The joint research team of CNU Professors Cho Kyung-a and Rhee Joon-haeng is gaining significant attention by presenting research results that prove that aging can be slowed or reversed through immune stimulation.

CNU’s research team, cooperating with other researchers such as Dr. Lee Cheol-ho (Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology) and Dr. Manuel Serrano (Alto’s Labs, a Silicon Valley venture company in the U.S.), conducted experiments on mice equivalent to the human lifespan of 60 years. They proved that immune stimulation using flagellin, which stimulates the TLR5 receptor, is effective in extending lifespan and treating various aging-related diseases.

In addition, the study has proven its effectiveness against various aging symptoms such as hair loss, cataracts, osteoporosis, bone marrow-derived stem cell function, thymic immune system degeneration, and cognitive function, as well as significant effects on respiratory diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis.

This study, which emphasized the importance of immune activation in aging and disease, was published in the online edition of Nature Communications (impact factor: 17.5), a sister journal of Nature on January 2 under the title of “Mucosal TLR5 Activation Controls Healthspan and Longevity.”