Dr. Ryu Il Hwan and a protein-based nanoparticle gene therapy for intranasal administration (Photo courtesy of Kookmin University)

Kookmin University (President Jung Seung Ryul) announced that a research team led by Dr. Il-Hwan Ryu, a member of the Industry-University Cooperation Center, in international collaboration with Professor Rose Du's team (first author Dr. Ryu Ji Yeon) at Harvard Medical School, has developed a protein-based gene therapy through the nasal cavity that could mark a breakthrough in the treatment of ischemic stroke.

Ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and access to treatment has been limited, especially for patients with large vessel occlusions. The research team utilized CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology to design a nanoparticle-based gene therapy based on dCas9. The drug is delivered directly to the brain through the nasal passages, bypassing the traditional blood-brain barrier (BBB), opening up new possibilities for stroke treatment. Experimental results showed that the nasal administration method promoted brain damage recovery, suggesting a new paradigm for stroke treatment.

In particular, the researchers used advanced equipment such as transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS) at Kookmin University to analyze the structural characteristics and chemical composition of the nanoparticles to precisely verify the effectiveness of the treatment.

The researchers plan to continue the development of the therapeutic by evaluating its long-term toxicity and stability in animal models.

The research results were published in the prestigious international journal Theranostics (IF: 12.4, JCR top 4.2%), a leading journal in the field of diagnostic therapeutics, and were supported by the Ministry of Education's Fostering the Next Generation of Academics program.

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