Program Results

Introduction to the event

The collaboration between National Taiwan University (NTU) and Yushan Scholar Professor Jean-Marc Egly has yielded fruitful results in multiple areas, significantly enhancing Taiwan's international influence and academic standing.

Key achievements include:

1.Expanding International Influence and Academic Visibility: Professor Egly's research plan aims to expand Taiwan's biomedical advantages and international visibility, and to promote NTU's ascent to a leading international position.

2.Deepening Frontier Biomedical Research: Professor Egly's research on "the relationship between gene transcription regulation and DNA repair factors" has not only been internalized by NTU's micro-thematic teams but has also translated its findings into the scientific basis for the clinical drug Lurbinectin. Plans are underway to collaborate with NTU teams to improve the next generation of drugs.

3.Promoting International Industry-Academia Collaboration: Successful bilateral cooperation with the Spanish company PharmaMar and France has been fostered, leading to the official establishment of the "Taiwan-France Precision Medicine Cancer Center" in 2024 (113th year of the ROC calendar), deepening cross-national academic and industrial ties.

4.Cultivating the Next Generation of Scientific Talent: An on-campus "thematic micro-research team" has been established, and international integrated research projects (such as MOST-ANR bilateral cooperation) are being promoted. Professor Egly actively guides students and early-career researchers through the GIP-TRIAD international program, by offering the international course "DNA Metabolism in Drugs, Diseases, and Health," and by organizing numerous lectures and forums, encouraging them to broaden their international horizons.

5.Connecting International Epidemic Prevention and Biotech Development: By combining resources from the "YongLin Healthcare Foundation" and the two-year-old "Club NTU-France" organization, and leveraging Professor Egly's profound influence in official, academic, and industrial circles in France and Europe, the collaboration promotes the linkage between Taiwan and international epidemic prevention research and policies. Concurrently, the "Asian Biotech School" is being planned, drawing upon his invaluable experience in founding the European School of Biotechnology (ESBS) in Strasbourg in 1984. This initiative aims to lay a crucial foundation for talent cultivation in future biochemical or biomedical technology research, manufacturing, and operations in Asia, aligning with Taiwan's "5+2 Industrial Innovation Plan" and the biomedical development goals of the current "Five Major Strategic Industries Plan."

6.Optimizing Research Environment and Resource Integration: NTU has provided Professor Egly with an independent office space of nearly 10 pings (approx. 33 square meters) with high ceilings and ample natural light, as well as guest scholar accommodation in Taipei's Daan District. The NTU Genome and Precision Medicine Research Center has allocated research space for the "International Laboratory of Transcriptional Medicine" and other affiliated core laboratory resources. Various college instrument centers, shared instrument centers, and hospital joint research laboratories also provide close assistance for experimental research, ensuring smooth progress.

7.Building a High-Caliber Research Team: A thematic micro-research team focused on "gene transcription regulation" has been formed in collaboration with Professor Tsai-Kun Li from the College of Medicine. The team is comprised of numerous talented postdoctoral researchers (Yen-Hsiu Yeh, Chia-Hsuan Chen, I-Hsin Li, Baptiste Bidon) and full-time research assistants (Chia-En Peng, Yen-Ting Yu, Chia-Hua Chen, Navakanth RAO Vaikar), who collectively advance multiple research projects focused on the transcriptional genome.

These achievements collectively propel the development of Taiwan's biomedical industry, enhance NTU's international reputation and scientific research capabilities, and cultivate a new generation of scientists and leaders with a global perspective for Taiwan.