History


The preparatory office of The Institute of Molecular Biology was founded in December of 1982. Building construction was completed and research started on July 1, 1986 under the directorship of Dr. James Wang. Drs. Ru-Chih C. Huang, Ray Wu, and Chien Ho served as interim directors during 1987-1991. Dr. C. C. Wang of UCSF assumed the directorship from September 1991 to February 1994. The Institute completed its preparatory status and officially established itself as an Institute on March 1, 1993. Dr. James C.-K. Shen has been the Director from 1995- 2004. Dr. Meng-Chao Yao assumed the Directorship from February of 2004.

GOALS

Using molecular tools, the Institute of Molecular Biology is conducting research toward the understanding of cellular communication/signal transduction, neurosciences, genetics and development, and biological structures. Currently IMB has a total of 33 principle investigators in these fields. A number of working models have been set up that allow researchers to study gene expression and function, cellular signal transduction, vesicle trafficking, apoptosis, cell cycle, DNA replication, chromosome and genome structures, virus and host cell interactions, immune response, development, learning and memory, as well as serious human diseases.

In addition to continuing its research in the established areas mentioned above, IMB has set the goal to improve upon its research performance, with the aim of becoming one of the top scientific research institutions in the world. The concrete development plans are summarized as below.

One development goal is to improve the intellectual capacity of the IMB staff members, making them more receptive to new ideas and interactive with each other, with the aim of stimulating scientific cooperation and enhancing interdisciplinary research. Another development plan is to make IMB an exceptional ¡§graduate training¡¨ research institute. The IMB already offers an excellent graduate training environment that is not easily provided by most universities. There is an opportunity here and a duty to establish a model graduate training program for the country. Currently, there are approximately 140 graduate students receiving training for a Ph.D. degree in IMB. The majority of them come from several universities via individual faculty staff adjunct appointments with the universities. In addition, the IMB has two integrated Ph.D. programs, the Taiwan International Graduate Program ¡V Molecular Cellular Biology and a collaborative graduate program with the Institute of Genome Science, National Yang-Ming University. IMB PIs are running the core course of Molecular and Cellular Biology, with several complementary courses covering subjects of recent development in biological science for these programs.

PERSONNEL

The Institute now has 6 Distinguished Research Fellows, 17 Research Fellows, 7 Associate Research Fellows, 3 Assistant Research Fellows, 2 Associate Research Specialist, 3 Assistant Research Specialist, 50 Postdoctoral Fellows, 147 Ph.D. students, 49 M.S. students, 221 Research Assistants, and 36 Administrative Staff.

ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES

The Institute holds a number of regular academic activities in order to facilitate collaborations with other Institutions inside Taiwan and abroad. Among these activities, the weekly seminar series is the key to apprising our fellow members of current research advances. A ¡§Frontiers in Biology¡¨ seminar series is being established from December of 2005, aiming in broadening our scope of scientific interest. Speakers are nominated and voted by all PIs, and the invited speakers will give seminars on their up-to-date research. Another ¡§Frontiers in Technology¡¨ seminar series is to be established, and will focus on new technology such as nano technology, microfluidic mechanics, optic-electronic, novel microscopy and imaging methods. The Institute also joins the efforts of the National Science Council and other Institutions, in the organization of a number of symposia and conferences. These activities serve as a means of keeping a dynamic and vigorous research atmosphere, to enhance the scientific level of our research programs, and to set up and maintain close links with international research communities.

ANNUAL RETREAT

Since 1988, PIs of IMB have been meeting annually at a resort area with 8-10 scientists invited from abroad and some from local institutions. The guests then provide their anonymous written comments and suggestions on the PIs' research accomplishments as well as their future plans. The Retreat is designed not just to evaluate individual PI's research progress. The emphasis is placed on helping the PIs' research efforts. Starting from 1997, the guests have also given talks in the Retreat Pre-Meeting held at the IMB. Students, post-doctoral fellows, research assistants, and the scientific community can all benefit from their presentations.

FUTURE PERSPECTIVE

IMB is dedicated to the identification and implementation of new programs at the frontiers of biological research. Transgenic and knock-out facilities and research programs have been set up, which greatly facilitate our research activities using mice, flies, plants, and micro-organisms as models. These research programs are vital to the basic understanding of developmental biology, genomic research, and applied sciences, such as medicine and biotechnology. In this post-Genomic Era, we will also add to our research the following programs:

  1. molecular genetics of neuro-development;
  2. cellular basis and structural aspects of gene regulation;
  3. the identification of new genes related to human development and diseases.
We believe in the imposition of a high standard of research on ourselves, in insisting on close collaborations and interactions among the scientists within and outside the Institute, and in maintaining an open as well as active communication line with the international scientific community. This will eventually lead IMB and Taiwan to achieve scientific excellence in molecular biology.

 

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