Seh-Hoon Oh, PhD
Seh-Hoon Oh, Ph.D., Instructor
Dr. Oh grew up in South Korea and attended the Kangwon National University (Korea) and obtained his Bachelor’s degree in 1990 and MS degree in 1992. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in Natural Science and Technology from Okayama University in Japan. After earning his Ph.D., he worked with Dr. Masayoshi Namba in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Medical School at the same university. After he finished this position, he took a post-doctoral position in the laboratory of Dr. Bryon E. Petersen at the College of Medicine, University of Florida in 2001. Then, in 2005, he was promoted to Assistant Scientist.
SYNOPSIS OF AREA OF INTEREST: Adult bone marrow stem cells can be differentiated into hepatocyte and insulin-producing cells, and bone marrow-derived insulin-producing cells are capable of regulating blood glucose levels in hyperglycemic mice. Currently, the focus of study is on the stem cell mediate treatment for diabetes mellitus and discovery of new methods for the treatment of disease.
DETAILED AREA OF INTEREST: Dr. Seh-Hoon Oh’s work focuses on the adult stem cell research for the development of new methods for the therapy and treatment of diabetes mellitus and other metabolic disorders. His studies indicated that bone marrow (BM)-derived stem cells are capable of differentiating into insulin-producing cells. The induction of BM-derived insulin-producing cells using in vitro culture system, and the transplantation of BM-derived insulin-producing cells into hyperglycemic mice decreased circulating blood glucose levels, allowing for maintenance of relatively normal glucose homeostasis. Also, he showed the benfotiamine treatment enhanced insulin synthesis and glucose metabolism in insulin-producing cells. This research suggests that with the progression of stem cell research, new methods for the treatment of disease such as diabetes mellitus may be possible.
Type-1 diabetes is considered to be a chronic-immune disease in which insulin-producing β-cells located in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans are gradually destroyed by autoreactive T-cells. Insulin deficiency and elevated blood sugar levels characterize the disease, which leads to complications that include blindness, renal failure, nerve damage, stoke, cardiovascular disease, and even delayed wound response. The increasing incidence of type-1 diabetes throughout the world has generated considerable interest in developing both better diagnostic techniques and treatments that would restore glucose responsiveness and insulin secretion, as well as methods for prevention of development of diabetic mellitus by immune suppression and cell therapy using stem cells.
Dr. Oh discovered the existence of a unique protein in the BM-derived insulin-producing cells, which may be involved in islet development or possibly regulate the production of insulin. It may be a powerful tool for the study of pancreatic islet homeostasis, as well as offering a new potential treatment for type-1 diabetes.
Based on successes in those fields, Dr. Oh continues his work on the possibility for the therapeutic potential of adult stem cells as a source of cells and a gene therapy that offers a new alternative in treating diseases such as diabetes mellitus.