Associate Research Fellow

EDUCATION AND POSITIONS HELD:

• Ph.D., Developmental Biology Program, University of Bath, 2002
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre For Regenerative Medicine, University of Bath, 2002-2004
• Assistant Research Fellow, Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, 2004-2012
• Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Biotechnology and Laboratory Science in Medicine, National Yang-Ming University,2005-present
• Adjunct Assistant Professor, Graduate Institue of Clinical Medicine, Taipei Medical University, 2009-present
• Associate Research Fellow, Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, 2012-present

HONORS:

• ORS Award, Committee of Vice-chancellors and Principals of Universities of United Kingdom, 1999-2002
• Conference Scholarship of International Federation of Cell Biology, 2000
• Entrant of Santa Cruz Investigator Award, 2001
• Conference Scholarship of British Society of Developmental Biology, 2000, 2001
• Conference Scholarship of International Society of Differentiation, 2002

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

Plasticity means the ability of somatic cells to convert or to adapt to the new phenotype, which has been demonstrated in all examples of cell reprogramming including transdifferentiation (metaplasia), nuclear transplantation or cell fusion. Phenotypic switches may also result from interconversions between somatic stem cells. To investigate the molecular basis of somatic cell conversion is clinically significant for two reasons. (1) Somatic cell conversion (transdifferentiation) predisposes to certain forms of neoplasia and cancer. For example, epidemiological studies have indicated that the patients with intestinal metaplasia have a 10-fold increased risk of developing gastric cancer. (2)Somatic cell conversion is clinically important to the newly emerging science of regenerative medicine. Due to the shortage for transplantation, an alternative strategy is to produce isogenic cells to replace sick or damaged tissue from reprogrammed somatic cells.

Therefore, the first focus of our group is to investigate the molecular basis of somatic cell conversions which may lead to development of neoplasia and tumor in pancreas, our current work suggests there is a possibility of generation of multipotent progenitor during acinar-to-hepatic transdifferentiation which may result from the progression of acinar cell dysplasia. Our second focus is to develop disease therapies in combination with stem cells and somatic cell reprogramming. Currently, we found insulin-producing cells, which can be generated from liver cell reprogramming and ES derived endodermal progenitor, can possibly be used for diabetic therapies in the near future.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

