Following the PhD training in the Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, I completed two post-doctoral trainings, one in cloning osteoclast-specific protein tyrosine phosphatases and the other in VEGF-A-mediated signaling pathways in endothelial cells.  In the Feb of 1999, I was recruited to be assistant professor in the Institute of Molecular Medicine and single-handedly established one of the first labs on “Angiogenesis and Cancer Research” at National Cheng Kung University.  I was then promoted to be an associate professor in 2004 and a full professor in 2009 in the same institute.  After 20+ years of staying in National Cheng Kung University, more than 40 students got their master degrees and 7 students were awarded to have PhD degree in my laboratory.  I am also the course coordinators for Advanced Cell Biology, General Cell Biology (English), student seminars (Journal clubs), and Angiogenesis and the lectures on Tumor Biology, Cell Growth and Differentiation, and PBL-based learning on tumor metastasis.  Since angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, is an essential process for tumorigenesis and metastasis, upper aerodigestive track cancer (UATC), the 3th leading cause of cancer death in the world, is my diseased model for years. Oral cavity and esophagus are two most frequent sites for such cancer type.  The reasons for choosing this cancer type are high recurrence rate and the difficulties for early diagnosis.  The crosstalk between tumor and stromal components in the same microenvironment plays a key role in cancer progression and metastasis; I have been studying the molecular mechanism underlying the crosstalk by using cell-based assays, clinical specimens and animal models. Three-dimensional culturing technology is currently considered as a great model for studying human organ development and human pathologies including metastasis in a culture dish.  Our ultimate goal is facilitating the development of theranostic targets for cancer and angiogenesis related skin diseases. 

Commonly used techniques for addressing the relation of altered gene expression with the ongogenic processes include

•Molecular and cellular technology including genome editing, PCR cloning, gain and loss of function studies, cell culturing, and various cell-based transformation assays

•Experimental tumorigenesis and metastasis in mice

•Genome approaches: cytokine arrays, RNA and scRNA sequencing, DNA microarray technology and proteomics, and metabolomics