By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young

The research team led by Professor Kim Myung-ok of the Department of Life Sciences and Applied Life Sciences at Gyeongsang National University has developed the world's first next-generation epitope vaccine that can simultaneously prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease, attracting extraordinary attention.

According to Gyeongsang National University on June 12, Professor Kim Myung-ok's research team has developed the world's first next-generation vaccine capable of both preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease.

Professor Kim's team selected a portion of the protein “amyloid beta (Aβ),” a major cause of Alzheimer's disease, that has minimal side effects and used it as the core component of the vaccine.

By combining this with two special proteins (OVA and KLH), the vaccine enhances immune effects, reduces brain inflammation, protects synapses (neural cell junctions), and significantly improves memory decline, as proven in experiments.

Existing treatments require repeated administration, are costly, and may cause side effects such as brain vascular issues.

However, the vaccine developed by Professor Kim's team is characterized by its high stability as well as its preventive and therapeutic effects on Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease accounts for 70-80% of dementia cases worldwide and is a representative degenerative brain disease that gradually worsens with memory loss, language and executive function decline, and personality changes.

Animal experiments have also confirmed that the vaccine has excellent effects in restoring memory and cognitive functions to normal levels, alleviating neuroinflammation, and restoring synapses.

The results of this study were published online on June 8 in the world-renowned academic journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, and its academic value has been recognized.

Professor Kim's team has already completed patent registration with the commercialization of an Alzheimer's disease vaccine in mind, based on the content of this paper, and expects that the publication of the paper will further strengthen the originality of the technology.

In addition, the team is promoting the establishment of a ‘Global Alzheimer's Disease Leading Research Center’ and plans to lead commercialization through joint research with Maastricht University in the Netherlands.

Professor Kim said, “The vaccine we have developed is effective in preventing Alzheimer's disease and inhibiting its progression and restoring function after onset, so it has the advantage of being both preventive and therapeutic.”