• WY Liao, CC Liaw, YC Huang, HY Han, HW Hsu, SM Hwang, SC Kuo and CN Shen*, 2013, “Cyclohexylmethyl flavonoids suppress propagation of breast cancer stem cells via downregulation of NANOG”, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013, 170261. (SCI)
• Liu YP, Yang CJ, Huang MS, Yeh CT, Wu AT, Lee YC, Lai TC, Lee CH, Hsiao YW, Lu J, Shen CN, Lu PJ, Hsiao M, 2013, “Cisplatin selects for multidrug-resistant CD133+ cells in lung adenocarcinoma by activating Notch signaling.”, Cancer Research, 73, 406-416. (SCI)
• Tsai ST, Tsou CC, Mao WY, Chang WC, Han HY, Hsu WL, Li CL, Shen CN*, Chen CH*, 2012, “Label-free quantitative proteomics of CD133-positive liver cancer stem cells.”, Proteome science, 10(1), 69. (SCI)
• Tsai HA, Shen CN, Chang YC, 2012, “The Use of Surface Properties to Control the Growth and Differentiation of Mouse Fetal Liver Stem/Progenitor Cell Colonies.”, Biomacromolecules, 13(11), 3483–3493. (SCI)
• Wu YC, Ling TY, Lu SH, Kuo HC, Ho HN, Yeh SD, Shen CN*, Huang YH*, 2012, “Chemotherapeutic Sensitivity of Testicular Germ Cell Tumors Under Hypoxic Conditions Is Negatively Regulated by SENP1-Controlled Sumoylation of OCT4.”, Cancer Research, 72(19), 4963-4973. (SCI)
• Chu CY, Chen CF, Rajendran RS, Shen CN, Chen TH, Yen CC, Chuang CK, Lin DS, Hsiao CD, 2012, “Overexpression of Akt1 enhances adipogenesis and leads to lipoma formation in zebrafish.”, PloS One, 7(5), e36474. (SCI)
• Liao WY, Shen CN, Lin LH, Yang YL, Han HY, Chen JW, Kuo SC, Wu SH, Liaw CC, 2012, “Asperjinone, a Nor-Neolignan, and Terrein, a Suppressor of ABCG2-Expressing Breast Cancer Cells, from Thermophilic Aspergillus terreus.”, Journal of Natural Products, 75(4), 630-635. (SCI)
• Liang YJ, Yang BC, Chen JM, Lin YH, Huang CL, Cheng YY, Hsu CY, Khoo KH, Shen CN, Yu J, 2011, “Changes in Glycosphingolipid Composition During Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells to Ectodermal or Endodermal Lineages.”, Stem Cells, 29(12), 1995-2004. (SCI)
• Liaw CC, Liao WY, Chen CS, Jao SC, Wu YC, Shen CN*, Wu SH*, 2011, “The calcium-chelating capability of tetrahydrofuranic moieties modulates the cytotoxicity of annonaceous acetogenins.”, Angewandte Chemie-International edition, 50(34), 7885-7891. (SCI)
• C.F.Chen, C.Y. Chu, T.H. Chen, S.J. Lee, C.N. Shen*, and C.D. Hsiao*, 2011, “Establishment of a Transgenic Zebrafish Line for Superficial Skin Ablation and for Functionally Validation of Anti-Apoptotic Pathways in vivo”, PLoS One, 6(5), e20654. (SCI)
• Al-Adsani A, Burke ZD, Eberhard D, Lawrence KL, Shen CN, Rustgi AK, Sakaue H, Farrant JM, Tosh D, 2010, “Dexamethasone Treatment Induces the Reprogramming of Pancreatic Acinar Cells to Hepatocytes and Ductal Cells.”, PLoS ONE, 5(10), e13650. (SCI)
• Wu SY, Hsieh CC, Wu RR, Susanto J, Liu TT, Shen CR, Chen Y, Su CC, Chang FP, Chang HM, Tosh D, Shen CN*, 2010, “Differentiation of pancreatic acinar cells to hepatocytes requires an intermediate cell type.”, Gastroenterology, 138, 2519-2530. (SCI)
• Tsai HA, Wu RR, Lee IC, Chang HY, Shen CN*, Chang YC*, 2010, “Selection, Enrichment, and Maintenance of Self-Renewal Liver Stem/Progenitor Cells Utilizing Polypeptide Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Films.”, Biomacromolecules, 11, 994-1001. (SCI)
• Shen CN*, Tosh D, 2010, “Transdifferentiation of pancreatic cells to hepatocytes”, Methods in molecular biology, 640, 273-280.
• Yang CJ, Liu YK, Liu CL, Shen CN, Kuo ML, Su CC, Tseng CP, Yen TC, Shen CR, 2009, “Inhibition of Acidic Mammalian Chitinase by RNA Interference Suppresses OVA-sensitized Allergic Asthma.”, Human gene therapy, 20(12),1597–1606. (SCI)
• Yang YL, Liao WY, Liu WY, Liaw CC, Shen CN, Huang ZY, Wu SH, 2009, “Discovery of New Natural Products by Intact-Cell Mass Spectrometry and LC-SPE-NMR: Malbranpyrroles, Novel Polyketides from Thermophilic Fungus Malbranchea sulfurea.”, Chemistry-A European Journal, 15(43), 11573-11580. (SCI)
• Huang YC, Hwang TL, Chang CS, Yang YL, Shen CN, Liao WY, Chen SC, Liaw CC, 2009, “Anti-inflammatory flavonoids from the rhizomes of Helminthostachys zeylanica.”, Journal of natural products, 72(7), 1273-1278. (SCI)
• Huang YH, Chin CC, Ho HN, Chou CK, Shen CN, Kuo HC, Wu TJ, Wu YC, Hung YC, Chang CC, Ling TY, 2009, “Pluripotency of mouse spermatogonial stem cells maintained by IGF-1- dependent pathway.”, FASEB Journal, 23(7), 2076-2087. (SCI)
• J. Susanto, Y. H. Lin, Y. N. Chen, C. R. Shen, Y. T. Yan, S. T. Tsai, C. H. Chen and C. N. Shen*, 2008, “Porphyrin homeostasis maintained by ABCG2 regulates self-renewal of embryonic stem cells”, PLoS ONE, 3(12), e4023. (SCI)
• C.N. Shen, A. Petiot, C.Y. Chien, C. Dickson, J. M.W. Slack and D. Tosh, 2007, “All-trans retinoic acid suppresses exocrine differentiation and branching morphogenesis in the embryonic pancreas”, Differentiation, 75, 62-74. (SCI)
• D. Tosh, C.N. Shen, M.R. Alison, C.E. Sarraf and J.M.W. Slack, 2007, “Copper deprivation in rats induces islet hyperplasia and hepatic metaplasia in the pancreas”, Biology of the cell, 99, 37-44. (SCI) (IF: 3.6; SCI ranking: 43.6%)
• Z. D. Burke, C. N. Shen, K. L. Ralphs and D. Tosh, 2006, “Characterization of liver function in transdifferentiated hepatocytes”, Journal of cellular physiology, 206(1), 147-159. (SCI)
• R.Y.L. Wang, C. N. Shen, M. H. Lin, D. Tosh and C. H. Shih, 2005, “Hepatocyte-like cells transdifferentiated from a pancreatic origin can support replication of hepatitis B virus”, Journal of virology, 79, 13116-13128. (SCI)
• C. N. Shen, Z. D. Burke and D. Tosh, 2004, “Transdifferentiation, metaplasia, and tissue regeneration”, Organogenesis, 1(2), 36-44. (SCI)
• C. N. Shen, J. K. Kurash and D. Tosh, 2004, “Induction and regulation of acute phase proteins in transdifferentiated hepatocytes”, Experimental cell research, 292, 342-358. (SCI)
• M. E. Horb, C. N. Shen, D. Tosh and J. M. Slack, 2003, “Experimental conversion of liver to pancreas”, Current biology, 13, 105-115. (SCI)
• C. N. Shen, J. R. Seckl, J. M. Slack and D. Tosh, 2003, “Glucocorticoids suppress beta-cell development and induce hepatic metaplasia in embryonic pancreas”, Biochemical journal, 375, 41-50. (SCI)
• Shen CN, Horb ME, Slack JM, Tosh D, 2003, “Transdifferentiation of pancreas to liver.”, Mechanisms of development, 120(1), 107-16. (SCI)
• D. Tosh, C. N. Shen and J. M. Slack, 2002, “Differentiated properties of hepatocytes induced from pancreatic cells”, Hepatology, 36, 534-543. (SCI)
• C. N. Shen, J. M. Slack and D. Tosh, 2000, “Molecular basis of transdifferentiation of pancreas to liver”, Nature Cell Biology, 2, 879-887. (SCI)