Kaohsiung Medical University / Prof. Tsung-Lin Cheng

 Pain Points Solved 

• Current treatments for osteoarthritis mainly relieve symptoms and are unable to repair damaged cartilage.
• Existing medications are associated with significant side effects and high risks with long-term use.
• Regenerative medicine approaches are costly and require advanced technical expertise.
• This technology utilizes thrombomodulin (TM) and its microRNA regulatory mechanism to promote cartilage repair, offering low cost, low allergenicity, and high safety, with the potential to address the disease at its root cause.

 Technology Introduction 

• Technical Background

Osteoarthritis (OA) affects tens of millions of people worldwide, causing cartilage damage and joint pain, yet there is currently no effective treatment. This technology focuses on thrombomodulin (TM), a highly evolutionarily conserved protein.

• Technical Description and Advantages

TM can promote chondrocyte growth and inhibit inflammation. By injecting TM or enhancing its expression through microRNA (miR-up-TM), OA can be effectively prevented or treated. This technology is cost-effective, easy to use, and reduces the risk of allergic reactions.

Figure 1. Role of thrombomodulin (TM) in chondrocytes and osteoarthritis (OA).

Figure 1. miR-up-TM enhances the signaling pathway from KLF2 to TM, thereby effectively protecting knee joint functio.

Figure 1. miR-up-TM increases TM expression in chondrocytes to exert anti-osteoarthritic effects.

 Application Examples 

• Local injection of TM protein can suppress inflammation and promote chondrocyte regeneration, thereby improving joint mobility.
  
• Application of miR-up-TM technology enhances endogenous TM expression to prevent the progression of degenerative osteoarthritis.
• This technology can be extended to cartilage repair implants or regenerative medicine products, facilitating the treatment of sports injuries and joint reconstruction.

 Related Links 

None

 Patent Name and Number 

TW 113116868
US 18/656,60822

 Industry-Academia / Tech Transfer Partner 

None

 Honors and Awards  

21st National Innovation Award-Academia & Research Innovation Award

 Technical Contact  

Mr. Hung, Assistant Manager

Kaohsiung Medical University 
Tel: +886 7-3121101 ext. 2360
Email: R121084@kmu.edu.tw