The PI Ho-Cheng Wu received his B.S. degree and Master's degree in Pharmacy at Kaohsiung Medical University. Before he obtained his Ph.D. at Graduate Institute of Natural Products in Kaohsiung Medical University, he took more than two years to be a pharmacist at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Chiayi. After a year as a postdoctoral researcher at National Taiwan University, he was recruited as an assistant professor at Graduate Institute of Pharmacognosy in Taipei Medical University. He is now an assistant professor at School of Pharmacy in Kaohsiung Medical University.
Professor Wu's laboratory focuses on the research of bioactive secondary metabolites in natural products, aiming to develop botanical new drugs or single-compound new drugs from natural products. The research materials include Formosan plants and endophytic fungi. Through field surveys, Formosan plants are collected, identified, and subjected to small-scale extractions to establish an extraction database. With bioactivity screening, bioactive plants were identified as potential targets for further research. Additionally, our laboratory has recently been studying the active components of endophytic fungi, utilizing the concept of "one strain many compounds" (OSMAC) as an exploratory technique to identify optimal fermentation conditions, thereby bridging the gap between academia and industry. After we confirm the research target, the bioassay-guided fractionation method is employed to identify active lead compounds.
In Professor Wu's laboratory, you can learn the chemical techniques for separating natural products, such as thin-layer chromatography and column chromatography. You will also acquire skills in chemical structure identification, utilizing nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), infrared spectroscopy (IR), ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV), Circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD), and specific rotation. The fermentation technology of fungi, including fungal isolation, purification, and exploration of fermentation conditions, is also covered.
Natural products have played a significant role in the history of human health and disease treatment, serving as the starting point for drug development. If you are interested in taking the first step in drug development or the aforementioned topics, we welcome you to join our team!
- Investigation into chemical constituents from natural products and their bioactivities (plants, fungi, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and herbal medicine)
- Isolation of endophytes from Formosan plants and establishment of their fermented extract bank
- Medicinal Botany
- Research and development of functional foods and dietary supplements
- Invited Speaker, (2025, Nov.) Bioactive natural product discovery from fungal resources: Medical, edible, and endophytic species. Invited by 40th International Annual Meeting in Pharmaceutical Sciences (IAMPS40), Bangkok, Thailand.
- Invited Speaker, (2023, Oct.)Exploring the bioactive constituents from medicinal and edible fungi. Invited by The 38th Symposium of Natural Products, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
- Guest editor of journals: Life
- Ho-Cheng Wu, Ming-Jen Cheng, Chia-Hung Yen, Yi-Ming Chen, Horng-Huey Ko, Ih-Sheng Chen, Hsun-Shuo Chang*. The GNMT promoter for chemoprevention from Excoecaria formosana. (2018) International Cosmetic-Tech Conference & Exhibition, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. (Honorable Mention Award)
- Ho-Cheng Wu, Ming-Jen Cheng*, Hsun-Shuo Chang*. Chemical constituents and anti-inflammatory activity from Monascus sp.-fermented rice. (2018) Annual Symposium of the Pharmaceutical Society of Taiwan, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. (Oral Presentation Award)
- Ho-Cheng Wu, Ming-Der Wu*, Ih-Sheng Chen, Gwo-Fang Yuan, Hsun-Shuo Chang*, Ming-Jen Cheng*. Constituents from Monascus pilosus BCRC 38072 (V). (2018) 33rd Symposium on Natural Products, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. (Poster Presentation Award)
- Ho-Cheng Wu, Chia-Hung Yen, Ming-Der Wu, Ming-Jen Cheng*, Hsun-Shuo Chang*. Azaphilones and monacolins from Monascus pilosus BCRC 38144. (2019) The 34th Symposium of Natural Products, Taoyuan, Taiwan. (Poster Presentation Award)
- Ho-Cheng Wu, Yih-Fung Chen, Ming-Der Wu, Ming-Jen Cheng*, Hsun-Shuo Chang*. Chemical constituents and their bioactivities from Monascus purpureus BCRC 38110. The 35th Symposium of Natural Products, Taipei, Taiwan. (Honorable Mention Award)
- Ho-Cheng Wu, Hsiao-Yang Hsi, George Hsiao, Yu-Liang Yang, Ming-Jen Cheng, Jyh-Yih Leu* and Tzong-Huei Lee*. Chemical constituents and their anti-neuroinflammatory activities from an edible corn smut fungus Ustilago maydis. The 36th Symposium of Natural Products, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. (Award 3rd place)
Education:
- 2020 Ph.D., Graduate Institute of Natural Products, Kaohsiung Medical University
- 2011 Master, School of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University
- 2009 B.S., School of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University
Experience:
- 2024-present, Assistant Professor, School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University
- 2022-2024, Assistant Professor, Graduate Institute of Pharmacognosy, Taipei Medical University
- 2020-2021, Postdoc., National Taiwan University
- 2018-2018 Visiting Scholar, Chulalongkorn University
- 2012-2015, Pharmacist, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
Job Description
Support chemical profiling and annotation using mass spectrometry–based molecular networking.
- Assist in LC–MS/MS data processing and feature extraction.
- Participate in GNPS-based molecular networking analysis for chemical classification and dereplication.
- Assist in preparing figures, data summaries, and draft materials for presentations or publications.
- Follow laboratory safety regulations and research integrity guidelines.
Preferred Intern Educational Level
- Undergraduate students (3rd–4th year) majoring in Pharmacy, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Life Sciences, or related fields.
- Master’s or PhD students with a background in natural products, analytical chemistry, or pharmaceutical sciences are preferred
Skill sets or Qualities
- Basic laboratory skills in organic or natural products chemistry.
- Familiarity with chromatography (TLC, column chromatography, HPLC) is preferred.
- Basic understanding of mass spectrometry or LC–MS is an advantage.
- Interest in natural products, medicinal plants, or herbal chemistry.
- Careful, patient, and detail-oriented working attitude.
- Ability to communicate and document research work in English.
- Willingness to learn new analytical and computational tools such as GNPS.
Job Description
Support chemical profiling and annotation using mass spectrometry–based molecular networking.
- Assist in LC–MS/MS data processing and feature extraction.
- Participate in GNPS-based molecular networking analysis for chemical classification and dereplication.
- Support interpretation of chemical space using tools such as NPClassifier and spectral libraries.
- Assist in preparing figures, data summaries, and draft materials for presentations or publications.
- Follow laboratory safety regulations and research integrity guidelines.
Preferred Intern Educational Level
- Undergraduate students (3rd–4th year) majoring in Pharmacy, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Life Sciences, or related fields
- Master’s or PhD students with background in natural products, analytical chemistry, or pharmaceutical sciences are preferred
Skill sets or Qualities
- Basic laboratory skills in organic or natural products chemistry.
- Familiarity with chromatography (TLC, column chromatography, HPLC) is preferred.
- Basic understanding of mass spectrometry or LC–MS is an advantage.
- Interest in natural products, medicinal plants, or herbal chemistry.
- Careful, patient, and detail-oriented working attitude.
- Ability to communicate and document research work in English.
- Willingness to learn new analytical and computational tools such as GNPS.