- Successfully securing a technology to develop cell treatments customized for patients

A joint international research team led by a Korean research team succeeded in directly converting epidermal cell(somatic cell) of the human into neural stem cell by using a direct conversion technology.

The joint international research team consisting of a team led by Dr. Janghwan Kim, Stem Cell Research Center and one led by Dr. Sheng Ding, Gladstone Institutes, U.S., etc. announced that the epidermal cell of the human can be directly converted into neural stem cell through "Direct Conversion”technology, which is the latest technology in stem cell area.

In 2006, Prof. Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University, Japan succeeded in converting a somatic cell into induced Pluripotent Stem Cell(iPSC), which has characteristics nearly similar to embryonic stem cell, through "Re-programming”technology. This study results was a turning point in stem cell studies.

Direct conversion, which is a reprogramming technology newly spot-lighted along with iPSC Reprogramming technology, refers to the one which injects a certain gene in somatic cell and converts it into a certain cell without the phase of iPSC. 

This study results were published in the online version of Cell Research(IF 10.526, as of Dec. 3rd, 2013), which is a world-renowned journal in stem cell area.