病毒與生物醫學實驗室

Laboratory of Virology and Biomedicine

實驗室主持人:楊玫琳 (Mei-Lin, Yang)

 Research Focus 實驗室研究方向

Our lab is interested in researching the impact of host factors on viral pathogenesis and pregnant-related diseases, as well as developing new therapeutic approaches for cancer therapy using gene and cell therapy.

我們實驗室主要研究宿主因子對病毒致病機轉和高危險妊娠相關併發症的影響，同時也利用基因和細胞治療開發新的癌症治療方法。

Research Interests 研究興趣

1. Host Factors in Dengue Pathogenesis  宿主因子與登革熱致病機轉

Our lab unravels the roles of key host factors, such as prothymosin α and O-GlcNAcylation, in dengue-induced thrombocytopenia and vascular leakage. This work seeks to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying these severe complications, potentially paving the way for targeted therapeutic interventions.

登革熱是由登革病毒感染所引起的急性蚊媒傳播疾病。該病毒主要通過埃及斑蚊或白線斑蚊傳播。登革熱的臨床表現包括發燒、頭痛、肌肉和關節疼痛、出疹，以及嚴重病例中的登革出血熱或登革休克症候群。血小板低下和皮下出血是登革熱的重要臨床特徵之一。血小板減少的其中一個原因可能與病毒直接影響骨隨內巨核細胞分化有關，但目前機制尚不清楚。實驗室先前已發現宿主因子prothymosin alpha參與抑制巨核細胞分化及血小板生成，且促進病毒感染後小鼠皮下出血。後續的研究初步發現登革病毒感染會增加葡萄糖的利用，而葡萄糖代謝的其中一條路徑Hexosamine biosynthesis pathway會增加蛋白質醣基化 (O-GlcNAcylation)，猜測可能參與此調控過程，未來研究將進一步釐清prothymosin α 和 O-GlcNAcylation之間的關係並發展可能治療的策略。

 

2. TEM1 in Preeclampsia  子癲前症致病機轉
   Preeclampsia (PE) is a serious pregnancy complication with no cure that can have severe consequences for both the mother and fetus. Established mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of PE include placental hypoxia, an aberrant angiogenic state, abnormal trophoblast migration and invasion, endothelial dysfunction, and an exaggerated systemic inflammatory response. My research investigates the role of TEM1 (Tumor Endothelial Marker 1) in the progression of preeclampsia, with a specific focus on its impact on the interactions among trophoblasts, macrophages, and endothelial cells.

子癲前症是一種嚴重的妊娠併發症，對母親和胎兒造成嚴重後果。目前尚無預防或治療的方法。子癲前症已知的致病因素有異常的胎盤缺氧、滋養層細胞遷移和侵襲、內皮功能障礙和免疫失調等。我們的研究發現在子癇前症患者及具有子癇前症特徵的懷孕母鼠的胎盤中，腫瘤內皮標記1 (TEM1)的表現量增加。因此想進一步了解TEM1在子癲前症進程中扮演的角色，主要研究著重於探討TEM1在滋養層細胞、巨噬細胞和內皮細胞之間的作用關係。

 

3. Cancer Therapies 癌症治療策略
   This is a collaborated project to developing novel therapeutic strategies for cancer using gene and cell therapy. The current work is evaluating the feasibility of a positively charged nanoparticle-encapsulated tumor antigen as a cancer vaccine. This approach has the potential to enhance antigen presentation and stimulate robust anti-tumor immune responses.

癌症的治療方法目前包括手術、放射治療、化學治療、標靶治療、免疫治療以及基因和細胞療法，實驗室目前研究著重於利用帶正電奈米顆粒包裹腫瘤抗原作為癌症疫苗，此疫苗能刺激較多傳統型CD8⁺樹突細胞，進一步引發較高的T細胞免疫反應，提高腫瘤毒殺的能力。