Academia Sinica's plans to develop a biological database have been given serious consideration by the public. This is a good thing for those of us involved in research, particularly since it gives us the opportunity to hold a rational debate at the beginning of the project.
We hope to introduce it to the public and look forward to receiving comments and ideas.
The study design used in developing this biological database is called a prospective cohort study. This method follows a sample of disease-free individuals -- a cohort -- for a long period of time.
At the beginning of the study, risk factor information is collected, and the cohort is then observed to see whether those who are exposed to these risk factors have a higher risk of developing a disease.
This design provides us with an understanding of the effects on disease of many risk factors in our daily lives.
Taiwan's internationally renowned study on the cause-and-effect relationship between hepatitis B and liver cancer is a successful example of the use of prospective cohort studies.
In the era of genetic medicine, scientists are gradually gaining an understanding of the effect of genes or heredity on disease prevalence, and this has explained why the disease incidence will not be consistent when different people are exposed to the same risk factors.
As a result, scientists want to conduct research directed towards finding the effect of gene and risk factor interaction on disease development. This means that at the beginning of a prospective cohort study, researchers not only measure risk factors relevant to the study, they also collect blood samples.
Based on every person's genetic makeup, which can be examined through his or her biological specimens using bioassay, the researchers can further establish the cause-and-effect relationship between genes/risk factors and disease. Throughout the world, this is the most fundamental theoretical structure adopted when conducting biological database research.
The genetic inheritance of the Taiwanese people is unique, and lifestyles and disease-causing risk factors differ from country to country.
Therefore, we hope to build Taiwan's biological database in order to look into the factors causing common chronic diseases in Taiwan and to understand the impact of the interaction between genetic and environmental factors on such diseases in order to establish effective treatments and preventive strategies to safeguard the health of people in Taiwan.
Because Taiwan's social environment is unique, this major research project will be relevant to the nation's biomedical development and the well-being of all citizens several decades from now.
Colleagues from other fields at Academia Sinica who are participating in the project are therefore undertaking careful planning and implementing the principle of transparency when explaining the project to the public.
Currently, we are on the one hand evaluating the feasibility of different methodologies. On the other hand, because some scholars have raised concerns, we are temporarily postponing the collection of blood plasma samples in the hope of taking a step-by-step approach to build a public consensus.
We hope that every sector in society will be able to discuss the matter in a rational manner, based on facts.
Chen Yuan-tsong is the head of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences at Academia Sinica. Shen Chen-yang is an associate research fellow at the institute.
Translated by Lin Ya-ti
The bird flu outbreak at US dairy farms keeps finding alarming new ways to surprise scientists. Last week, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed that H5N1 is spreading not just from birds to herds, but among cows. Meanwhile, media reports say that an unknown number of cows are asymptomatic. Although the risk to humans is still low, it is clear that far more work needs to be done to get a handle on the reach of the virus and how it is being transmitted. That would require the USDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to get
For the incoming Administration of President-elect William Lai (賴清德), successfully deterring a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attack or invasion of democratic Taiwan over his four-year term would be a clear victory. But it could also be a curse, because during those four years the CCP’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will grow far stronger. As such, increased vigilance in Washington and Taipei will be needed to ensure that already multiplying CCP threat trends don’t overwhelm Taiwan, the United States, and their democratic allies. One CCP attempt to overwhelm was announced on April 19, 2024, namely that the PLA had erred in combining major missions
As Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won by a landslide in Sunday’s parliamentary election, it is a good time to take another look at recent developments in the Maldivian foreign policy. While Muizzu has been promoting his “Maldives First” policy, the agenda seems to have lost sight of a number of factors. Contemporary Maldivian policy serves as a stark illustration of how a blend of missteps in public posturing, populist agendas and inattentive leadership can lead to diplomatic setbacks and damage a country’s long-term foreign policy priorities. Over the past few months, Maldivian foreign policy has entangled itself in playing
The victory of Vice President William Lai (賴清德) in January’s presidential election raised questions about the future of China’s unification strategy toward Taiwan. A decade ago, the assumption in Bejing had been that deepening economic ties with Taiwan would bring about a political accommodation eventually leading to political integration. Not only has this not happened, but it hastened the opposite. Taiwanese are more concerned with safeguarding their political independence than they have ever been. China’s preferred party, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), has not won a presidential election since 2012. Clearly, Beijing’s strategy is not working. Polling conducted by the Institute of European