[VIBE IN ACTION K-INITIATIVE] Ep.8 Rewriting Aging

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:08]The magical place where your imagination becomes reality. Let's kick open the eighth door of five in action. Great to be back. Can't believe we're doing the eighth already.

[00:00:20]>> Really? I think I can't count very well.

[00:00:23]I thought it was only like five or six.

[00:00:24]Yeah, it's great to be back. And Professor Goo, great to have you back as well.

[00:00:33]The organoid episode was so interesting.

[00:00:36]So I'm looking forward to what story you've brought us today. Today's topic is captured in this very image. At the moment they stepped onto the Tinan Moon rostrom last year. A private exchange between the three leaders was revealed to the public.

[00:00:53]>> Ah their chat was caught on hot mic. Ah, >> do you know what they were talking about?

[00:00:58]>> They're very powerful, wealthy men.

[00:01:00]Maybe shares, stocks and shares. What What should you buy?

[00:01:04]>> Well, it's easy to speculate that they must have been talking about something military, but turned out they were talking about immortality.

[00:01:14]>> Wow.

[00:01:15]>> Discussing recent development in biotechnology. Right. It was such an unusual but befitting topic for those longtime rulers. M >> exactly and that's today's topic which is the dream of humanity.

[00:01:31]>> Immortality.

[00:01:32]>> Immortality.

[00:01:33]>> The end of aging.

[00:01:34]>> The end of aging. So yeah, in Korea slow aging is a real big deal these days.

[00:01:40]I've been following it closely and whenever I watch clips even from just a year ago, I'm like, you've aged so much.

[00:01:46]>> Tell me about it. Okay, >> we're the same age, so I know exactly what you're talking about. And I'm all years if it's going to be about slow aging.

[00:01:55]>> Actually, we've got no time because we're all aging right now, even as we speak. So, shall we get started right away?

[00:02:02]>> Let's go.

[00:02:03]>> Five in action.

[00:02:29]stabiliz. Want to contain >> I have never been more excited than I am today. And seriously, this is all we talk about when I'm with my friends.

[00:02:52]>> But Dr. coup when we say aging science are we focusing on those anti-aging methods like preventing wrinkles or are we talking about extending longevity >> I think we are talking about both >> so we have to take care of some research uh which can you know extend our living but at the same time we want to have a very healthy life so uh extending the life with a good quality is is the matter let me ask both of you first. Do you think uh aging as a natural phenomenon or is it a disease?

[00:03:29]>> Oh, >> of course it's a natural phenomenon.

[00:03:31]>> Yeah. I don't want to think I've got a disease now. I'm aging.

[00:03:34]>> Yeah. And humanity has been experiencing aging for thousands of years. It's a universal symptom.

[00:03:41]>> Can you avoid aging or cure aging? That sounds >> I don't look like this because I'm sick.

[00:03:46]>> I hope not.

[00:03:48]Wow. There's actually has been a global uh debate on that.

[00:03:53]>> Oh.

[00:03:53]>> And in 2018, WH actually classified a code to indicate aging related decline >> in human health as a disease.

[00:04:05]>> Really?

[00:04:06]>> But does that mean that older elderly people are going to be classified as a patients? Right. Yeah.

[00:04:12]>> Yeah. That's debatable.

[00:04:14]>> But why does it matter which category we put it in? whether aging is considered a disease or not >> once we put it into a category uh that is recognized by who then development of a new drug that can slow down aging is possible.

[00:04:31]>> Ah you need a code to develop the drugs that will address it.

[00:04:36]>> Ah so it is important and these days you see more and more often the difference between your chronological age and your biological age. When you get that health checkup you always have your fingers crossed. I hope it's younger. And some people look way younger than their age and vice versa. You always make me feel old cuz I look so much older than you.

[00:04:56]Yes.

[00:04:56]>> Really?

[00:04:56]>> Yes. No.

[00:04:57]>> It's your fault.

[00:04:58]>> No, we look exactly the same age.

[00:05:01]>> Not at all. Yeah. And like everyone's different, right, in how they age.

