Institute of Biomedical Sciences

The establishment of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences (IBMS) was first proposed in July 1980 and was subsequently approved by the Council of Academia Sinica and by the President's Office of R.O.C. Through the collaborative efforts of many scientists and administrators in Taiwan and abroad, the Preparatory Office of IBMS was established in February 1981, and the Planning and Advisory Committee for the establishment of the Institute was formed in April 1981, both under the chairmanship of Dr. Paul N. Yu.

The present six and a half-story building on the campus of Academia Sinica was completed in June 1986, and the neurological organ system research under Dr. C.Y. Chai was the first to move in. In January 1987, Dr. Shu Chien (director of the Preparatory Office from January 1987 to June 1988) led a group of more than 20 scientists to set up laboratories at IBMS. The research activities at IBMS continued to expand when Dr. Cheng-Wen Wu (director of the Preparatory Office from 1988-1993) assumed the directorship. During this period, research at IBMS was organized under the names of the diseases into groups, and were housed in the basic research building in Academia Sinica. The emphasis of IBMS is to have basic and clinical research go hand-in-hand. Three clinical research centers were set up in 1982, in collaboration with the three main teaching hospitals of the country (National Taiwan University Hospital, Tri-Service General Hospital and Veterans General Hospital). A 36-bed clinical research ward in the Veterans General Hospital, and a 16-bed ward in National Taiwan University Hospital, together with several related clinical laboratories were set up to integrate basic and clinical research under IBMS.

In December 1993, the Preparatory Office was granted the formal establishment of the Institute by the order of the President's Office of R.O.C. and Dr. Cheng-Wen Wu was appointed as the first director of the Institute. After serving IBMS for 8 years, Dr. Cheng-Wen Wu moved to National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) to become the first president of the Institutes in January 1996. Dr. Te-Chang Lee, then deputy director of IBMS, was appointed as acting director of IBMS by president Yuan-Tseh Lee in 1996.

RESEARCH

Protozoan Virus

The Institute of Biomedical Sciences (IBMS) aims to enhance biomedical research and to encourage collaborative biomedical research efforts in Taiwan. Our current research activities include seven main areas grouped into seven divisions, namely, cancer research, cardiovascular diseases, clinical research, epidemiology and public health, infectious diseases, neuroscience, and structural biology, to emphasize our effort of integrating basic and clinical research together.

Education and training of next generation biomedical scientists in Taiwan is an important facet of IBMS. These training programs currently include predoctoral training (MS and Ph.D.), postdoctoral training, and medical subspecialty such as oncology and infectious diseases training. We have also held a summer student research program for the last eight years. Over 250 medical students and students in related fields have benefited from this program, and many of them have delivered outstanding performances.

A-E, normal mitosis; F-J arsenic-induced mitotic alterations in human cells

Since Fall 1992, a new life-science graduate school for Ph.D. students jointly operated by IBMS, four other Academia Sinica Institutes, and the National Defense Medical School has been in operation to step up the education and training of future scientists.

PERSONNEL AND FACILITIES

PERSONNEL

Our Institute currently has 432 staff members which include one distinguished research fellow, 13 research fellows, 17 associate research fellows (two joint appointments), 11 assistant research fellows, 3 visiting members, 28 postdoctoral fellows and 76 postgraduate students (PhDs and MSCs). There are also 33 permanent research assistants, 65 administrative and technical staff, and 170 research assistants employed under various research programs.

FACILITIES

The immunostain of ferritin protein(A) and iron-deposition(B) in buman advanced atherosclerotic aorta

Apart from more than 4,600 pieces of equipment used in various laboratories, many core facilities and special instruments are available at IBMS. These include: GC Mass spectrometer, scanning and transmission electron microscope, atomic absorption spectrophotometer, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy systems, peptide and nucleic acid synthesizer and sequencer, microinjection system, etc. We are also equipped with a modern animal facility, a computer and communication room, and an up-to-date library with 8,000 books and 490 journals to support the biomedical research in our Institute. Under the new planning of president Yuan-Tseh Lee, this year, our library has consolidated with four other libraries from the Life Sciences division of the Academy to form a main library for Life Sciences.

MAJOR RESULTS OF RESEARCH

• Cancer research is divided into 3 areas: cancer and virus, gene regulation and cancer, and molecular and genetic toxicology studies. These studies emphasize on the mechanisms of action of various viruses (HPV, HCMV, HERV), antitumor drugs (VK₃) and anticancer-virus (AAV), prodrugs and cytokine therapy, p53 and RNase structure-function studies, mucin and lung carcinoma, metal genotoxicity, and genome analysis.

  Double-labeling immunohistochemistry revealed increased expression of bEGF in hippocampal glial cells following cerebral ischemia

• Cardiovascular diseases research focuses on the mech-anisms of physiological functions and on pathologic disorders of the cardiovascular system, which are common health problems in Taiwan. Projects cover cell aging, genetic diseases, molecular and biochemical studies on circulation systems.
• Clinical research: IBMS has been establishing Clinical Research Wards/Laboratories within the major medical centers in Taiwan, including the Veterans General Hospital-Taipei (since October 1991) and the National Taiwan University Hospital (since October 1995), mainly with funding support from the National Health Research Institutes. A Gynecological Oncology Training Program was set up in January 1996 for a 3-year period. This represents the third effort, following the Medical Oncology Training Program and Surgical Oncology Training Program (with the active participation of many distinguished professors from abroad), for Academia Sinica to build up appropriate manpower resources to cope with the cancer problem in Taiwan.

  Establish the in vitro model for studying the mechanisms of invasion and metastasis of human lung cancer

• Epidemiology and public health research focuses on the etiology of diseases that are important in Chinese people. The relationship between potential causal agents and the development of chronic diseases has been investigated.
• Infectious diseases research includes virology, molecular parasitology, and immunology. Pathogenesis of the viruses, molecular aspects of the protozoan, helminth parasites, the cytokine-receptor relationship in immu-nological phenomena, and vaccine development are the focuses of the studies.

  Applying modern computer modeling methods to understand the structrual-function relationship of proteins

• Neuroscience research uses organ system and molecular/cellular approaches to study basic neurologic functions and human neurologic disorders.
• Structural biology research encompasses three cate-gories: (i) determination of macromolecular structure, dynamics and function by NMR spectroscopy; (ii) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and in vivo NMR spectroscopy; and (iii) computer modeling of macro-molecular systems.

It took us nine years to reach the current size. During this period, we published 462 research articles in international journals, and another 70 articles published either as reviews or in conference monographs.

RESEARCH STAFF

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