Speaker

Dr. Jun-An Chen is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Molecular Biology at Academia Sinica Taiwan. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1997 from National Chung Cheng University and his Master of Science degree from National Taiwan University in 1999 in Taiwan. Then, he got his Ph.D. in the Gurdon Institute from the University of Cambridge in 2006, studying under Professor Enrique Amaya. After postdoctoral training with Professor Hynek Wichterle at Columbia University, he joined Academia Sinica as an assistant research fellow in 2012, was promoted to tenured associate fellow in 2019, and became a research fellow in 2023. Dr. Chen’s research centers on elucidating the mechanisms of how non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) govern neuronal individuality within the developing nervous system and the specific vulnerabilities of distinct neuron subtypes in neurodegenerative diseases. In addition to deciphering the fundamental molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal diversity specification in the central nervous system, Dr. Chen’s group also deploys patient-specific iPSC-based models to simulate MN diseases, such as Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). His group has identified a series of microRNAs that are functionally important for SMA and ALS, and is currently developing miRNA-based therapeutic approaches in treating neurodegenerative diseases.

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