Ecology and antifungal resistance of opportunistic fungal pathogens under a One Health framework:

Invasive fungal infections cause significant global mortality, yet therapeutic options remain limited to three mechanistic drug classes. Our research uses intrinsically multidrug-resistant Scedosporium and Lomentospora species — WHO priority pathogens — as model systems to study constitutive resistance mechanisms and identify novel therapeutic targets. Through international collaborations, we are building a comprehensive Asia-Pacific strain biobank and applying 4D multi-omics integration (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) to map the molecular networks underlying pan-resistance. Candidate targets are functionally validated using a CRISPR-Cpf1 genome editing platform developed specifically for these species, and translated into therapeutic strategies through nanomedicine delivery systems, drug repurposing screens, and in vivo efficacy testing.

Because this pipeline targets organisms with the highest baseline resistance, the resulting discoveries are directly transferable to other clinically important pathogens such as Candida auris and azole-resistant Aspergillus.

Development of entomopathogenic fungi for sustainable biocontrol:

The lychee stink bug (Tessaratoma papillosa) causes huge yield losses in lychee and longan orchards across Taiwan and Southeast Asia, yet sustainable alternatives to chemical pesticides remain limited. Our research uses Purpureocillium takamizusanense TCTeb01 — a locally isolated entomopathogenic fungus with demonstrated field efficacy and confirmed biosafety — as a model system to develop molecular-level understanding of fungal biocontrol. Through dual RNA-seq and MEFISTO temporal factor analysis, we are decoding the dynamic molecular interplay between fungal virulence strategies and insect immune defenses across the infection process, with candidate genes functionally validated via qRT-PCR. In parallel, we systematically assess fungal resilience under field-relevant environmental pressures — reduced water activity, UV-B radiation, and temperature extremes — integrating physiological assays with transcriptome profiling to uncover stress-resistance gene networks and establish molecular markers for strain improvement and precision application.

Because this pipeline addresses both pathogenesis and environmental durability, the resulting framework is directly transferable to other entomopathogenic systems targeting agricultural pests beyond the lychee stink bug.

Urbanization-driven changes in soil microbial diversity, community structure, and functional potential:

Urbanization alters soil properties and reshapes belowground microbial communities, yet the extent and mechanisms of these changes remain poorly characterized in subtropical regions. This project investigates how urbanization gradients affect soil microbial diversity, community assembly, and functional potential across Taiwan. We collect soils from sites spanning four land-use categories—forestry, agricultural, recreational, and public greenspaces—stratified by the Human Footprint Index. Soil physicochemical properties (pH, organic matter, total carbon and nitrogen, available phosphorus, exchangeable cations) are measured alongside bacterial and fungal community profiling via 16S rRNA and ITS amplicon sequencing using Oxford Nanopore metabarcoding pipelines. Integrated analyses of alpha and beta diversity (βNTI), environmental driver correlations, and functional dissimilarity metrics are applied to evaluate whether urbanization drives taxonomic and functional homogenization of soil microbiomes, and whether bacteria and fungi respond synchronously or asynchronously to land-use change.

This work aims to provide a regional-scale framework for understanding urbanization impacts on soil biodiversity and ecosystem function in a rapidly developing subtropical island.