I-Shou University Medical Lab Duo Wins National Life Sciences Scholarship with Low-Cost, High-Precision Detection Research

As precision medicine, biotechnology, and smart health advance rapidly, cultivating scientific talent has become a key driver of industrial innovation. I-Shou University’s Department of Medical Laboratory Science celebrates another achievement: students Tsai Chao-Hsuan and Chen Yi-Hsien have both received the '2026 Outstanding Life Sciences Student Scholarship' in the undergraduate category, recognized alongside top students from leading universities nationwide—highlighting I-Shou University’s dedication to advancing biomedical research education and training elite medical laboratory professionals.

Subtitle: Optimizing Detection Technologies for Alzheimer’s and Breast Cancer—Demonstrating Potential in Precision Medicine and Biotech R&D

Under the guidance of Professor Chen Jia-Xing, both students have engaged in biomedical testing research, focusing on optimizing and simplifying commercial test kits. Their goal is to lower testing costs through technological innovation while simultaneously improving accuracy and efficiency, enabling hospitals, research institutes, and biotech companies to access high-quality diagnostic tools at more reasonable prices and enhancing overall testing performance.

Tsai Chao-Hsuan’s research focuses on detecting risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. He shares that his passion for bioscience began in high school, prompting him to enroll in I-Shou’s Medical Laboratory Science program. During his studies, he proactively joined Professor Chen’s lab to develop research skills. Noticing that existing commercial test kits, though convenient, are costly, Tsai redesigned experimental conditions and workflows to establish a more cost-effective detection model without compromising quality—increasing its feasibility for clinical and research applications.

Tsai likens research to cooking: not only must one know ingredients and steps, but also understand the scientific principles behind each stage. Only then can one flexibly adjust and continuously optimize based on different conditions, ensuring results are both stable and practically valuable.

Fellow awardee Chen Yi-Hsien specializes in detecting carcinogenic factors for breast cancer, also aiming to optimize commercial test kits. He points out that many biological reagents currently rely heavily on supply from international manufacturers, resulting in high prices that increase research and clinical costs. Therefore, he aims to establish a more economically viable testing method to make detection technologies more accessible.

Chen states that regardless of whether he joins hospital laboratory services or the biotech industry, he intends to continue research, transforming the scientific capabilities developed during his studies into clinical and industrial applications. His goal is to develop detection technologies that combine high precision with high efficiency, contributing to healthcare and biotech advancement.

Professor Chen Jia-Xing notes that both students have actively participated in laboratory research since their sophomore year, conducting experiments beyond class hours, independently reading domestic and international literature, analyzing data, and bravely discussing challenges—gradually cultivating independent thinking, scientific analysis, and problem-solving abilities.

He emphasizes that undergraduate research should not be confined to campus but must align with industry needs and global trends. The information about the '2026 Outstanding Life Sciences Student Scholarship' was obtained by Professor Chen during a professional symposium, after which he encouraged the two students to apply—hoping they could validate their research outcomes through a national competition and gain valuable academic experience.

Looking ahead, Tsai Chao-Hsuan plans to pursue graduate studies, aiming to become a specialist in pathological testing and eventually a pathologist. Chen Yi-Hsien also plans further academic advancement and hopes to enter the biotech industry to accumulate cross-disciplinary practical experience, becoming a biomedical professional equipped with both research expertise and industrial application skills.

I-Shou University states that it has long been committed to the fields of medicine, biotechnology, and smart health, continuously improving research facilities and laboratory environments. The university encourages students to participate in National Science and Technology Council research projects, academic competitions, and industry-academia collaborations to foster innovative research capabilities. The dual recognition of these two medical laboratory students in a national scholarship not only affirms their individual research strengths but also reaffirms I-Shou University’s success in cultivating specialized biomedical talent.

Moving forward, the university will continue integrating interdisciplinary resources across medicine, biotechnology, smart health, and artificial intelligence to build a learning environment rich in research capacity, industry connectivity, and international vision—nurturing more outstanding professionals to support Taiwan’s development in precision medicine and the biotech industry.

Photo caption: Chen Yi-Hsien, a student from I-Shou University’s Department of Medical Laboratory Science, prepares reagents in the laboratory. (Photo courtesy of I-Shou University)