■Theragen Bio has discovered that the MAST4 protein inhibits the differentiation of cartilage cells from mesenchymal stem cells while promoting bone differentiation, which is a first-of-its-kind finding.  This discovery is expected to lead to a paradigm shift in bone and cartilage regenerative medicine in the future.

■Theragen Bio contributes to the discovery of new proteins through transcriptome data analysis, demonstrating its global genomic analysis capabilities.

Theragen Bio (CEO: Samuel Hwang), a global genome analysis service and AI-based drug discovery company, announced that a joint study by the GILO Medical Center, Yonsei University, University of Tsukuba in Japan, and MedFactor was published in the July issue of Nature Communications (IF: 17.694), the online sister journal of Nature.

Led by GILO Medical Center with Seong-Jin Kim as CTO, CEO of MedPacto, serves as the director, the research results revealed that the MAST4 protein is a key protein that determines the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) into either cartilage cells or bone cells.

The results of this study are meaningful in that for the first time in the world, Korean researchers have discovered a new protein (MAST4) that plays an important role in the study of various cartilage and bone loss, such as osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis, which are chronic refractory bone joint diseases in the aging era. In other words, it was found that MAST4 protein inhibits cartilage differentiation while promoting bone differentiation, proving for the first time in the world that MSC differentiates into cartilage cells without MAST4 protein, and that MSC differentiates into bone cells when MAST4 protein increases.

The research team also observed that when they transplanted stem cells lacking the MAST4 protein into the subcutaneous tissue of mice, the chondrogenic and generative differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells was promoted. Furthermore, in a rabbit cartilage injury treatment model, it was confirmed that when human-derived bone marrow cells lacking the MAST4 protein were transplanted, the damaged cartilage tissue was completely regenerated.

MSCs have low immunogenicity and can use autologous or allogeneic cells, making it easy to secure cells. It is expected to make a significant contribution to the field of regenerative medicine in the treatment of cartilage regeneration because once the gene of the MAST4 protein is removed with gene scissors, these MSCs can be transplanted.

In this joint research, Dr. Hong Chang-pyo of Theragen Bio played a role in proving through transcriptome data analysis that MAST4 is regulated by TGF-β and Wnt signaling pathways. Dr. Hong said, "This paper discovered the MAST4 protein, an important central mediator of the known TGF-β and Wnt signaling pathways, and newly unraveled the relationship between bone and cartilage differentiation processes," adding that "it is expected to make a significant contribution to the development of regenerative medicine and the treatment of bone and joint diseases."

Nature Communications is a peer-reviewed, open-access, globally renowned scientific journal published by Nature Research since 2010. It publishes significant research results in the natural sciences, including physics, chemistry, earth science, medicine, and biology.