal is a prestigious journal with an impact factor of 40.8, ranking in the top 0.8% of JCRs. The researchers’ paper highlights how use of biological aggregates as targets for drug development can go beyond the limits of existing therapies, and it is expected that biological aggregates research will lead to a new paradigm in the life sciences and medicine.

Biomolecular condensates are non-membranous structures formed by a variety of molecules within cells that perform many important physiological functions, including signal transduction, cellular stress response, and regulation of gene expression. The recent elucidation of the regulatory mechanisms and functions of these aggregates has attracted researchers to utilize them as novel targets for disease treatment. 

▶ Research Summary Concept Map

This review comprehensively covered the basic definition and properties of biological aggregates, their regulatory mechanisms, their role in human health and disease, and their potential as therapeutic targets. It described the definition and characteristics of biological aggregates; systematized the effects of aggregates on signal transduction and the organization of cellular structures in cell physiology; and analyzed the regulatory mechanisms involved in their formation, disassembly, and phase separation. In particular, we discussed the mechanistic potential of aggregates as disease therapeutic targets through the signaling pathways in which they are involved in disease development and progression.

“This study is of great significance in that it specifies the regulatory mechanism of biological aggregates and provides an innovative approach to treating intractable diseases,” said Prof. Wantae Kim. “Aggregate-based therapeutic strategies will be an important breakthrough to overcome the limitations of existing therapies.” 

“Dynamic modulation of biological aggregates will allow us to develop personalized therapeutic strategies for a variety of diseases, including cancer and autoimmune diseases,” added Dr. Cha.

This research was supported by the Individual Basic Research Support Project (Mid-Career Research) and the Basic Research Laboratory Support Project, both funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea. Students Soyoung Jeon and Yeram Jeon from the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Seoul and researcher Ji-Youn Lim from K-MEDIhub contributed as first authors, and Prof. Wantae Kim and Dr. Bok Sik Cha contributed as corresponding authors.

▶ (L–R) Soyoung Jeon; Yeram Jeon, PhD student; and Wantae Kim, professor, University of Seoul