Tag: National Taiwan University

The Max Planck-IAS-NTU Center (MPC) for Particle Physics, Cosmology, and Geometry has been founded through cooperation between the Max Planck Society in Germany, the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton, and National Taiwan University (NTU). The Center will begin operations in July 2025 with five years of initial funding. An opening symposium will be held at NTU in September 2025, followed by a kick-off conference at IAS in March 2026.

Led by co-directors Johannes Henn (Max Planck Institute for Physics), Nima Arkani-Hamed (IAS), and Daniel Baumann (NTU), the Center unites leading scholars in particle physics, cosmology, and geometry. Their goal is to develop new frameworks for quantum field theory, study particle interactions, and explore the origins of the Universe.

The initiative will act as a global hub for collaboration, engaging faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and students from around the world. Planned activities include international workshops, summer schools, and research exchanges across institutions and disciplines.

Funded by NTU and Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council, the Center is part of the broader Max Planck Centers program. NTU President Wen-Chang Chen emphasized that this collaboration strengthens Taiwan’s role in global science and will spark exciting new discoveries in fundamental physics.

Liver disease remains a major health issue in Taiwan, driven by the high prevalence of chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV). A research team at National Taiwan University (NTU) Hospital, led by Vice Superintendent Jia-Horng Kao, has been investigating the interaction between hepatitis viruses and metabolic abnormalities. Their latest findings, published in the Journal of Hepatology, have drawn global attention.

Prof. Tung-Hung Su and Dr. Shang-Chin Huang reported that HBV patients with metabolic syndrome face a significantly higher risk of death. In contrast, those with only simple fatty liver but no other metabolic issues have a 50% lower long-term mortality rate. For HCV, Prof. Chen-Hua Liu showed that even after patients are cured with direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy, those with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, obesity) remain at a substantially higher risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). These findings stress the importance of early intervention for metabolic abnormalities alongside antiviral treatment.

Prof. Jun-Ren Liu, Director of National Taiwan University (NTU) Hospital’s Hepatitis Research Center, emphasized that in addition to controlling hepatitis viruses, patients must also manage metabolic health through weight control, diet, and regular monitoring. Timely screening for blood pressure, blood sugar, and lipid abnormalities, combined with regular liver ultrasound, can help reduce risks of cirrhosis and liver cancer and improve long-term prognosis.

Full articles:

https://www.journal-of-hepatology.eu/article/S0168-8278(24)02763-6/fulltext

https://www.journal-of-hepatology.eu/article/S0168-8278(24)02578-9/fulltext

Professor Guo Baihsu of NTU’s Department of Public Health and the Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine has contributed to a study under the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, collaborating with researchers worldwide. The groundbreaking research was published in Nature on January 2025.

Bipolar disorder is a severe psychiatric condition that not only diminishes quality of life and functionality but also significantly increases suicide risk. Clinically, bipolar disorder is categorized into Bipolar Disorder I (BD-I), marked by episodes of mania and depression, and Bipolar Disorder II (BD-II), characterized by hypomania and depression. Despite its relatively high prevalence, the diagnosis of bipolar disorder typically takes an average of eight years, and its biological mechanisms remain poorly understood.

This study represents the largest multi-ethnic genomic investigation of bipolar disorder to date, analyzing data from 2.9 million individuals—including over 150,000 patients—from European, East Asian, African American, and Latino populations. By scanning 6.7 million common genetic variants, researchers identified 298 loci associated with increased risk for bipolar disorder—four times the number previously known. Advanced gene-mapping methods further pinpointed 36 genes with strong links to bipolar disorder. Additionally, the team discovered differences in genetic features among clinical, community, and self-report samples, which appear to correlate with the prevalence of BD-I and BD-II, highlighting the influence of data collection methods on research outcomes.

The research team also found that bipolar disorder-associated genetic signals are related to specific brain cells, including mid-GABAergic interneurons and medium spiny neurons in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, and unexpectedly, cells in the gut and pancreas may also be involved. Further studies are needed to elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying mood episodes in bipolar disorder. These findings promise to advance new therapies, early intervention strategies, and precision medicine, ultimately aiding clinicians in devising more effective treatment plans for patients.

