RESEARCH FOCUS
Investigate the role of the microbiota in digestive system cancers, metabolic syndrome, and rare metabolic disorders, as well as their pathogenic mechanisms. Develop microbiota-centered biomarkers and intervention strategies.
Using the microbiota as the core, conduct multiomics and phenomics research on the mentioned diseases and their sub-healthy populations. Establish their digital avatars for disease prediction and prevention.
The research mentioned above aims to develop a precision health research and development ecosystem that encompasses industry, academia, and research. This will expand the value of research and innovation from basic to clinical, from laboratory to patient care in hospital wards, and from hospitals to the community.
Recent Paper Publications
| Publication Date | Author | Article Title | Abstract | Journal Name | SCI Impact Factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 17, 2026 | Professor Chun-Ying Wu and others | Rapid electrochemical profiling of fecal short chain acids using esterification/dissociation fingerprints and artificial neural networks | This study developed a rapid and inexpensive method for detecting short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in human feces, and incorporated artificial intelligence to improve analytical accuracy. The study found that this method can accurately measure important metabolites such as propionic acid and butyric acid even in complex fecal samples, with results almost identical to traditional GC-MS detection. Due to its fast detection speed and low equipment cost, it has the potential for future applications in large-scale health screening and long-term gut health monitoring. | Biosensors | 5.6 |
| April 6, 2026 | Professor Chun-Ying Wu and others | Objective and subjective assessments of the response of photobiomodulation therapy against alopecia areata | Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) may be a promising non-invasive treatment for alopecia areata (AA) without causing systemic or local side effects. | Derm Ther | 3.4 |
| March 24, 2026 | Li-Ling Wu and others | Nfil3 integrates circadian rhythm and microbial metabolite signaling to maintain gut-liver immune-metabolic homeostasis under high-fat diet stress | These results support Nfil3 as a key regulatory node linking the functional potential of the gut microbiota to immune and metabolic responses in metabolically associated fatty liver disease (MASLD). Although currently in preclinical research, this study provides a mechanistic framework illustrating how gut microbiota-related metabolic reprogramming influences host immune and metabolic homeostasis. Future research, combining circadian rhythm and metabolite hierarchy studies with human interventional trials, is needed to clarify the clinical significance of the microbiota-Nfil3 axis. | J Transl Med | 7.5 |
| March 18, 2026 | Ting-Ting Chang and others | CCL7 suppression alleviates vascular injury by blocking the CCR5/STAT1 signaling pathway in chronic kidney disease | This study investigated the role of the inflammatory chemokine CCL7 in the development of peripheral artery disease in chronic kidney disease (CKD). The study found elevated CCL7 concentrations in the blood of CKD mice, accompanied by decreased blood flow in ischemic limbs and delayed wound healing. Inhibition or knockout of CCL7 promoted angiogenesis, increased capillary density, and improved blood flow and tissue repair, demonstrating a negative regulatory effect on angiogenesis. Further mechanistic studies indicated that CCL7 affects endothelial cell function by regulating the CCR5/STAT signaling pathway, thus potentially becoming an important therapeutic target for CKD-related vascular complications. | Life Sciences | 5.1 |
| March 17, 2026 | Professor Chun-Ying Wu and others | Assessing Major Adverse Liver Outcomes With Baclofen Compared to Acamprosate in Compensated Alcohol-Associated Cirrhosis | In this large real-world study, Baclofen was associated with a higher risk of hepatic encephalopathy compared to Acamprosate in patients with compensated alcohol-related cirrhosis. | Aliment Pharmacol Ther | 6.7 |
| March 14, 2026 | Chun-Ying Wu and others | Real-World Safety of JAK Inhibitors in Skin Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases: Boxed Warning Outcomes from a Multinational Cohort Study | Overall results showed that JAKis was comparable in safety to conventional treatments for patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs), without presenting a higher risk. | Clin Pharmacol Ther | 5.5 |
| March 2026 | Professor Chun-Ying Wu and others | Validated nationwide scoring system for hepatocellular carcinoma risk in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease | CAMD score is an easy-to-calculate tool that can facilitate large-scale surveillance of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with metabolically associated fatty liver disease (MASLD). | Liver International | 5.2 |
