Bone genetic research by Chen Yau-hung of Tamkang University’s Department of Chemistry biochemistry program was featured on the cover of the prestigious international journal “Bone.”

Chen’s paper argues that zebrafish NF-YB gene is an important influence on bone development.

“Bone” is the journal of the International Bone and Mineral Society. Readers include academicians and clinical physicians, and Chen’s article has received a great deal of attention.

Chen, 40, earned his doctorate at National Taiwan University’s Institute of Fisheries Science, and has been using zebrafish to research anti-cancer drugs, medical research and beauty products. Five years ago, he came to Tamkang University to teach in the Chemistry Department, where he began to study the NF-YB gene in zebrafish and its effect on bone development.

Based on his studies, if the NF-YB gene is first broken, the next generation of young will have smaller heads. Chen hopes next to research the connection between human genes and head characteristics.

Chen was impressed by the journal’s review process. The editorial team was made up completely of Nobel prize-level scholars. Chen’s article went through eleven months of review and was accepted for publication after several requests for supplementary data. Publication came with a price tag of US$1,400, but the cost was worth it for the irreplaceable international recognition it brings.

(This article originally appeared in “The Liberty Times” March 10, 2010.)

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