Heart failure affects 23 million people globally, with limited treatment options. Unlike adult human hearts, which lack regenerative capacity, neonatal hearts retain the ability to repair damage. A research team led by Professor Kai-Jen Yang at NTU’s Institute of Pharmacology discovered that N-Cadherin, a neural cadherin protein, plays a crucial role in cardiomyocyte proliferation and heart regeneration.

Their study found that N-Cadherin levels are 2–3 times higher in neonatal cardiomyocytes than in adults and decline with age. Following heart injury, N-Cadherin expression increased, promoting cardiomyocyte proliferation. Loss of N-Cadherin reduced regeneration, while its overexpression reactivated cell cycling in adult mouse hearts, improving cardiac function post-myocardial infarction.

Mechanistically, N-Cadherin binds to β-Catenin, stabilizing its protein levels and activating Wnt signaling, which regulates genes essential for cardiac repair. These findings suggest that modulating N-Cadherin could serve as a novel heart failure therapy.

Observational data from Taiwan’s dense rainfall network reveal that tropical island mountain regions exhibit multiple precipitation peaks during summer afternoon convection—a finding that contrasts with the previously assumed single-peak behavior and suggests more intricate underlying processes. To investigate these multi-peak characteristics, NTU researchers designed an idealized terrain setup integrating ocean, plain, and mountainous features. Using a high-resolution (100-meter) Vector Vorticity Equation Model (VVM) developed by Professor Jianming Wu’s team, the study successfully reproduced the dual-peaked precipitation pattern locked by local topography.

The simulation results indicate that the first peak is predominantly driven by convective available potential energy (CAPE), while the second peak results from enhanced low-level moist static energy (MSE) transport by island-scale circulations. Notably, the study found that under drier free-atmosphere conditions, local circulations can intensify the second peak’s precipitation—a sensitivity that diverges from previous expectations. Furthermore, the interaction between the two convective peaks appears critical: the initial convective burst modifies environmental humidity and energy distribution, thereby influencing the intensity and structure of subsequent convection.

This research provides a novel perspective on tropical island afternoon convection and has significant implications for future studies on the impacts of climate change on extreme precipitation events. The NTU team plans to extend this work by integrating real-world topography and field observations to further validate their findings and offer more accurate scientific support for mitigating extreme weather challenges.

Professor Hsien-Ho Lin, Director of the Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at National Taiwan University’s College of Public Health, is leading a collaborative tuberculosis prevention project with the University of Namibia, Namibia’s Ministry of Health, and Harvard Medical School. The project, aimed at reducing the spread and economic burden of tuberculosis (TB), has received generous support from the Acer Foundation, which donated 300 tablets to assist with economic burden surveys and enhance local public health strategies, aligning with the goals of University Social Responsibility (USR).

Tuberculosis remains one of the world’s most serious infectious diseases, particularly in developing countries. While effective drug treatment can cure nearly 100% of cases, failure to diagnose and treat the disease in time can lead to a 50% mortality rate within three years. Namibia, classified by the World Health Organization as a high TB burden country, ranks ninth globally in TB incidence, with approximately 460 cases per 100,000 people annually—a rate 16 times higher than that of Taiwan.

The international team is currently working on the project “Hotspots, Hospitals, and Households: Enhanced Case Finding of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Namibia” (H3TB). This initiative focuses on proactive TB screening among household contacts of drug-resistant TB patients, hospital visitors, and members of community hotspot areas, aiming to identify and treat cases early, break transmission chains, improve treatment outcomes, and reduce the economic burden on affected families.

To assess the economic impact of proactive TB screening, the team will conduct a household TB burden survey to determine whether the intervention reduces the incidence of catastrophic economic hardship. In Namibia, where transportation is often difficult, these tablets with communication capabilities will greatly improve the efficiency of the survey and are expected to enhance TB control efforts.

On August 23, 2024, Acer Foundation CEO Jensen Kuo and Acer\’s Director of Tablet Computing, Chiang-Tsun Chen, visited NTU, where they were hosted by Dean Shou-Hsia Cheng and Director Lin. The meeting deepened mutual understanding and provided an opportunity for the Acer Foundation to learn more about the importance of public health and global health initiatives, with discussions on future collaborative opportunities.

The Acer Foundation’s commitment to social responsibility and significant contributions to global health and sustainable development goals are deeply appreciated. This partnership has opened new avenues for dialogue, and both parties look forward to further interdisciplinary collaboration and research.

