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FEATURE ARTICLE

Taiwan’s Academia Sinica Forges Ahead Research in the life sciences has expanded and improved, and is conforming to international standards

institutes and research projects, to promote academic collaboration between Taiwan and other countries, and to make plans for academic development when requested by the government. It is also responsible for nominating three candidates for the presidency when the president vacates, as well as formulation of rules pertaining to the Academia. The Central Advisory Committee consists of chairpersons of the advisory committee of the individual institutes, and two to three specialists from each of the Academia’s three divisions. One of the vice presidents of the Academia serves as its chairperson. The committee recruits national and international specialists for the Academia and also creates long-term interdisciplinary research plans. It is also he development of science and 188 associate research fellows, 134 responsible for evaluating and promoting T technology has been given much assistant research fellows, 123 assistant inter-institutional large-scale research importance by the Taiwan government in fellows, and 20 research assistants. projects, evaluating applications of recent years. This can be seen from the postdoctoral researchers, and selecting Organization increased expenditure on science and winners for the Academia’s annual technology, and the annual increase in The Academia is headed by Dr. Yuan- awards for outstanding publications by national R&D budget. The government Tseh Lee, its president. Dr. Lee is the junior research faculties. is determined to improve the quality of 1986 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. He Division of Life Sciences research carried out in the country. is assisted by two vice presidents. The Division of Life Sciences includes Academia Sinica, the country’s national The Academia has three divisions — the Institute of , Institute of academy of sciences, was founded in mathematics and physical sciences, life , Institute of Biological 1928 to undertake in-depth academic sciences, and social sciences. Academi- Chemistry, Institute of Molecular research in the sciences and humanities. cians of the Academia are grouped into , Institute of Biomedical Sciences The Academia has undergone tremendous these divisions based on their expertise. and Institute of BioAgricultural Sciences growth since then, especially in the last The Academicians form the Convocation, (preparatory office). ten years. It has attracted many senior whose functions include electing into the country, and more academicians and honorary academicians, Institute of Botany electing council members of the opportunities are opening up, especially The Institute of Botany is one of the Academia, making policies on academic in the life sciences, for young researchers. oldest institutes of the Academia. It research, and carrying out research at the Postdoctoral positions are more readily started-off as the National History government’s request. Ex officio available, getting a research grant has Museum in 1929. In 1934, it was members including the president, vice become fairly straightforward, and renamed the Institute of Zoology and presidents, directors of research institutes, research facilities at the Academia are Botany. Ten years later, it was decided and elected members holding a tenure of comparable to those available at that the institute will be split into two — three years form the Council. The universities in the US. At present, there the Institute of Botany and the Institute functions of the Council are to make and are more than 800 research staff at the of Zoology. The Institute of Botany was review research policies, to evaluate Academia, including 13 distinguished then formally founded on 1 May, 1944. research fellows, 324 research fellows, proposals concerning changes to the