| February 25, 2026 | Li-Ling Wu and others | Comparative analysis of renal dysfunction, immune remodeling, and gut microbiota profiles in dietary models of metabolic liver disease | Studies show that both HFD and CDAHFD can lead to fatty liver and systemic metabolic abnormalities, but CDAHFD causes more severe liver inflammation, collagen deposition, and kidney damage, while HFD presents with a slower onset of hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and glomerular hypertrophy. In terms of immune cell composition, HFD is dominated by macrophages, while CDAHFD increases inflammatory monocytes, dendritic cells, and T cells, indicating that different diets have a specific impact on renal immune responses. Regarding the gut microbiota, HFD and choline-deficient, amino acid-defined high-fat diets exhibit different microbial community characteristics, and CDAHFD is accompanied by a significant decrease in microbial diversity, indicating that it has a greater impact on the gut microbiome. | BMC Nephrology | 2.4 |
| February 4, 2026 | Yi-Ju Chen, Chun-Ying Wu, and others | Akkermansia Muciniphila Ameliorates Imiquimod-Induced Skin Thickening, Colitis, and Gut Microbiota Alterations: A Metagenome Association Study | Studies have found that patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis have decreased levels of Akkermansia muciniphila (Akk) in their gut. Supplementation with pasteurized inactivated Akk (pAkk) in an IMQ-induced mouse model improved skin thickening, weight loss, splenomegaly, and inflammatory responses (such as TNF-α and IL-17A). pAkk also alleviated DSS-induced enteritis, increased gut microbiota diversity, altered gut microbiota composition, and was associated with pathways such as GABA metabolism, cholinergic synapses, and MAPK. Overall, pAkk may improve skin and gut inflammation by regulating gut microbiota and metabolic pathways and reducing inflammatory responses. | Inflammation | 5 |
| February 3, 2026 | Assistant Professor Cheng-Yen Kao and others | A combined genetic and phenotypic marker approach enables precise detection of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae and reveals associated traits of capsule overproduction and tellurite resistance | This study integrated gene and phenotypic analysis to compare carbapenem resistance and liver abscess-associated Klebsiella pneumoniae strains. It found that five virulence genes (peg-344, iroB, iucA, prmpA, prmpA2) combined with a string test could effectively identify highly virulent strains (hvKp). Results showed that strains carrying all five genes, regardless of string test positivity, exhibited high virulence and capsule production. The LAKp group showed the most significant lethality and capsule formation, while CRcKp, lacking these genes, exhibited the lowest virulence. Long-term monitoring also revealed that the proportion of blood isolates carrying the five virulence markers was higher than that of urine isolates, indicating that these biomarkers can help improve the clinical detection and risk assessment of hvKp. | Microbiol Spectr | 3.8 |
| February 2026 | Assistant Professor Cheng-Yen Kao and others | Genotypes, antibiotic resistance, and virulence diversity among Klebsiella pneumoniae species complex isolates in Taiwan | In Taiwan, *Klebsiella pneumoniae*, *Klebsiella quasipneumoniae*, and *Klebsiella variicola* exhibit distinct genotypes and phenotypes. *K. quasipneumoniae* and *K. variicola*, in particular, caused higher mortality rates in larval infection models, indicating their potential pathogenicity should not be ignored. Therefore, continuous monitoring of the transmission and prevalence of these species is of great importance. | Gut Pathogens | 4 |
| February 2026 | Li-Ling Wu and others | Cumulative defined daily doses Enables Objective Assessment of Treatment Intensity and Outcome Prediction in IgG4-RD and Its subtypes | Different proliferative and fibrotic forms of IgG4-related diseases present with varying risks and treatment responses. Quantitative assessment of cDDD (cumulative defined daily dose) can objectively reflect treatment intensity and predict clinical outcomes. This approach helps advance staging-guided and precision treatment strategies for IgG4-related diseases. | Rheumatology | 4.4 |