[00:05:04]>> Some people unfortunately take a direct hit.

[00:05:07]>> Yeah.

[00:05:07]>> And others somehow seem to dodge it.

[00:05:10]Yeah.

[00:05:11]>> Mysteriously.

[00:05:11]>> That's right. So there is still no definitive biomarker to objectively measure aging.

[00:05:18]>> So researchers worldwide are now working on to determine how we can measure the aging in a precise manner.

[00:05:26]>> Oh >> as scientific evidence grows showing aging can be diagnosed and potentially reversed >> efforts have been made to assign it a disease code.

[00:05:37]>> Oh >> ah because aging hits people differently. M >> well then before trying to identify the exact biioarkers why don't we define aging first >> tell me why do we age in the first place let's put aside the confusing headachy debate of whether or not it should be classified as a disease >> let's start with the factors that lead to aging why do we age >> it must be lifestyle though is a big factor though we all know you know you shouldn't drink smoke eat junk food avoid exercise that all accelerates aging. No.

[00:06:14]>> And all the stress.

[00:06:15]>> Yes. Yeah. Those are part of it. And the fundamental cause of aging is being studied. And uh scientists have now classified around 12 different hallmarks that can determine the speed of aging.

[00:06:28]>> I'm sure I have all those 12.

[00:06:30]>> Yes. One of them is a scinessence cells.

[00:06:33]>> Scinesscent cells.

[00:06:34]>> Yeah. It's a first observed by Hay Flick who found that dividing cells they can only undergo about 50 to 70 times of cell divisions and and then they stop.

[00:06:45]>> Uh so this is a cell level of aging so that once they reach to scessence >> then these cells cannot be used anymore.

[00:06:53]So >> so they are like terminated cells.

[00:06:55]>> Yeah, it's an aged cells that can should be removed from the body >> so that the body can still remain healthy. They got like a timer set on them. These aged cells which is scinesscent cells they are no longer functioning in the body >> and they sometimes secrete inflammatory factors that can even accelerate aging process in the surrounding tissue.

[00:07:16]>> Oh no.

[00:07:17]>> So we have to know how to get rid of them from the tissue so that we can stay healthy.

[00:07:23]>> Oh, they're like zombies because they don't just die off and disappear but they remain and they >> damage neighboring cells.

[00:07:31]>> Yeah. They infect other cells.

[00:07:33]>> Yeah. Like the one moldy strawberry piece.

[00:07:36]>> Oh, then it corrupts the entire bowl.

[00:07:39]>> Don't give me your scinessence cells.

[00:07:42]>> Look. Well, then why can't we just remove those aging cells selectively or why can't we just keep them alive by helping them keep dividing and not stop?

[00:07:52]>> Yes and no. The removal of the scinesscent cells is called uh synolytics.

[00:07:58]>> But researchers have found that it has a pros and cons. It comes with a side effect. So it is not so easy to make your body just healthy by removing sin cells.

[00:08:09]>> Ah so there's to every good thing a negative effect as well.

[00:08:14]>> But I've heard that it's not just scientists right in the news and I listen to some podcasts where like wealthy tech individuals and some big tech companies as well are really investing into aging research.

[00:08:25]>> No wonder anyone with power and money would want to live forever.

[00:08:29]>> Absolutely.

[00:09:03]No worries.

[00:09:14]Well, the first emperor of China, >> Chin Xi Wang, was famously obsessed with finding the elixir of life.

[00:09:22]>> And these billionaires of today are doing the exact same thing, just more scientifically.

[00:09:28]>> Wow.

[00:09:28]>> And the most famous or the most most fanatic one must be Brian Johnson.

[00:09:33]>> Yeah. is spending absurd amount of money on reversing aging or not dying ultimately. But it's also funny that we're seeing no result at all.

[00:09:45]>> Just forgive me my brutal honesty, but he looks just like his age >> considering the amount of money spending. So is this really working the blood transfusion? Is it having a result?

[00:09:58]>> Yeah, >> actually what he has done is uh six rounds of plasma exchange. Uh-huh.

