Haw-Chih Tai

Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Tai’s long-term research interests involve a comprehensive understanding of the underlying genetic and signaling interaction between the risk factors of vascular diseases (i.e., obesity, metabolic dysfunction, and aging) and how these interactions contribute to human vascular disease.

Dr. Tai graduated from the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan. He was awarded a Master degree in physiology in 2009 and a PhD degree in cardiovascular diseases in 2016, during his graduated training, he published 3 peer-reviewed papers. Dr. Tai has always been interested in investigative research. During this time, he investigated the role of the metabolic regulator PPARγ in the turnover of extracellular matrix and development of hypertension and aortic aneurysm. This work formed the basis of his PhD thesis and was published in Hypertension journal with Dr. Tai as 1st author.

Dr. Tai is currently working in Dr. Liao’s laboratory studying the role of Rho kinases (ROCK) in cardiac function, aortic stiffening, and vascular aging in rodents. One of the possible mechanisms is that ROCK may regulate aortic stiffness through alter eNOS activity and NO production in aging process. Consequently, Dr. Tai begin formal investigation on the role of ROCK in aortic stiffness in aging process. This project would allow him to leverage his prior experience in mouse vascular aging models, eNOS activity, and ECM turnover.

Phone number: (773) 702-5897 | E-mail: hctai@uchicago.edu

Publications or Abstracts

• HC Tai, PJ Tsai, JY Chen, CH Lai, KC Wang, SH Teng, SC Lin, AYW Chang, MJ Jiang, YH Li, HL Wu, N Maeda, and YS Tsai. PPARγ Level Contributes to Structural Integrity and Component Production of Elastic Fibers in the Aorta. Hypertension. 67, 1298-1308, 2016.
• MW Cheong, LH Kuo, YN Cheng, PJ Tsai, LC Ho, HC Tai, WT Chiu, SH Chen, PJ Lu, YS Shan, LM Chuang, YS Tsai. Loss of Egr-1 Sensitizes Pancreatic β-Cells to Palmitate-Induced ER Stress and Apoptosis. J Mol Med. 93, 807-818, 2015.
• JY Chen, PJ Tsai, HC Tai, RL Tsai, YT Chang, MC Wang, YW Chiou, ML Yeh, MJ Tang, YH Li, WC Tsai, LJ Lin, HL Wu, and YS Tsai. Increased Aortic Stiffness and Attenuated Lysyl Oxidase Activity in Obesity. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 33, 839-846, 2013.

Academic Honors