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Dr. Lai, Shih-Lei (Ben)

Assistant Research Fellow
  • 886-2-27899019 (N611) (Lab)
  • 886-2-26523057 (Office)
Specialty:
  • Cardiovascular development and regeneration
  • Cardioimmunology: Inflammation and Immunity in Cardiovascular Disease
  • Developmental genetics in fish models for human diseases
Education and Positions:

  • Ph.D., National Taiwan University

    Postdoc, National Taiwan University

    Postdoc, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research

Heart failure is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, in part because of the inability of the human heart to replenish lost tissue post myocardial infarction (MI).  

Unlike adult mice and humans, many vertebrates, including certain fish and amphibians, are capable of endogenous heart regeneration at adult stages.  While zebrafish exhibits a remarkable regenerative capacity after various cardiac insults, this ability is not shared by another teleost, the medaka, despite medaka has similar anatomic structure, physiological conditions and living environment.  In order to identify the cellular and molecular bases for this difference, we performed comparative analyses in zebrafish and medaka following cardiac cryoinjury.  Transcriptomic comparisons point to major differences in immune response and angiogenic neovascularization between these models.  Our functional studies indeed highlighted the complex role of the immune response and neovascularization during cardiac regeneration, and serve as a platform for identifying and testing additional regulators of cardiac repair.

Our primary focus is to investigate the differential immune responses in regenerative (e.g. zebrafish and neonatal mice) and non-regenerative models (e.g. medaka and adult mice), and translate the knowledge into potential therapeutics to modulate the immune response and improve cardiac repair in patients suffered from MI.

Our Team
Team photo

Journal 16 Book 0

  1. Wei Ke-Hsuan, Lin I-Ting, Chowdhury Kaushik, Lim Khai Lone, Liu Kuan-Ting, Ko Tai-Ming, Chang Yao-Ming, Yang Kai-Chien, Lai Shih-Lei (Ben) Comparative single-cell profiling reveals distinct cardiac resident macrophages essential for zebrafish heart regeneration eLife 12, e84679 (2023-07) [JCR] [WOS]
  2. Chowdhury Kaushik, Lin Shi, Lai Shih-Lei Comparative Study in Zebrafish and Medaka Unravels the Mechanisms of Tissue Regeneration Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 10, 1 (2022) [JCR] [WOS]
  3. Chowdhury K, Lai SL, Marin-Juez R Modulation of VEGFA Signaling During Heart Regeneration in Zebrafish. Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) 2475, 297-312 (2022) [JCR] [WOS]
  4. Tsao KC, Lin YC, Chen YT, Lai SL, Yang RB Zebrafish scube1 and scube2 cooperate in promoting Vegfa signaling during embryonic vascularization. Cardiovascular research cvab, 125 (2022) [JCR] [WOS]
  5. Tsedeke AT, Allanki S, Gentile A, Jimenez-Amilburu V, Rasouli SJ, Guenther S, Lai SL, Stainier DYR, Marin-Juez R Cardiomyocyte heterogeneity during zebrafish development and regeneration. Developmental biology 476, 259-271 (2021) [JCR] [WOS]
  6. El-Brolosy MA, Kontarakis Z, Rossi A, Kuenne C, Gunther S, Fukuda N, Kikhi K, Boezio GLM, Takacs CM, Lai SL, Fukuda R, Gerri C, Giraldez AJ, Stainier DYR Genetic compensation triggered by mutant mRNA degradation. Nature 568(7751), 193-197 (2019-04) [JCR] [WOS]
  7. Lai SL, Marin-Juez R, Stainier DYR Immune responses in cardiac repair and regeneration: a comparative point of view. Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS 76(7), 1365-1380 (2019-04) [JCR] [WOS]
  8. Burg L, Palmer N, Kikhi K, Miroshnik ES, Rueckert H, Gaddy E, MacPherson Cunningham C, Mattonet K, Lai SL, Marin-Juez R, Waring RB, Stainier DYR, Balciunas D Conditional mutagenesis by oligonucleotide-mediated integration of loxP sites in zebrafish. PLoS genetics 14(11), e1007754 (2018) [JCR] [WOS]
  9. Lai SL, Marin-Juez R, Moura PL, Kuenne C, Lai JKH, Tsedeke AT, Guenther S, Looso M, Stainier DY Reciprocal analyses in zebrafish and medaka reveal that harnessing the immune response promotes cardiac regeneration. eLife 6, e25605 (2017) [JCR] [WOS]
  10. Marin-Juez R, Marass M, Gauvrit S, Rossi A, Lai SL, Materna SC, Black BL, Stainier DY Fast revascularization of the injured area is essential to support zebrafish heart regeneration. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 113(40), 11237-11242 (2016) [JCR] [WOS]
- More Publications-