[00:10:03]>> And even though extensive biomarker analysis showed that there was no benefit, >> he's not even healthy on the inside, >> but he still hasn't given up. He's still continuously investing about 2 million USD per year in an effort to reverse his own age.

[00:10:22]>> Wow. Blood transfusion from his son. I don't know if I'd make my kids do that.

[00:10:26]That sounds a bit bit.

[00:10:28]>> Yeah, especially if it doesn't work. But what about this as an idea? There are some animals that famously live a long, long time, much longer than humans, like tortoises, turtles, maybe even whales.

[00:10:40]Can't we study them to find some signs?

[00:10:43]Do we want a transfusion from tortoises?

[00:10:45]>> Yeah.

[00:10:46]>> Oh yeah, you are thinking like a scientist, Peter. In fact, studies on Galapagos giants to living close to 200 years, they show extremely slow heartbeating rate.

[00:10:58]>> Wow. and strong DNA repair machineries.

[00:11:00]And bowhead whales, another longest living mammals, have low rate of cancer and age related phenomenon. And there is another animal gaining attention in aging research, the naked moat, shown here.

[00:11:13]>> Naked mole rat.

[00:11:15]>> Yeah, the name and the looks. I don't want to look like that.

[00:11:20]>> My question is it born naked or did somebody shave it?

[00:11:24]>> It looks so cold. I want to put a coat on it. But that's like a prime example of something we should aim for >> like like >> losing all your hair >> the longevity right aspect of it.

[00:11:36]>> You can live up to 32 years or even longer. 10 times longer than typical mice.

[00:11:42]>> Wow.

[00:11:43]>> We translate it to human. It may mean that we can live up to 800 years.

[00:11:48]>> Really?

[00:11:49]>> 32 years doesn't sound that long. But >> compared to other mice 800 years though I don't think I want to be 800 years. Yeah. Wow.

[00:11:59]>> And unlike other rodents, it doesn't seem to develop any cognitive decline >> while it is aging.

[00:12:06]>> Wow.

[00:12:07]>> People assume that uh they may have some special immune related function that clean up some of the waste from the brain so that the cognitive function can stay healthy throughout the lifespan.

[00:12:20]Okay.

[00:12:20]>> Wow. So they remain sharp and punctual like until the last minute before they close their eyes.

[00:12:27]>> That's what you want, right? A healthy older age.

[00:12:30]>> Yeah. And uh they may also have a some mechanism with which they can remove scinesscent cells in a more active manner than other animals so that they can live longer than than other ones.

[00:12:42]>> I think we can get some clues from those tortoises and whales. Yeah, >> I think living a slow life is the key to long life.

[00:12:51]>> We should talk slowly and breathe deeply slowly slowly >> and there's no better way than this.

[00:12:58]But these rodents will someday reveal its secret to long life to us humans.

[00:13:05]>> But the problem is all this is still under research. But we want the solution immediately. We have no tempo. Are there any treatments that are more progressed, readily available, and already safe enough for humans?

[00:13:21]>> Of course, we do have. I'm not sure whether it is already fully functional, >> but there are some anti-aging treatment you may have already heard about in hospitals or or the news.

[00:13:32]>> Oh, >> stem cell shots.

[00:13:34]>> Mhm. M.

[00:13:39]Heat. Heat.

[00:14:20]Unbelievable. It seems that the world is really focusing on these anti-aging, slow aging efforts, right? And there seems to be some cases where delaying aging has seen some success. So why isn't it already widely used?

[00:14:35]>> The main issue side effect and uh safety. Stem cells for example if it is used properly then it will help but it can at the same time cause cancer.

[00:14:45]>> Oh no.

[00:14:46]>> There's a tradeoff between cancer and aging.

[00:14:50]>> Yes. Keeping the stem cell activity as lively as possible is a one way of keeping yourself healthy and not aged.

[00:14:58]But if stem cells are proliferative all the time then they become a tumor and it can cause a cancerous disease. That's not what you want. No >> rapamyin has shown anti-aging effect in animal models >> but as an imunosuppressant >> it can cause side effect in adults especially in the elderly population.

