China Medical University, Taiwan
Professor Yuan-Soon Ho is a distinguished scholar affiliated with China Medical University in Taiwan, where he serves as the Director of the Graduate Institute of Medical Science. He completed his doctorate in Biochemistry at National Taiwan University in 1994, after which he dedicated his career to advancing the fields of molecular biology and translational medicine. Throughout his extensive academic career, Professor Ho has built a reputation for bridging laboratory research with clinical applications, amassing a significant body of work that has garnered thousands of citations and established him as a leading figure in cancer research . Professor Ho’s primary research interests lie in oncology, molecular oncology, and cancer prevention. He is best known for his pioneering work on the role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in breast tumor tissues. His research team demonstrated that these receptors act as cell growth-promoting factors, a discovery validated through sophisticated techniques such as siRNA knockdown and tet-off overexpression animal experiments. Beyond receptor biology, his work extensively investigates the anticancer effects of natural compounds, such as curcumin and tea polyphenols, as well as the regulatory roles of microRNA in disease progression. His current projects often focus on triple-negative breast cancer, exploring mechanisms involving hyaluronan synthesis and tumor microenvironments . In addition to his laboratory and administrative duties, Professor Ho contributes significantly to the global scientific community as an editorial board member for several prestigious journals, including Scientific Reports (Oncology field) and PLOS ONE. His work frequently appears in high-impact publications such as Nature Communications, Molecular Cell, and the Journal of Biomedical Science. Through his research on topics ranging from gene delivery using RNA nanoparticles to the effects of environmental factors on cancer, Professor Ho continues to influence modern approaches to targeted therapy and cancer diagnostics
Slovak University of Technology, Slovakia
Prof. Milan Certik, PhD. (director of Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of technology) is a team leader/lecturer and his research is focused on study and regulation of microbial production of biologically active lipophilic compounds by solid state and submerged fermentations and applications of these bioproducts in food/feed fields. An important part of his work also deals with gene engineering, characterization of the key gene coding biosynthesis of biologically active compounds and their functional expression in microorganisms and plants. The work links classical biotechnology and agrobiotechnology as well as microbial and plant genomic and metabolomic with the aim to improve nutritional properties of agro-sources into high-valued bioproducts. He has published 178 scientific and special papers, 1 book and 12 chapters in books and participated in 450 conference contributions (36 Keynote/Invited lectures). He has stayed at several Universities/Institutions over the World (e.g. Japan, Thailand, USA, Taiwan, France, Greece, Norway…).
