運動科學研究所 Institute of Sports Sciences

Research interest

Chia-Hua Kuo, Ph.D. FACSM

Professor Chia-Hua Kuo’s recent work focuses on exploring the mechanism involving exercise-induced senescent cell clearance in muscle tissues. His breakthrough for human aging research comes from an unexpected finding in 2018 on identification of senescent stem cells surrounding myofibers in skeletal muscle of young men. He also found significant decreases in senescent cell number following an acute bout of resistance exercise. Moderate intensity exercise does produce similar effect unless an immune preconditioning is applied, suggesting the role of immune surveillance in senescent cell clearance. Stem cells in skeletal muscle is a local reserve for muscle cell renewal, which allows dynamical maintenance of youth level of skeletal muscle against acute challenges. Senescent stem cell accumulation is causally related with declined physical fitness and delayed recovery among inactive individuals at higher age. With this knowledge, he developed a patented sports senolytic supplement by selecting an immunostimulant from panax ginseng which can be delivered by perfusing blood into contracting muscle. This strategy successfully enhances senescent cell clearance and results in an improved endurance performance. Both stem cells and immune cells are originally produced from bone marrow. However, bone to body mass ratio decreases with weight growth. This imbalance will eventually compromise cell renewal and eventually lead to precipitating health problem during the last quarter of life. Professor Kuo’s discovery has recently reported by international media. His future research seeks for solution for maintaining younger age profile of cells in human body.

International collaboration

Chih-Yang Huang (Taiwan), Brennan Harris (US), John L Ivy (US), Giancarlo Condello (Italy), Ahmad alkhatib (UK), Kazushinge Goto (Japan), Jorgen Jensen (Norway), Etika Ratna (Indonesia), Sareena Hanim, Binim (Malaysia), Suchada Saovieng (Thailand), Jinfu Wu (China), Zeyi Yang (China), Jiao Ying (China), Pawan Singal (Canada), Michael Chia (Singapore), Dharuman Maniazhagu (India), Jason Lee Kai Wei (Singapore)

研究簡介

目前體育運動科學尚未完善回答的根本問題- 為何強度高、肌肉損傷較多的運動反而提升體能、改善新陳代謝與老化指標效果更好?  郭教授研究對當前知識的突破來自2018年首先發現年輕成人肌肉存在明顯數量衰老幹細胞，這些衰老幹細胞在高強度肌力訓練過程，發生類似達爾文自然篩選式的下降(國際媒體報導)。而中強度運動則效果不明顯，除非有事前的免疫刺激，免疫細胞能識別出衰老/不健康的細胞進而清除之，同時吸引幹細胞快速再生，讓肌肉在不斷承受挑戰下維持年輕健康狀態。累積衰老幹細胞使體能下降與傷口恢復時間延長。在應用面上，郭教授已篩選出能刺激免疫細胞植物化學成分，透過肌肉收縮將該成分透過血液帶入組織加速附近免疫細胞清除肌肉中的衰老幹細胞，達到提高體能的效果。專利已產品化(報導)，進入北美市場。免疫細胞與幹細胞均源自骨髓，隨體重成長，骨骼/體重比例逐漸失衡，該現象將使全身細胞汰舊換新相對不足，累積衰老細胞，導致人體進入生命期最後四分之一加速老化(報導)。郭教授的創新發現亦獲國際科學媒體報導。未來的研究方向為探索控制人體細胞死亡與再生平衡的機制，藉運動、營養與中藥食補獲得控制人體細胞老中青比例的知識與應用方法，改善人體生命品質。

郭教授受各國邀請的學術演講超過40場以上，國家包括美國、英國、義大利、俄羅斯、韓國、日本、捷克、斯洛伐克、印尼、馬來西亞、新加坡、科威特、西班牙、泰國、印度、伊朗、中國、羅馬尼亞等。郭教授亦參與國際研究計畫輔導年輕學者如英國，參與研究計畫審查例如新加坡、瑞士、韓國。

代表著作

• Luthfia Dewi, Yin-Chou Lin, Andrew Nicholls, Giancarlo Condello, Chih-Yang Huang, Chia-Hua Kuo*. Pax7+ satellite cells in human skeletal muscle after exercise. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 2022, doi.org/10.1007/s40279-022-01767-z.
• Huang SC, Wu JF, Saovieng S, Chien WH, Hsu MF, Huang CY, Kuo CH. Doxorubicin inhibits muscle inflammation after eccentric exercise. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle 2017. 8(2):277-284.
• Yang C, Jiao Y, Wei B, Yang Z, Wu JF, Jensen J, Jean WH, Huang CY, Kuo CH*. Aged cells in human skeletal muscle after resistance exercise. Aging (Albany, NY) 2018, 10(6):1356-1365.
• Wu J, Saovieng S, Cheng IS, Liu T, Hong SY, Lin CY, Su IC, Huang CY, Kuo CH*. Ginsenoside Rg1 supplementation clears senescence-associated β-galactosidase in exercising human skeletal muscle. Journal of Ginseng Research 2019, 43(4): 580-588.
• Lee TXY, Wu J, Jean WH, Condello G, Alkhatib A, Hsieh CC, Hsieh YW, Huang CY, Kuo CH*.
  Reduced stem cell aging in exercised human skeletal muscle is enhanced by ginsenoside Rg1. Aging (Albany NY) 2021, 13(12):16567-16576.
• Harris MB, Kuo CH*. Scientific challenges on theory of fat burning by exercise. Frontiers in Physiology, 2021, 12:685166.

專利與產品

• US patent: US-10806764-B2 (https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/patent/US-10806764-B2)
• Senactiv: https://www.ingredientsnetwork.com/senactiv-prod1271902.html

國際新聞報導

• Fighting aging: Just How Dynamic are Cellular Senescence Levels in Old Tissues? https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2018/07/just-how-dynamic-are-cellular-senescence-levels-in-old-tissues/?alm_mvr=0
• Longevity Technology: Insulin- Predictor of Longevity. https://www.longevity.technology/insulin-predictor-of-longevity/