ABOUT OUR LAB

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 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.