Chen Lab at ICOB

About the Chen Lab

Life is built from cells, yet how millions of individual cells coordinate their behaviors to generate functional tissues, organs, and organisms remains one of the central questions in biology. The Chen Lab seeks to uncover the fundamental principles governing morphogenesis, organismic growth, and complex tissue regeneration, with a particular focus on understanding how collective cellular behaviors give rise to biological form and function.

Using zebrafish as a model system, we integrate in toto imaging, multicolor cell barcoding, genetics, and quantitative approaches to visualize and analyze cellular behaviors directly within living tissues. Our long-term vision is to establish a comprehensive quantitative blueprint that links cellular behavior, tissue organization, organ growth, and organismal form, ultimately uncovering the fundamental principles by which living systems self-organize, grow, and regenerate.

實驗室的目標

生命由細胞構成，然而數以百萬計的細胞如何協調彼此的行為，進而形成具有功能的組織、器官乃至完整的個體，至今仍是生物學最核心的問題之一。我們以形態發生、個體生長與複雜組織再生為研究主軸，探究單一細胞如何透過集體行為，塑造複雜生物體的形態與功能。

實驗室以斑馬魚為模式生物，結合大尺度活體成像、多顏色細胞標記、遺傳學與定量生物學的方法，直接觀察並解構活體組織中的細胞行為。我們的長期目標是建立一套完整且跨尺度的細胞行為藍圖，連結細胞行為、組織形成、器官生長與個體形態，最終解釋複雜生命系統如何自我組織、生長與再生的運作規則。 

Latest news

2025/11/02: Congratulations to Muhammad Shahan Anwa for for receiving Image Award in the 2025 ICOB competition. 

2025/09/08: We welcome Andy Lee and Harry Hsu joining the lab.

2025/05/12: Congratulations to Megan for for an imaging study accepted in Life Science Alliance.

2025/03/03: We welcome Lisa Lu joining the lab.

2025/03/03: We welcome Muhammad Shahan Anwar from TIGP-MM program joining the lab.

2024/12/17: Congratulations to Lyra for a review article accepted in Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology.  

2024/12/07: Congratulations to Fio, Lyra, Megan, and Ting for receiving poster awards in the 2024 Taiwan zebrafish symposium.

2024/11/07: Congratulations to Fio and Lyra for for receiving poster and imaging awards in the 2024 ICOB competition. 

2024/06/21: Congratulations to Fio for an imaging study accepted in Current Biology. 

2024/05/20: Congratulations to Uday for an imaging study accepted in EMBO J. 

2023/11/30: Congratulations to Lyra on being awarded a fellowship as an Academia Sinica Postdoctoral Scholar.

2023/11/25: Congratulations to Yuh, Lyra, and Megan for receiving poster awards in the 2023 Taiwan zebrafish symposium.

2023/11/04: Congratulations to Fio and Lyra for receiving presentation and poster awards in the 2023 International Conference of Developmental Biology, Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine.

2023/11/02: Congratulations to Uday and Yuh for for receiving poster awards in the 2023 ICOB poster competition. 

2023/10/17: Congratulations to Hsuan and Yu-Hsiu for receiving “Image of Distinction” in the 2023 Nikon’s Small World Competition. 

2023/10/17: Congratulations to Lyra, Marco, Yu-Hsiu, and Uday for receiving awards in the 2023 Taiwan Olympus Microscope Image Contest.

2023/09/13: Congratulations to Marco for his study being featured as a cover story. 

2023/06/08: Congratulations to Marco for an imaging study accepted in Nature Physics. 

2023/01/18: Congratulations to Marco for for receiving the best poster award in the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Physical Society of Taiwan. 

2022/12/03: Congratulations to Yuh, Fio, and Hsuan for receiving presentation awards in the 2022 Taiwan zebrafish symposium.

2022/11/07: Congratulations to Fio and Hsuan for for receiving poster awards in the 2022 ICOB poster competition. 

2022/11/05: Congratulations to Uday for receiving an award in the 2022 Taiwan Olympus Microscope Image Contest.

2022/10/12: Congratulations to Keat Ying for receiving “Image of Distinction” in the 2022 Nikon’s Small World Competition. 

2022/08/20: Congratulations to Keat Ying and Uday for receiving best poster awards in the 2022 International Conference of Taiwanese Society of Developmental Biology.

2022/03/10: Congratulations to Keat Ying for an imaging study accepted in Nature. 

2022/01/28: Congratulations to Marco for receiving the oral presentation award in the 2022 Taiwan Physics Society conference.

2021/11/27: Congratulations to Uday for receiving the Gold Medal Award in the 2021 Taiwan Olympus Microscope Image Contest.

2021/11/27: Congratulations to Yuh,  Keat Ying, and Uday for receiving presentation awards in the 2021 Taiwan zebrafish symposium.

2021/10/21: Congratulations to Keat Ying and Uday for receiving presentation awards in 2021 International Conference of Developmental Biology, Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine.

2021/08/20: Congratulations to Yuh for an imaging study accepted in Development. 

2021/07/05: Congratulations to Alan for a mutant study accepted in Development. 

2020/12/10: Congratulations to Marco, Keat Ying, and Uday for receiving presentation awards in the TIGP-MBAS retreat. 

2020/11/28: Congratulations to Uday, Alan, and Fio for receiving presentation awards in the 2020 Taiwan zebrafish symposium.

2020/06/08: We welcome Michael Wen, Longan Su, and Jade Hsu joining the lab as summer interns.

2019/11/22: Congratulations to Marco for receiving the best performance award in 2019 TIGP-MBAS retreat.  

2019/11/16: Congratulations to Keat Ying, Yuh, and Alan for receiving best flash talk awards in 2019 Taiwan zebrafish meeting. 

2019/11/07: Congratulations to Keat Ying, Marco, and Lisa for receiving poster awards in 2019 ICOB poster competition. 

2019/10/30: Congratulations to Lisa and Alan for a mutant study accepted in Current Biology. 

2019/08/24: Congratulations to Keat Ying for receiving a poster award in 2019 Joint Conference of Taiwanese Society of Developmental Biology and Taiwan Society for Stem Cell Research.

2019/07/01: We welcome Lu Wu  and 顏薇珉 joining the lab as summer interns.

2018/12/10: Congratulations to Marco for receiving the award for the best oral presentation and Keat-Ying for receiving awards for the best flash talk and the best poster presentation in 2018 Taiwan zebrafish symposium.

2018/07/06: We welcome Claudia Lacombe, Yew Hong Wen, and 唐晏鍾 joining the lab as summer interns.

2018/04/09: We welcome Uday Kumar from TIGP-MBAS program joining the lab.

2018/03/05: We welcome Chung-Han Wang joining the lab. 

2018/02/22: We welcome Keat Ying Chan from TIGP-MBAS program joining the lab for rotation.