Degenerative arthritis is an archetype of degenerative conditions that negatively affects a person's standard of living and
causes significant social and economic issues in an aging society.

However, because of the widespread perception that degenerative arthritis is a condition where cartilage tissues deteriorates
due to aging, no clear cause of the disease has been identified, and no fundamental treatment has been developed.
At GIST, researchers wanted to know if degenerative arthritis is caused by a process initiated by an abnormal phenomena and not merely a condition where cartilage wears away due to aging. They also wanted to investigate the correlation between
degenerative arthritis and cholesterol, a well-known risk factor for other degenerative conditions such as arteriosclerosis and
dementia. Professor Jang-Soo Chun's research team at GIST confirmed that a cholesterol-intensive diet exacerbates
degenerative arthritis and verified the relationship between cholesterol and degenerative arthritis. The research began after a
research led by Professor Chun discovered that there is a close relationship between the two by observing that degenerative
cartilage contains an abnormally high concentration of cholesterol.

One of the notable breakthroughs of this research is discovering that cholesterol causes degenerative arthritis as well as the
actual mechanism of how cholesterol causes the condition. Even though there were previous hypotheses, it was difficult to
consider that cholesterol could be a cause of degenerative arthritis. However, the research team committed all of its energy
after confirming the correlation between cholesterol and arthritis. Understanding the mechanisms of degenerative arthritis
required various types of genetically modified mice and intensive financial investment.
However, the team led by Professor Chun could carry on their project and finish the research with the full support of GIST.
This achievement is one of the first findings in the world that proves degenerative arthritis is not simply an ancillary condition
that occurs due to aging but is a metabolic condition caused by cholesterol metabolism. It is expected that the results will
provide new clues in developing preventive measures and treatment methods in the future.

The research results were published last February in Nature.