Dr. Shen, Chen-Yang

Distinguished Research Fellow
  • 02-27899036 (Lab) (Room No: N143)
  • 02-27823047 (Fax)

Specialty:
  • Molecular Epidemiology
  • Cancer Genetics
  • Personalized Medicine

Education and Positions:
  • Ph.D. Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill


Technological advances have provided opportunities that allow genetic variants in the whole genome to be analyzed in association studies, thus giving unique opportunity for identifying moderate risk alleles without prior knowledge of etiology. This genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been successful in identifying the genetic component of predisposition to many human complex diseases. By applying novel and precise analytical methods, current research focuses on exploring the biological mechanisms underlying susceptibility loci known as causal variants. In three of our recent studies, based on the data of GWASs, we have demonstrated the molecular basis of important causal variants associated with breast cancer progression and hyperlipidemia with an emphasis on using post-GWAS analysis and experiments to gain insight into etiology. A series of experimental approaches, including the use of bioinformatic databases (such as eQTL and ENCODE), cell-based analyses and CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing system, were used and identified specific transcription factors, which were able to discriminately bind to the specific alleles of these genetic variants. These studies demonstrate how post-GWAS studies can be conducted to generate useful information of translation relevance.  
Our lab is also interested in breast cancer stem cell. We have identified specific marker, which is a long-non-coding RNA, that can be specifically identified estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer stem cell. In addition, we have highlighted a microRNA-mediated suppression of CXCR4/p-Akt signaling and thereby affected mesenchymal stem-cell genesis, indicating its potential as a therapeutic target for invasive breast cancer.
Finally, we have introduced new approaches to explore possible contribution of histone overexpression, histone modification and DNA repair affecting breast cancer progression.