- POSTDOC -
Lin, I-Ting PhD
Lin, I-Ting PhD
- RESEARCH ASSOCIATES -
Chen, Mei-Hua
Chen, Mei-Hua
Huang, Chia-Lin
Huang, Chia-Lin
Liu, Hsing-Wei
Liu, Hsing-Wei
Lee, Ann Nee
Lee, Ann Nee
Zheng, Jun-Chung (Kevin)
Zheng, Jun-Chung (Kevin)
Jian, Yi-Fei
Jian, Yi-Fei
Nien, Shao-Fu Hunter
Nien, Shao-Fu Hunter
- STUDENTS -
Chowdhury, Kaushik
Chowdhury, Kaushik
Lang, Wei-Han Phillip
Lang, Wei-Han Phillip
Lim, Khai Lone
Lim, Khai Lone
Hung, Yu-Jen Elly
Hung, Yu-Jen Elly
Thu, Aye Myat
Thu, Aye Myat
- VISITOR -
Ma, Wei-Ning
Ma, Wei-Ning
- ALUMNI -
Wei, Ke-Hsuan (Leise)
Wei, Ke-Hsuan (Leise)
Chen, Yu-Siang (Sean)
Chen, Yu-Siang (Sean)
Chu, An-Ju (Annie)
Chu, An-Ju (Annie)
Chiu, Zheng-Wen
Chiu, Zheng-Wen
Tamayanti, Wahyu Dewi
Tamayanti, Wahyu Dewi
Chen, Vincent
Chen, Vincent
Yungca, Mica Xiena
Yungca, Mica Xiena
Cheng, Evelyn
Cheng, Evelyn
Lin, Chia-Hao
Lin, Chia-Hao
Du, Hung-Yi Isaac
Du, Hung-Yi Isaac
Lee, Jung-Che Jerry
Lee, Jung-Che Jerry
Lin, Hao-Lin Jennifer
Lin, Hao-Lin Jennifer
Lin, Shi
Lin, Shi
Lee, Po-I (Samson)
Lee, Po-I (Samson)
Cheng, Sophia
Cheng, Sophia
Chen, Mei-Lin
Chen, Mei-Lin
Naeem, Muhammad
Naeem, Muhammad
Guo, Yi-Ting
Guo, Yi-Ting
Chao, Yi-Ya (Vivian)
Chao, Yi-Ya (Vivian)
Yen, Ju-Ching (Emily)
Yen, Ju-Ching (Emily)
Yang, Hui-Ting
Yang, Hui-Ting
Duan, Chung-Hsing
Duan, Chung-Hsing
Huang , Yu-Wen
Huang , Yu-Wen
Phillip, Iquo Oyohosuho
Phillip, Iquo Oyohosuho
Wu, Jun-Yuan
Wu, Jun-Yuan
MAHMOUD, EL-HASSAN Moustafa
MAHMOUD, EL-HASSAN Moustafa
- ACADEMIA -
Ahmed, Hossam
Ahmed, Hossam