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signal transduction after viral infection, cellular glycobiology laboratory was the role of kinases, disease resisting established here to study the , “The Institute of Botany mechanism of anti-sense oligonucle- , and biosynthesis of glyco- otides, and mechanism of control of and glycolipids. In future, the cellular response to viral infection. institute will be establishing new research will be establishing a Gene functions of the Infective programs in molecular and Pancreatic Necrosis Virus (IPNV) in vaccine biology, and expand its existing transgenic plant relation to cellular is also research on receptor ligand interactions. an important area of research. Institute of Biomedical Sciences laboratory to strengthen Genotoxicity of environmental The Institute of Biomedical Sciences contaminants aims to enhance and encourage its and Studies are carried out on the geno- biomedical research in the country, as toxicity and carcinogenicity of the two well as to attain a high level of research. main environmental contaminants in international recognition and make Taiwan — pesticides and arsenics. important contributions to research areas pertaining to human and Transgenic fish pathological process. Research programs Studies on the influence of insulin-like At the institute, both basic and applied” at the institute comprise disease-oriented growth factor on fish growth is being research in plant sciences are carried out. basic research and fundamental basic carried out. However, the focus is more on basic research. Besides this, some clinical research. On the average, about 90 2. Physiological and Organismic Zoology research programs are developed through research papers are published by its staff collaborations with medical centers. Comparative endocrinology of pituitary every year. The institute is currently gonadotropin and thyrotropin derived Institute of Molecular Biology headed by Dr. Jei-Fu Shaw. There are from the various vertebrate classes, This institute was established in 1986. 36 principal investigators, conducting osmoregulation mechanism of eury- At the institute, research in molecular more than 80 research projects, which haline fishes, endocrinological studies biology and structural biology is are supported by the Academia, National on insects, and basic research on undertaken. Its current research areas Science Council, Council of Agriculture, ecomonic insects are some of the include: Taipei Municipal Government, Taiwan research areas of this division. Provincial Government, and the China 1. Cellular communication and signal Foundation. Its major research areas 3. and Evolutionary Zoology transduction include plant molecular and , Research in this division is mainly on This includes studies on cell differen- plant and quantitative sciences, the attributes of the individual orga- tiation, signal transduction, cell cycle, plant , and nisms, their combined effect expressed apoptosis, virus-host interactions, and plant , plant physiology, plant in a population, the relationship transport in plants and animals. and , plant between a population and the environ- 2. Nuclear structure and function and environmental sciences, and ment, and genetic variations among biotechnology. The institute will also be population. Mechanisms of gene regulation, RNA establishing a transgenic plant laboratory splicing, RNA structure-function, and Institute of Biological Chemistry to strengthen its molecular biology and cell growth control are being studied. biotechnology research. This institute was established in 1972. 3. Genetics and development Institute of Zoology Following an agreement between the Academia and the National Taiwan Studies cover role of homeobox genes, The Institute of Zoology is divided into University in February 1973, a four-story regulation of homeotic genes, genes three divisions: building for the institute was constructed for sensory development and 1. Cellular and Molecular Zoology on the university campus in April 1977. metabolism in plants. The institute formally commenced its At present this division carries out 4. Structural-functional relationship in operations in July of the same year. In research in the following areas: biological systems 1996, the institute was expanded to Signal transduction include a new building at the Academia’s X-ray crystallography and mass campus in Nankang to accommodate new spectrometry methods are used to This includes studies on the interaction research programs. A new molecular and determine . between host cells and viruses, cellular

438 APBN • Vol. 2 • Nos. 25 & 26 • 1998 In addition to the above studies, a Summary of the research activities at the various life transgenic mice research program has sciences institutes of Academia Sinica. recently been initiated. This will further Institute Major Research Projects enhance its existing research on , and also Institute of Botany Plant molecular and cell biology contribute toward applied sciences such Plant genetics and quantitative genetics Plant biochemistry as medicine and medical biotechnology. Microbiology and plant pathology Institute of BioAgricultural Sciences Plant physiology Plant systematics and evolution (Preparatory office) Plant ecology and environmental sciences The preparatory office of the Institute of Biotechnology BioAgricultural Sciences will be responsible for the pursuance of high Institute of Zoology Cellular and Molecular Section quality agricultural biotechnology Viruses from aquaculture species Transgenic fish projects in the country. The physical Genotoxity of environmental contaminants setting up of its research laboratories are Signal transduction near completion. Research in the Physical and Organismic Section following areas will be carried out: post- Vertebrate hormones harvest and disease resistance Insect sex pheromones and growth hormones Inheritance and biochemistry of pesticide resistance biotechnology, transgenic plants as in insects bioreactors, animal vaccines and Environmental physiology of fish transgenesis, aquacultural biotechnology Population and Evolutionary Section — transgenesis and disease control, and Ecology, and systematics of marine environmental and industrial , birds, and Formosan macaque. biotechnology, and Chinese herb/ medicinal plants. Some research staff Institute of Biological Microanalysis and sequencing of proteins have already been recruited and the Chemistry Oligonucleotide synthesis second phase of recruitment will be Peptide synthesis carried out in the near future. Mass spectrometric analysis of , and polypeptides NMR Structure, function and biosynthesis of glycoproteins and glycolipids Receptor ligand interactions

Institute of Cancer research Biomedical Sciences Cardiovascular diseases and public health Infectious diseases Structural biology

Institute of Molecular Cellular communication and signal transduction Biology Nuclear structure and function Genetics and development Structural-functional relationship in macromolecular biological systems

Institute of Post-harvest and disease resistance biotechnology BioAgricultural Sciences Transgenic plants as bioreactors (preparatory office) Animal vaccines and transgenesis Aquacultural biotechnology — transgenesis and disease control Environmental and industrial enzyme biotechnology Study of Chinese medicinal plants

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