Dr. Tao, Mi-Hua 陶秘華 博士
Ph.D. Columbia University (Microbiology and Immunology).
Postdoctoral Fellow. Stanford University (Oncology)
Immunological tolerance is a common feature of chronic viral infections and malignant diseases. The research focus of my laboratory is to understand immunosuppressive mechanisms present in chronic hepatitis B (HBV) infections and in tumor microenvironment, and to develop novel therapeutic strategies to overcome immunosuppression and reactivate virus- and tumor-specific immunity for cure of chronic HBV and HBV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma and other cancers. For HBV studies, we have developed several HBV animal models, including HBV transgenic mice, human liver mice and human immune system mice (generated, respectively, by transplantation of human hepatocytes and/or human hematopoietic stem cells), and HBV pseudoviruses. For cancer immunotherapies, we have developed orthotopic liver cancer model, liver metastasis model of colon cancer, and oncogene-driven spontaneous breast cancer model to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy. Since outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, we are actively engaged in developing COVID-19 vaccines (mRNA and recombinant RBD) and has transfered the technology to industry. We also developed COVID-19 animal models to help researhers and biotech companies to evaluate efficacy of their drugs, antibodies or vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection.
免疫耐受性常見於慢性病毒感染和癌症病人。我們實驗室的研究主題，主要在闡明存在於慢性B型肝炎病毒感染和腫瘤微環境的免疫耐受機制，並研發治療方法，克服免疫耐受性，重新活化病毒和腫瘤的專一性免疫反應，達到清除B型肝炎病毒和肝癌及其他癌症的目的。在B型肝炎病毒研究方面，我們發展了數種動物模式，包括B型肝炎病毒基因轉殖鼠、攜帶人類肝臟和人類免疫系統的擬人化小鼠、以及類B型肝炎病毒顆粒等。在癌症免疫治療方面，我們發展了原位肝癌、大腸癌肝轉移、和致癌基因引發的原發型乳癌等動物模式來評估治療效果。自新冠病毒大流行爆發以來，我們積極從事COVID-19疫苗的開發，包括mRNA疫苗和重組RBD蛋白疫苗，並將疫苗技術轉移到業界。我們還開發了COVID-19動物攻毒模型，幫助學界和生技公司評估其藥物、抗體或疫苗對SARS-CoV-2 感染的預防或治療效果。