For millions of years, the Earth has experienced cyclical periods of ice ages and warm periods. Currently, we are in a warm period influenced by human activities. As greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increase, global warming intensifies, accelerating the melting of continental glaciers, raising sea levels, and posing serious climate crises to global ecosystems and human societies. To better understand the process and drivers of global warming, it is crucial to study the causes of past extreme warm periods, providing insights into present climate issues.

Geological records show that around 400,000 years ago, the global ice volume was less than today, and sea levels were about 10 meters higher. This warm period lasted approximately 30,000 years, making it the hottest warm period in Earth’s history over millions of years. Typically, summer solar radiation is the primary energy source for the Earth’s surface and a key driver of warm periods. However, during this period, solar radiation was relatively weak, and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations were lower than today, making this extreme warm period a famous mystery in Earth’s history, known as the “MIS 11c Paradox.” MIS stands for Marine Isotope Stage, used to describe the codes of alternating warm and ice periods in Earth’s geological history. The stages are numbered sequentially from the present, with odd numbers indicating warm periods and even numbers indicating ice periods. The Earth is currently in the MIS 1 warm period, while MIS 11c refers to the initial stage of the MIS 11 warm period about 420,000 years ago.

Dr. Hsun-Ming Hu, a postdoctoral researcher in NTU‘s Department of Geosciences, led an international team under the guidance of National Chair Professor Chuan-Chou (River) Shen. They utilized speleothem records from Mediterranean caves and North Atlantic marine records to reveal the key factors behind the anomalous warm period 400,000 years ago. This international research was published on July 15 in the top-tier journal Nature Communications.

Dr. Hu pointed out that solving the “MIS 11c Paradox” lies in understanding the response sequence of Earth’s ice shelves, oceans, and atmosphere to solar radiation during the warming process. However, due to the lack of precise absolute ages in most oceanic and terrestrial records, this issue remained unsolved. In 2014, NTU’s geoscience department and European partners drilled speleothem cores from the Witch Cave in northern Italy. Using high-precision uranium-thorium dating techniques from NTU’s HISPEC Laboratory, they analyzed the deposition time of the specimens, providing precise age control for geological records. Combining detailed carbon-oxygen isotope and trace element data, they reconstructed the environmental changes in southern Europe from 480,000 to 360,000 years ago. The team further compared solar radiation, global sea level changes, and climate records from various regions, including the Atlantic, finally unraveling the “MIS 11c Paradox.”

Professor Shen stated that the international team, led by NTU’s geoscience department, has been working in the Mediterranean region for over a decade. They discovered that the speleothem carbonate records from the Witch Cave in northern Italy are closely related to the climate changes in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Therefore, the paleoclimate records of the North Atlantic region can be dated accurately by comparing them with the speleothem records from the Witch Cave.

The research results indicate that the extreme warmth during MIS 11c was caused by a combination of factors. About 420,000 years ago, summer solar radiation in the Northern Hemisphere increased, causing mid- and low-latitude Atlantic regions to reach peak temperatures. Coincidentally, as ocean warming occurred, Earth’s axial tilt gradually increased, leading to even hotter summers. These warm waters continuously transported large amounts of heat to higher latitudes through ocean currents over tens of thousands of years, causing sustained ice shelf melting and resulting in the hottest MIS 11c warm period in Earth’s history.

Dr. Hu further explained that MIS 11c is an important example for understanding global warming. Similar to the present, this period did not experience particularly strong solar radiation. The research team found that to cause widespread ice shelf collapse and significant sea-level rise in the Northern Hemisphere, high greenhouse gas concentrations are not necessarily required; prolonged ocean warming can achieve this. This reveals the critical role of oceanic forces in driving global warming and ice shelf collapse mechanisms, providing significant reference value for predicting Earth’s future climate.

This research was funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Excellent Talent Program, the Ministry of Education’s Deep Cultivation Program, the Advanced Scientific Research Center for Sustainable Earth, and NTU’s Core Research Groups Program. The international project, led by NTU’s geoscience department, involved over twenty research units from Europe, the Americas, and Asia. NTU’s participating researchers included Dr. Hu, Professor Shen, and former students Hsien-Chen (Emerson) Tsai, Wei-Yi Chien, Wen-Hui (Ellen) Sung, and Chia-How Hsu.

Full research article: Nature Communications