- Molecular Regulation and Function of Autophagy Receptors in Cancers (自噬受體在癌症的分子調控與功能)
- Molecular Mechanism and Drug Delivery of Nanoparticulophagy (奈米自噬的分子機制及藥物遞送)
- Developing Novel Drugs and Cancer Therapeutics through Nanoparticulophagy (奈米自噬的創新藥物與癌症療法)
The Chao laboratory has contributed the roles of Survivin and EGFR in regulating tumor growth and drug resistance. We seek to translate insights in inhibiting cancer growth genes by novel compounds into improved therapies for malignant tumors. Our studies contributed nanodiamond, a carbon-based nanomaterial, on biocompatible evaluation, bio-labeling, drug delivery and biological impacts. Selective autophagy plays a pivotal role in the processing of foreign pathogens, cellular components, and damaged organelles to maintain homeostasis in human cells. Selective autophagy receptors contain an Ub-associated domain and an LC3-interacting region, which can recruit LC3-containing autophagosomes to ubiquitinated cargos into selective autophagy pathway. Our studies have provided novel insights that nanoparticles bind to autophagy receptors for entry into the selective autophagy pathway, which is called nanoparticulophagy, facilitating drug delivery and enhancing therapeutic efficacy. We illustrate the biological impacts and pivotal roles of autophagy receptors in transportation and drug delivery by those nanomaterials. In recent years, we focus on the investigation of autophagy receptors in cancers and nanodrug delivery, and developing novel drugs and cancer therapeutics through nanoparticulophagy.