2016 ANNUAL REVIEW Ministry of Science and Technology

Numbers and percentage of one- and multi-year specific-topic research projects in life science, 2012-2016 Year All projects One-year projects (%) Multi-year projects (%) 2012 4,412 1,297 （ 29.40 ） 3,115 （ 70.60 ） 2013 4,274 1,289 （ 30.16 ） 2,985 （ 69.84 ） 2014 4,398 1,217 （ 27.67 ） 3,181 （ 72.33 ） 2015 4,341 1,343 （ 30.94 ） 2,998 （ 69.06 ） 2016 4,247 1,365 （ 32.14 ） 2,882 （ 67.86 ） significantly better than triple therapy, This result concerning the selection of first-line helicobacter treatment has particularly great reference value in countries such as Taiwan, where resistance to clarithromycin has reached 10-15%. The results of the recent study "possible role of monocyte differentiation controlled by dipeptidyl peptidase-4 in abdominal aortic aneurysms" may allow the development of clinical abdominal aortic aneurysm prevention, treatment, and tracking strategies. Apart from this study's academic value, it may also benefit patients by facilitating the improvement of clinical treatment. Research on lung cancer continued to perform in-depth investigation of the biological characteristics of lung cancer, explored new mechanisms of resistance to therapeutic drugs, and determined the influence of resistance mechanisms on clinical prognosis. This research project has found many genetic and cellular signal transmission pathways that are connected with epithelial-mesenchymal transition, metastasis, and cancer stem cell drug resistance, and may provide new therapeutic targets. Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common form of brain cancer in adults, and average patient survival time following surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy is only around one year. Research has found that miR145 can inhibit the ALDH+, CD133+, and sphere-forming ability of glioblastoma multiforme cancer stem cells, and the use of SPONGE to inhibit miR145 expression can increase glioblastoma multiforme tumor formation. Respiratory distress syndrome caused by the immaturity of premature infants' lungs is the largest difficulty in the care of premature infants. Researchers have found that the interactions of Notch-VEGF constitute a key pathway for the maturation of the lungs in fetal rodents, and this discovery may point the way toward ways of improving respiratory distress syndrome caused by lung immaturity in premature infants. A research team developed the low-dose, highly-effective small molecular drug Cf-02, which has been applied to treatment of lupus nephritis in mice. Research on the effectiveness of Cf-02 in treating autoimmune diseases found that Cf-02 can inhibit arthritis induced by collagen, can also improve kidney function and proteinuria in mice with lupus nephritis, and can inhibit the aggregation of peripheral monocytes in patients with lupus. This drug should have great potential in the treatment of lupus nephritis. A research team discovered that flavopereirine possesses an inhibitory effect against human thyroid cancer cell lines, and is especially effective against differentiated carcinomas that have metastasized and cannot be treated with atomic iodine and differentiated carcinomas of the thyroid. This discovery will facilitate understanding of flavopereirine's ability to inhibit cancer and its mechanism, and will allow the further development of highly-safe drugs for treatment of thyroid cancer, particularly in cases of differentiated and undifferentiated cancers that cannot be treated effectively with radioactive iodine. When patients receive radiation therapy, to avoid further injury to the skin, the epidermis must not be subjected to unnecessary drugs or procedures during the 6-hour injury period after radiation exposure. Substances that can be applied topically and enhance the effectiveness of the Wnt/ β -catenin pathway may be potentially developed as drugs that can treat radiation damage to the skin, and can be used to mitigate or prevent unnecessary skin side effects induced by radiation therapy. When used during the repair/regeneration period, such substances can perhaps achieve even better effects, and accelerate skin repair and regeneration. MOST Ministry of Science and Technology Ministry of Science and Technology 40 2016 ANNUAL REVIEW