Taiwan’s Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, UST collaborate on pioneering telomere study

The Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital and Medical Center in Taiwan have joined forces with the University of Santo Tomas to embark on a clinical study of telomeres.

Telomeres, often described as the guardians of gene stability, are specialized DNA repeats found at the ends of chromosomes. Their length gradually shortens with each round of chromosome replication, and when they become too short, it triggers cell death. This unique biological phenomenon allows the length of telomeres to function as a clock for cell division, providing insights into an individual’s biological age.

Telomeres have been found to be closely associated with medical conditions, including bone marrow failure, cancer and a range of aging-related diseases.

In 2023, the Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital facilitated the establishment of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Chongren General Hospital in the Philippines. This move laid the foundation for a multinational clinical trial program, commencing in mid-October and carried out in close collaboration with UST, that involves not only imparting technical training to the Philippine medical and research team but also creating a DNA database aimed at advancing the treatment of telomere-related diseases.

The Telomere Clinical Research and Taiwan Medical Humanities Exchange Workshop took place at Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital and Medical Center in Hualien City, Taiwan, on 10-16 October 2023.

UST participants in the workshop included professor Pia Marie Albano, associate professor Maureen Sabit, academic staff Mariella Cielo Cobarrubias of the UST Department of Biological Sciences, BS Biology alumnus Jerome Alfred Tabajonda and Dr. Flordeluna Zapata-Mesina, hematologic oncologist from the University of Santo Tomas Hospital.

Their presence marked a historic moment in the burgeoning transnational medical collaboration between Taiwan and the Philippines.

Dr. Shang-Hsien Yang, who conducted extensive research on bone marrow failure syndrome at Boston Children’s Hospital in the United States, played a pivotal role in establishing the technical platform for telomere-related research. Under his guidance and with support from Cheng Yoong Pang, deputy director of the Department of Medical Research, and Dr. Liuh-Yow Chen, associate research fellow at the Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, the international clinical trial collaboration program with UST became a reality.

Li emphasized the growing importance of cross-border clinical trials by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, citing the rarity of clinical trial cooperation between Taiwan and the Philippines, thus making this partnership a significant achievement.

Yang expressed optimism that the collaboration and hands-on laboratory work would foster mutual understanding between Taiwan and the Philippines, ensuring smoother cooperation in future clinical trials.

Albano, renowned for her work in cancer research, is seeking to uncover the link between telomeres and human health through future clinical trials, with the potential to advance cancer research.

The workshop, spanning several days, included presentations on telomere research, laboratory training and in-depth discussions with the Philippine team. This initiative holds the potential to advance understanding of telomeres and their role in healthcare, ultimately benefiting patients and medical practitioners worldwide.