ABOUT OUR LAB
NEWS
Welcome to the Lai Lab at Academia Sinica, Taiwan. Our research focuses on molecular bioimaging, cell-to-cell communication and gene therapy. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) including exosomes and microvesicles are nanometer-sized particles released by cells to transfer proteins, nucleic acids and lipids to communicate locally and distally. By contrast, abnormal cells exploit EVs as a means to guide normal cells for disease propagation. While the (patho)physiological functions of EVs have been reported, it remains unclear as to how cells employ them as a communication network. Our lab combines our expertise on imaging and genetic engineering to develop novel imaging technologies to further our understanding and application of EV-based cell-to-cell communications.
Investigating DNA repair dynamics is another main research arm of Lai Lab. Eukaryotic cells constantly repair DNA to maintain their genome integrity and cell viability. In fact, DNA repair dynamic plays a key role in the efficacy of cancer and gene therapies. However, studying DNA repair in vivo is challenging where conventional methods typically require disruption of cells/animals. Our research focuses on developing non-disruptive and highly sensitive methods to track DNA repair dynamics and enhance cancer and genome therapy developments.
EV-based Cell-to-Cell Communication
(Wu et al., 2020, Advanced Science)
Live-cell Imaging of EVs at Subcellular Resolution
In vivo Imaging of Intravenously Administered EVs
(Wu et al., 2020, Advanced Science)
IVIS Imaging
(Wu et al., 2020, Advanced Science)
Live-cell Super-resolution Imaging of EVs
(Chien et al., 2020, Nucleic Acids Research)
Multiplexed Bioluminescent DNA DSB Reporter
2021 November
Congratulations to Jasper Chien (簡哲永) on receiving the 2021 IAMS Annual Award for Outstanding Publication by a Junior Researcher!
2021 November
Congratulations to Anthony Wu (吳晏瑭) on receiving the Excellent Thesis Award（優秀論文獎）from Wang Ming-Ning Memorial Foundation （王民寧先生紀念基金會）!
2021 September
Please see our recent review in Nature Methods on in vivo imaging of extracellular vesicles with Drs. Frederik Verweij, Niel van GuiIlaume van Niel, and ISEV Imaging Workshop.
2021 August
Congratulations to Lai Lab on receiving the Young Scientist Award (青年醫學科技獎) from YungShin Tien Te Lee Biomedical Foundation (永信李天德醫學基金會) for our recent works on multi-resolution EV imaging and redirected organotropism, as well as non-invasive tracking of DNA repairs!
2021 June
Congratulations to Jasper Chien (簡哲永) on our latest collaborative protocol paper in Nature Protocols with Dr. Christian Badr (Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School), "Multiplexed bioluminescence-mediated tracking of DNA double-strand break repairs in vitro and in vivo".
2020 December
Congratulations to Bryan John Magoling (孟古寧) on receiving the 2020 IAMS Young Fellow Oral Presentation Award!
2020 December
Congratulations to Anthony Wu (吳晏瑭) on receiving the 2020 IAMS Annual Award for Outstanding Publication by a Junior Researcher!
2020 November
Congratulations to Anthony Wu (吳晏瑭) on receiving 2nd Place at Oral Presentation Contest of the 2020 Taiwan Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Autumn Camp!
2020 November
Congratulations to Jasper Chien (簡哲永) on receiving Honorable Mention at Oral Presentation Contest of the 2020 Taiwan Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Autumn Camp!
2020 August
Congratulations to Anthony Wu (吳晏瑭) on our latest publication in Advanced Science, "Multiresolution Imaging Using Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer Identifies Distinct Biodistribution Profiles of Extracellular Vesicles and Exomeres with Redirected Tropism"!
Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica
No. 1, Roosevelt Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
