
Chun-Li Su
Professor
Email: chunlisu@ntnu.edu.tw
Office Tel No. +886-2-7749-1436
Research Expertise: Anti-tumor mechanism of natural compounds, Nutrigenomics, Nutrigenetics, Signaling transduction, Cell and molecular biology, Immunology
Chun-Li Su’s research interests have centered around the anti-cancer mechanisms of naturally occurring components derived from plants. Using transcriptomic data and novel gene screening platforms, she not only determined that polyphenol curcumin enhances chemosensitivity by repressing a novel target of oncogenic Aurora-A and suppresses a transcription factor NF-ĸB by inhibiting CD4-T-cell-receptor-signaling, but also revealed that a novel arylnaphthalide lignan justicidin A acts as an autophagy inducer and inflammation suppressor. In precision nutrition, polyphenol phytoalexin pterostilbene was discovered to preferentially sensitize cisplatin-resistant bladder cancer with undruggable oncogenic HRAS, and a novel diosgenin saponin formosanin C was demonstrated to be a potent ferroptosis inducer against hepatocellular carcinoma with a higher NCOA4 expression via ferritinophagy. By conducting an integrated analysis of differentially expressed genes and pathways using a database of patients, ferroptosis was identified as a targetable metabolic niche in triple-negative breast cancer, and triple-negative breast cancer was shown to be vulnerable to formosanin C-induced ferroptosis. Nevertheless, antipsychotic thioridazine and antibiotic antimycin A were successfully repurposed to overcome the drug resistance of cancer stem cells in glioblastoma and non-small cell lung cancer, respectively. More recently, using in silico analysis and biochemical validations, an herbal medicine Virofree was found to target viral entry and replication of SARS-CoV-2, especially against Delta and Omicron variants, and to prevent ferroptosis, cytokine storm, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and pulmonary fibrosis, alleviating complications of COVID-19. Quantitative proteomics and gene ontology enrichment analysis were performed, which revealed that suboptimal folic acid exposure rewired oncogenic metabolism and proteomics signatures to promote breast cancer progression. These findings opened new avenues of research in nutritional biochemistry, and the novel gene expression screening platforms provided a short-cut to successfully predict possible mechanisms of naturally occurring components and to identify strategies capable of overcoming drug resistance by shedding light on the interrelationships among small molecules, genes, and disease in precision nutrition.
Country | School Name | Department | Degree | Duration |
---|---|---|---|---|
USA | CORNELL UNIVERSITY | Nutrition | Ph.D. | 1991.08 ~ 1995.08 |
USA | CORNELL UNIVERSITY | Nutrition | M.S. | 1989.08 ~ 1991.07 |
Taiwan | TAIPEI MEDICAL COLLEGE | Department of Health and Nutrition | B.S. | 1984.08 ~ 1988.06 |
Organization Title | Department | Job Title |
---|---|---|
Chang Jung Christian University | Department of Nursing | Professor |
Chang Jung Christian University | Department of Respiratory Care | Department Chair |
Chang Jung Christian University | Department of Nursing | Associate Professor |
National Institutes of Health(NIH) | National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology (LCDB) | Visiting Fellow |
Chang Jung Christian University | Department of Health Care Administration | Associate Professor |
Chang Jung Christian University | Division of Research and Development, Office of Academic Affairs (The former of Office of Research and Development) | Director |
Cornell University | Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine; Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine | Visiting scholar |
Life (SCI; Impact factor: 3.8) | Special issue「Tumor Progression, Microenvironments, and Therapeutics」 | Guest Editor |
International Professional Society | Asia Pacific Nutrition Society for Oncology and Chronic Diseases | Council member, Chair of membership committee |
Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare | Dietary Reference Intakes | Member, Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee |
Ministry of Examination | Board of Examiners | Member |
Ministry of Science and Technology | Research Project | Member, Scientific Research Grant Review Panel Committee |
Nutrients (SCI; Impact factor: 6.7) | Guest Editor Committee | Member |
Frontiers in Pharmacology (SCI; Impact factor: 6.0) | Special issue「Ethnopharmacology」 | Review Editor |
Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan | Develop nutritional risk screening tool in Taiwan referred to international nutritional risk screening tools | Member, Advisory Committee |
University Development Accreditation | Self-evaluation | Member, Review Committee |
National Taiwan Normal University | Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Program of Nutritional Science and Education | Coordinator |
Chang Jung Christian University | Faculty Evaluation Committee (University, College and Department), University Assembly, College Assembly, Laboratory Animal Care and Use Committee, Biosafety Committee, Teaching Evaluation Committee, Research Evaluation Committee, University Affairs Development Committee, Expenditure Examination Committee, Scholarship and Assistantship Committee, Student Appeals Review Committee, University Health Committee, Catering Steering Committee (Coordinator), Campus Planning Committee, and Admissions Committee | Member |
Annual Conference of American Society for Nutrition | Poster Competition | Judge |
Annual Conference of the Nutrition Society of Taiwan, Annual Conference of Agricultural Chemical Society of Taiwan | Oral Competition | Judge |
Honor Category | Award Name | Awarding Unit |
---|---|---|
Teacher Awards/Teaching Awards | Award for Service Excellence | Chang Jung Christian University |
Teacher Awards/Teaching Awards | Research Achievements | Chang Jung Christian University |
Teacher Awards/Teaching Awards | Academic Achievements | Chang Jung Christian University |
Teacher Awards/Teaching Awards | Distinguish Teacher | Chang Jung Christian University |
Teacher Awards/Teaching Awards | Distinguish Tutor | Chang Jung Christian University |
Teacher Awards/Teaching Awards | Seiner Excellent Teacher Award | The Ministry of Education, Taiwan |
Teacher Awards/Teaching Awards | Outstanding Service Award-Third Category | Executive Yuan, Taiwan |
Teacher Awards/Teaching Awards | Award for Excellent Teaching | National Taiwan Normal University |
Teacher Awards/Teaching Awards | Rewarding Exceptional Research Talent | The National Science Council, Taiwan; The Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan |
Teacher Awards/Teaching Awards | Visiting Fellowship by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) visiting program | National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA |
Teacher Awards/Teaching Awards | President Award for outstanding performance to the field of nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics | Asia Pacific Nutrigenomics Nutrigenetics Organization |