| January 20, 2026 | Professor Chun-Ying Wu and others | Unbiased clustering of acute-on-chronic liver failure patients using machine learning in a real-world ICU cohort. | This study conducted an unsupervised cohort analysis on 1,256 patients with acute chronic liver failure (ACLF), successfully identifying two groups with significantly different clinical characteristics and prognoses, and a marked difference in 30-day mortality (70.35% vs 26.06%). The optimal model employed nonnegative matrix factorization (Lee’s algorithm) and used the PAM cohort method to determine the number of clusters, showing that acid-base balance-related indicators (such as bicarbonate, pH, lactate, etc.) were key cohort factors. External validation (including decompensated cirrhosis and the European cohort) yielded consistent results, supporting the stability of this cohortation method and highlighting the important role of metabolic regulation in the prognosis of ACLF. | Nature Communication | 15.7 |
| January 19, 2026 | Assistant Professor Cheng-Yen Kao and others | Emergence of conjugative metallo-β-lactamase-encoding plasmids in the Klebsiella pneumoniae species complex: First identification of IMP-8-MCR-9.1 in K. quasipneumoniae and VIM-1 in K. variicola in Taiwan | Among CRKpSC isolates, blaKPC was the most common (20.1%), followed by blaOXA-48 (3.4%), while blaIMP, blaNDM, and blaVIM were quite rare (≤1%), and only a very few strains carried multiple genes simultaneously. Only a few Kq and Kv strains carried metallo-β-lactamase genes, with pNCKUH114–1 plasmid carrying blaIMP-8 and mcr-9.1, and pNTUH73–1 carrying blaVIM-1, showing limited similarity to plasmids known in the database. These two plasmids could only be transferred to E. coli EC359, and under experimental conditions, they did not increase its pathogenicity to larvae. | Journal of Infection and Public Health | 4 |
| January 12, 2026 | Professor Chun-Ying Wu and others | Dynamic FIB-4 score changes and HCC risk in patients with MASLD and elevated liver enzymes: a nationwide cohort study. | Over time, FIB-4 scores have a better predictive ability for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) than a single measurement. The highest-to-high FIB-4 risk was observed in individuals with consistently high FIB-4 scores, approximately 14 times higher than in those with stable low-to-low scores, while the risk of HCC decreased significantly in those with improving scores (high-to-low, high-to-indeterminate). FIB-4 deterioration (low-to-indeterminate, low-to-high) was associated with a progressively increasing risk of HCC, but those with improving scores still showed a significantly lower risk compared to those with consistently high scores. | Liver Cancer | 9.1 |
| December 2025 (accepted) | Ting-Ting Chang and others | Sodium nitroprusside improves ischemia-induced neovascularization via the HO-1/NOX and AKT/eNOS signaling pathways in chronic kidney disease. | Studies show that uremic toxins (such as ADMA and IS) commonly found in chronic kidney disease can cause increased oxidative stress and decreased nitric oxide production, which in turn leads to endothelial damage and worsening of peripheral arterial disease. In the ischemic model of CKD mice, sodium nitroprusside (SNP) can enhance pro-angiogenic factors, improve blood flow recovery, increase capillary density, and regulate inflammation and angiogenesis-related proteins in ischemic tissues. SNPs can also improve the function of endothelial cells stimulated by ADMA or IS in vitro, reduce oxidative stress and promote angiogenesis through the HO-1/NOX and AKT/eNOS pathways, showing that they may be a potential treatment strategy for vascular complications associated with CKD. | Life Sciences | 5.1 |
| November 2025 (accepted) | Chun-Ying Wu and others | Increased risk of antimicrobial resistance in patients with cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy using rifaximin | This study assessed whether the use of Rifaximin in patients with cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy increased the risk of antibiotic resistance. The results showed that Rifaximin was associated with an increased risk of sepsis, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, and the need for last-line antibiotics. | Nature Communication | 15.7 |
| October 17, 2025 | Professor Chun-Ying Wu and student Teng-Li Lin et al. | Psoriatic arthritis risk in psoriasis patients receiving anti-IL-23 vs anti-IL-17: comparison of drug classes and individual agents | This study compared the risk of developing psoriatic arthritis in psoriasis patients using IL-23 inhibitors versus IL-17 inhibitors. Among 5,490 patients in a 1:1 matched study, the cumulative 5-year incidence of psoriatic arthritis was significantly lower in patients using IL-23 inhibitors (11.68% vs 19.94%), with a hazard ratio of 0.475. Similar trends were observed across multiple subgroups and individual drug comparisons, indicating that IL-23 inhibitors are more effective than IL-17 inhibitors in reducing the risk of subsequent arthritis development in psoriasis patients. | Rheumatology | 4.4 |