[00:15:20]>> Rapamyin is originally developed as a drug to like suppress your immune system.

[00:15:25]>> Yeah. Oh, >> and metformin is also being studied for now, but until now it has been mainly used for patient with diabetes.

[00:15:35]>> And whether its effect is really there for aging is something we have to look into.

[00:15:41]>> But you're leaving us hopeless.

[00:15:44]>> We want something.

[00:15:44]>> What do we have left? Yeah. Is there really nothing that can save us from the misery of aging?

[00:15:51]>> Don't worry. I heard professor there's something right. You were doing researching in aging that got published right in a major international journal.

[00:15:58]Wow.

[00:15:59]>> And stuff on organoids as well, stem cells. Is that to do with aging? Can you tell us a bit about it?

[00:16:04]>> Yeah. Which journal is it on nature?

[00:16:06]>> I'm very interested in studying aging for my future project. Yeah.

[00:16:10]>> And uh the one related topic that I have in the lab is mosaic genetics. So we want to model aging by using mosaic genetics which means that we want to create some mutant cells that undergo faster aging than the normal cells in the mouse so that we can see how aged cells working together with the normal cells to understand the the actual aging process that is taking place in human body.

[00:16:35]>> Wow. I should get his personal number because he's studying slow aging.

[00:16:40]>> Sure. But don't be a test subject and get accelerated aging.

[00:16:46]And besides Dr. Coup, who is one of the most influential scientists in Korea, there are also other Korean researchers who are taking a different approach.

[00:16:56]They're studying chromosomes to regulate the biological clock. Shall we head out to the field and see how they're advancing the era of aging prevention?

[00:17:07]Al together in action.

[00:17:16]Aging, humanity's eternal challenge. Why do we grow old and why do we fall ill?

[00:17:22]To find the answer, we visited a laboratory at Soul National University, a hub of aging and cancer research in Korea.

[00:17:32]What they are tracking here is the clock of life, telomeirs.

[00:17:37]Telomeirs are like the plastic caps at the ends of shoelaces. They protect the ends of our DNA. But as cells continue to divide, problems begin to accumulate in these tiny caps.

[00:17:49]>> What happens is at the legging chromosomes, it encounters a shortening of the DNA. So that tieumir shortening or the disruption of the structure of the tieumir is actually the fundamental process for aging. The shortening of the tie actually disrupts the structure that it has to maintain. So what happens is that it triggers the DNA damage response. It leads to like triggering the inflammation uh signals.

[00:18:16]>> Graying hair, weakened immunity, even Alzheimer's, the root of the complex changes we call aging lies in telmir damage. And this clock of life is also linked to disease.

[00:18:27]>> Tieumirs are implicated in all sorts of aging related diseases including cancer.

[00:18:33]Well, cancer maybe is a very very rapid process of aging. Like uh what is really common between aging and cancer is that lot of the DNA breaks. Lot of uh DNA breaks makes the cells kind of unhealthy in metabolism. But studying that for more many decades cancer biology and aging is coming together and we are studying what is happening at the molecular level.

[00:18:56]>> Normal cells stop dividing and reach the end of their lifespan once their telomeirs wear down. But cancer cells break straight through this barrier.

[00:19:04]They forcibly extend telomeres that should have worn out, continuing to divide without dying. Some cancer cells maintain their telomeres by indirectly recombining the DNA repair system. The soul national university research team is tracking the molecular mechanisms that appear in this process.

[00:19:23]>> The cancers are the cells which have overcome this replicative sinosence. One way to overcome this is that uh we think that 80% of cancers actually reactivate tilomease which is a reverse transcriptase to elongate the shortened tie again. One way or the other tieumir maintenance is the key for the cells to become cancerous. So it's the immortalization pathway.

[00:19:47]>> Ultimately forcibly maintaining telomeirs by any means necessary is essentially a survival strategy for cancer cells. But this process hides a complex mechanism that cannot be explained simply by changes in telmir length. To uncover clues hidden within this complex clock of life, the Soul National University research team is directly examining telomeres at the single cell level.

