Jia-Ching Shieh
Chung Shan Medical University, Taiwan
Biography
Jia-Ching Shieh’s research interests are on genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors involved in a variety of human diseases, which are in concert with the subjects of his teaching. His main research focus presently addresses the mechanism underlying morphological plasticity of the opportunistic human fungal pathogen Candida albicans, which is significant in both biology and medicine. His studies revealed the cross-talk between morphogenesis and stress and nutrient responses, and the role of epigenetic regulation in morphological plasticity and are under further investigation using classical approaches of genetics, molecular biology, cell biology and biochemistry incorporated with cutting edge technologies of functional genomics, proteomics, and epigenomics. To overcome C. albicans having a non-canonical codon usage and being a diploid without a complete sexual cycle, novel and non-genetic platforms have been established to reinforce revealing unique genes involved in morphogenesis and other virulence-related factors.