Our Team
Team photo

Journal 175 Book 0

  1. Chou WC, Chen WT, Kuo CT, Chang YM, Luo YL, Li CW, Hung MC, Shen CY. Genetic Insights into Carbohydrate Sulfotransferase 8 and Its Impact on Immunotherapy Efficacy of Cancer. Cell Reports (2023-12) [JCR] [WOS]
  2. Mueller SH, Lai AG, Valkovskaya M, Michailidou K, Bolla MK, Wang Q, Dennis J, Lush M, Abu-Ful Z, Ahearn TU, Andrulis IL, Anton-Culver H, Antonenkova NN, Arndt V, Aronson KJ, Augustinsson A, Baert T, Freeman LEB, Beckmann MW, Behrens S, Benitez J, Bermisheva M, Blomqvist C, Bogdanova NV, Bojesen SE, Bonanni B, Brenner H, Brucker SY, Buys SS, Castelao JE, Chan TL, Chang-Claude J, Chanock SJ, Choi JY, Chung WK, Colonna SV, Cornelissen S, Couch FJ, Czene K, Daly MB, Devilee P, Dork T, Dossus L, Dwek M, Eccles DM, Ekici AB, Eliassen AH, Engel C, Evans DG, Fasching PA, Fletcher O, Flyger H, Gago-Dominguez M, Gao YT, Garcia-Closas M, Garcia-Saenz JA, Genkinger J, Gentry-Maharaj A, Grassmann F, Guenel P, Gundert M, Haeberle L, Hahnen E, Haiman CA, Hakansson N, Hall P, Harkness EF, Harrington PA, Hartikainen JM, Hartman M, Hein A, Ho WK, Hooning MJ, Hoppe R, Hopper JL, Houlston RS, Howell A, Hunter DJ, Huo D, Ito H, Iwasaki M, Jakubowska A, Janni W, John EM, Jones ME, Jung A, Kaaks R, Kang D, Khusnutdinova EK, Kim SW, Kitahara CM, Koutros S, Kraft P, Kristensen VN, Kubelka-Sabit K, Kurian AW, Kwong A, Lacey JV, Lambrechts D, Le Marchand L, Li J, Linet M, Lo WY, Long J, Lophatananon A, Mannermaa A, Manoochehri M, Margolin S, Matsuo K, Mavroudis D, Menon U, Muir K, Murphy RA, Nevanlinna H, Newman WG, Niederacher D, O\'Brien KM, Obi N, Offit K, Olopade OI, Olshan AF, Olsson H, Park SK, Patel AV, Patel A, Perou CM, Peto J, Pharoah PDP, Plaseska-Karanfilska D, Presneau N, Rack B, Radice P, Ramachandran D, Rashid MU, Rennert G, Romero A, Ruddy KJ, Ruebner M, Saloustros E, Sandler DP, Sawyer EJ, Schmidt MK, Schmutzler RK, Schneider MO, Scott C, Shah M, Sharma P, Shen CY, Shu XO, Simard J, Surowy H, Tamimi RM, Tapper WJ, Taylor JA, Teo SH, Teras LR, Toland AE, Tollenaar RAEM, Torres D, Torres-Mejia G, Troester MA, Truong T, Vachon CM, Vijai J, Weinberg CR, Wendt C, Winqvist R, Wolk A, Wu AH, Yamaji T, Yang XR, Yu JC, Zheng W, Ziogas A, Ziv E, Dunning AM, Easton DF, Hemingway H, Hamann U, Kuchenbaecker KB Aggregation tests identify new gene associations with breast cancer in populations with diverse ancestry.. Genome medicine 15(1), 7 (2023) [JCR] [WOS]
  3. Yang WS, Chuang GT, Che TP, Chueh LY, Li WY, Hsu CN, Hsiung CN, Ku HC, Ching LY, Chen YS, Hee SW, Chang TJ, Chen SM, Hsieh ML, Lee HL, Liao KC, Shen CY, Chang YC Genome-Wide Association Studies for Albuminuria of non-Diabetic Taiwanese Population. American journal of nephrology doi: 10.1159/000531783, 1-11 (2023) [JCR] [WOS]
  4. Huang HC, Wang SH, Fang GC, Chou WC, Liao CC, Sun CP, Jan JT, Ma HH, Ko HY, Ko YA, Chiang MT, Liang JJ, Kuo CT, Lee TA, Morales-Scheihing D, Shen CY, Chen SY, McCullough LD, Cui L, Wernig G, Tao MH, Lin YL, Chang YM, Wang SP, Lai YJ, Li CW Upregulation of PD-L1 by SARS-CoV-2 promotes immune evasion.. Journal of medical virology 95(2), e28478 (2023) [JCR] [WOS]
  5. Chou WC, Chen WT, Shen CY A common variant in 11q23.3 associated with hyperlipidemia is mediated by the binding and regulation of GATA4.. NPJ genomic medicine 7(1), 4 (2022) [JCR] [WOS]
  6. Liu PH, Chuang GT, Hsiung CN, Yang WS, Ku HC, Lin YC, Chen YS, Huang YY, Lin CH, Li WY, Lin JW, Hsu CN, Hwang JJ, Liao KC, Hsieh ML, Lee HL, Shen CY, Chang YC A genome-wide association study for melatonin secretion.. Scientific reports 12(1), 8025 (2022) [JCR] [WOS]
  7. Jia G, Ping J, Shu X, Yang Y, Cai Q, Kweon SS, Choi JY, Kubo M, Park SK, Bolla MK, Dennis J, Wang Q, Guo X, Li B, Tao R, Aronson KJ, Chan TL, Gao YT, Hartman M, Ho WK, Ito H, Iwasaki M, Iwata H, John EM, Kasuga Y, Kim MK, Kurian AW, Kwong A, Li J, Lophatananon A, Low SK, Mariapun S, Matsuda K, Matsuo K, Muir K, Noh DY, Park B, Park MH, Shen CY, Shin MH, Spinelli JJ, Takahashi A, Tseng C, Tsugane S, Wu AH, Yamaji T, Zheng Y, Dunning AM, Pharoah PDP, Teo SH, Kang D, Easton DF, Simard J, Shu XO, Long J, Zheng W Genome- and transcriptome-wide association studies of 386,000 Asian and European-ancestry women provide new insights into breast cancer genetics.. American journal of human genetics 109(12), 2185-2195 (2022) [JCR] [WOS]
  8. Wong HS, Tsai SY, Chu HW, Lin MR, Lin GH, Tai YT, Shen CY, Chang WC Genome-wide association study identifies genetic risk loci for adiposity in a Taiwanese population.. PLoS genetics 18(1), e1009952 (2022) [JCR] [WOS]
  9. Grootes I, Keeman R, Blows FM, Milne RL, Giles GG, Swerdlow AJ, Fasching PA, Abubakar M, Andrulis IL, Anton-Culver H, Beckmann MW, Blomqvist C, Bojesen SE, Bolla MK, Bonanni B, Briceno I, Burwinkel B, Camp NJ, Castelao JE, Choi JY, Clarke CL, Couch FJ, Cox A, Cross SS, Czene K, Devilee P, Dork T, Dunning AM, Dwek M, Easton DF, Eccles DM, Eriksson M, Ernst K, Evans DG, Figueroa JD, Fink V, Floris G, Fox S, Gabrielson M, Gago-Dominguez M, Garcia-Saenz JA, Gonzalez-Neira A, Haeberle L, Haiman CA, Hall P, Hamann U, Harkness EF, Hartman M, Hein A, Hooning MJ, Hou MF, Howell SJ, Ito H, Jakubowska A, Janni W, John EM, Jung A, Kang D, Kristensen VN, Kwong A, Lambrechts D, Li J, Lubinski J, Manoochehri M, Margolin S, Matsuo K, Taib NAM, Mulligan AM, Nevanlinna H, Newman WG, Offit K, Osorio A, Park SK, Park-Simon TW, Patel AV, Presneau N, Pylkas K, Rack B, Radice P, Rennert G, Romero A, Saloustros E, Sawyer EJ, Schneeweiss A, Schochter F, Schoemaker MJ, Shen CY, Shibli R, Sinn P, Tapper WJ, Tawfiq E, Teo SH, Teras LR, Torres D, Vachon CM, van Deurzen CHM, Wendt C, Williams JA, Winqvist R, Elwood M, Schmidt MK, Garcia-Closas M, Pharoah PDP Incorporating progesterone receptor expression into the PREDICT breast prognostic model.. European journal of cancer (Oxford, England : 1990) 173, 178-193 (2022) [JCR] [WOS]
  10. Liao WL, Liu YF, Ying TH, Shieh JC, Hung YT, Lee HJ, Shen CY, Cheng CW Inhibitory Effects of Ursolic Acid on the Stemness and Progression of Human Breast Cancer Cells by Modulating Argonaute-2.. International journal of molecular sciences 24(1), 366 (2022) [JCR] [WOS]