[00:20:38]Research at this worldclass molecular level has now become a national priority. The government has launched the investigating on the reprogramming of aging project and newly introduced regenerative medicine for transnational and clinical research for anti-aging.

[00:20:54]moving forward with full-scale support at the national level.

[00:20:57]>> Many many people are more interested in aging rather than cancer. Aging actually is uh kind of affecting everybody as we understand the molecular process of uh cancer and aging as well. I think we are discovering more targets. It might be possible to kind of have the patient specific biomarkers that could be a better target for that patient and especially combined with the AI era. We get better targets uh much faster than we thought.

[00:21:25]>> A pursuit that begins with a tiny clock inside our cells, telomeirs. Relentless questions aimed at rewriting humanity's fate are bringing us closer to a future where everyone can age in good health.

[00:21:45]Yes, tel mirror was all the buzz recently and everyone was eager to find ways to stop telomeres from shortening.

[00:21:54]>> So to some extent it feels like aging is not something we can't do anything about. Rather it's something that can be managed and prevented. Yeah, but I can't help wondering like with everything new, if there's new anti-aging technology and drugs, won't it be for the wealthy and the elite and not for everyday people?

[00:22:15]>> Yeah, that is my concern as well.

[00:22:17]>> However, it depends on the type of the drug. So, for example, cell therapy or gene therapy are supposed to be very expensive. However, if somebody figure out how to use some small molecules to reverse the aging phenotype, this can be manufactured in a large quantity at very low price so that many people can benefit from it.

[00:22:41]>> I hope so.

[00:22:42]>> So, one day if you go to the Pagoda Park, there will be just youths.

[00:22:47]>> They look like they're in their 20ies.

[00:22:48]>> Men and women. Wow. Well, in the past, we thought our genes determined everything and there's only so much we can change. But now, we're learning more and more that depending on how we take care of our lives, our daily lives, we have the power to overcome our own genes.

[00:23:06]>> Exactly. A great example is John Kang of France who lived up to 122 years. She started fencing in her age of 80 and was still riding a bicycle at the age of 100.

[00:23:22]>> Amazing.

[00:23:23]>> When asked about her secret to longevity, >> small eating, sleep more, >> sorry, >> wrong guesses, >> wrong. Uh, her answer was surprisingly simple.

[00:23:35]>> Uhhuh.

[00:23:36]>> Don't get stressed.

[00:23:37]>> Ah, >> don't stress.

[00:23:39]>> Just relax.

[00:23:40]>> Easy to say, but hard to follow.

[00:23:42]>> It really is, isn't it? But it's better than having to spend $2 million like Brian Johnson. Don't stress. It's cheaper.

[00:23:49]>> And it's true that nothing kills you faster than your own mind.

[00:23:52]>> Yeah. So just calm and everyday habits can help us for the time being.

[00:23:57]>> That's quite relieving to hear cuz living a healthy life does not cost so much. Actually, it can save significantly more because like walking, cooking at home or drinking at home.

[00:24:10]>> Yeah. drinking a lot of water.

[00:24:12]>> It's so cheap. It's almost free.

[00:24:15]>> Yeah. And let's remember to stay hopeful as the bio revolution is just beginning and research to unlock the secrets of aging is actively underway at this very moment. Shall we wrap it up with our signature pose? Let's do it more youthfully this time.

[00:24:32]>> All right, let's do it.

[00:24:34]>> Bye in action.

[00:24:37]>> Thanks for watching.

[00:24:39]>> Wow.

[00:24:43]Dr. Albert Sunsuli. I'm a material scientist with a passion for the environment. So, today we're going to talk about a concept that's called uh carbon capture.

[00:24:51]>> Carbon capture. But how is it possible that you can physically capture? We're not playing Frisbee here.

[00:25:05]>> Did you see that? They were making diamonds out of the carbon dioxide emitted in the atmosphere. Maybe we can make like soda or champagne.

[00:25:13]>> More recently, there have been efforts in trying to convert these CO2 molecules into aviation fuel or even fuel for our vehicles as well. It reminded me of a film when I was young, Back to the Future, where the car runs on like garbage.