Tzu-Fun Fu received her doctoral degree in Biochemistry in May 2000 and continued her post-doctoral training in Dr. Verne Schirch's laboratory/VirginiaCommonwealthUniversity from 2000 to 2002.After which she assumed her first teaching job in Yuan-Pei Institute of Science and Technology and transferred to Chung-ShanMedicalUniversity one year later.She joined the department of medical laboratory science and biotechnology at NCKU in the summer of 2004 and continued her research in folate-mediated one-carbon metabolism using zebrafish as animal model.

Education

• Ph.D., Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical college of Virginia, USA
• M. Sc., Clinical laboratory Science, Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical College of Virginia, USA
• B. Sc., Medical Technology, Chung-ShanMedicalUniversity

Research

Research in our laboratory centers around the folate- and vitamin B6-required one-carbon metabolism.One-carbon metabolism is a very important but complicated biological pathway in cells.Numerous enzymes and cofactors are involved in this metabolic pathway. Our interests are mainly focused on three categories: (1) Structural and functional analysis of enzymes involved in one-carbon metabolic pathway, mainly serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT). dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and 10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (FDH). (2) The Role of folate-requiring enzymes in cell growth and embryonic development. (3) Correlation between impairment of folate-requiring one-carbon metabolism and pathogenesis including neural tube defect and cancer. (4) Development of diseases models with zebrafish for folate research and drug screening.