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ACCEPTING PHD STUDENTS
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Assistant Professor Shih-Yin Tsai
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Faculty & Department
Physiology
Education

Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, United States

Bio

Dr. Shih-Yin Tsai is an assistant professor at the University of Singapore and a member of the Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme. Her research focuses on muscle aging and investigates the connection between functional decline and structural changes in muscles throughout the aging process. She is the recipient of the 2024 Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine Research Excellence Award.

Contact Information
email-iconphsts@nus.edu.sg
Aging and Metabolism Research Laboratory
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Selected Publications

 

  1. Ang ST, TAN KT, Hernando A, Yu D, Dong H, Adamson S, Crombie EM, Withers DJ, Huang H, Tsai SY. Muscle 4EBP1 activation modifies the structure and function of the neuromuscular junction in mice. Nat Commun 2022 Dec 17;13(1):7792. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-35547-0.
  2. Crombie EM, Kim S, Adamson S, Dong H, Lu TC, Wu Y, Wu Y, Levy Y, Stimple N, Lam WM, Hey HW, Withers DJ, Hsu AL, Bay BH, Ochala J, Tsai SY. Activation of eIF4E-binding-protein-1 rescues mTORC1-induced sarcopenia by expanding lysosomal degradation capacity. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle.2022 Nov 17. doi: 10.1002/jcsm.13121.
  3. Tan H, Lu G, Cho YL, Dong H, Wang L, Natalia A, Chan C, Kappei D, Taneja R, Ling SC, Shao H, Tsai SY, Ding WX, She HM. 2022. A degradative to secretory autophagy switch mediates mitochondria clearance in the absence of the mATG8-conjugation machinery. Nat Commun2022 Jun 28;13(1):3720. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-31213-7.
  4. Hey HWD, Lam WMR, Chan CX, Zhuo WH, Crombie EM, Tan TC, Chen WC, Cool S, Tsai SY. Paraspinal myopathy-induced intervertebral disc degeneration and thoracolumbar kyphosis in TSC1mKO mice model-a preliminary study. Spine J. 2022 Mar;22(3):483-494. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2021.09.003.
  5. Tan KT, Ang STG, Tsai SY. 2020. Sarcopenia: Tilting the Balance of Protein Homeostasis. Proteomics. 2020 Mar;20(5-6):e1800411. doi: 10.1002/pmic.201800411.
  6. Dosage-dependent copy number gains in E2f1 and E2f3 drive hepatocellular carcinoma. Kent LN,* Bae S,* Tsai SY,* Tang X, Srivastava A, Koivisto C, Martin CK, Ridolfi E, Miller GC, Zorko SM, Plevris E, Hadjiyannis Y, Perez M, Nolan E, Kladney R, Westendorp B, de Bruin A, Fernandez S, Rosol TJ, Pohar KS, Pipas JM, Leone G. J Clin Invest. 2017 Jan 30. pii: 87583. doi: 10.1172/JCI87583. [Epub ahead of print] *Equal Contributions.
  7. Increased 4E-BP1 expression protects against diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance in male mice. Tsai SY, Rodriguez AA, Dastidar SG, Del Greco E, Carr KL, Sitzmann JM, Academia EC, Viray CM, Martinez LL, Kaplowitz BS, Ashe TD, La Spada AR, Kennedy BK. Cell Rep. 2016 Aug 16;16(7):1903-14.
  8. Muscle-specific 4E-BP1 signaling activation improves metabolic parameters during aging and obesity. Tsai SY, Sitzmann JM, Dastidar SG, Rodriguez AA, Vu SL, McDonald CE, Academia EC, O’Leary MN, Ashe TD, La Spada AR, Kennedy BK. J Clin Invest. 2015 Aug 3;125(8):2952-64.
  9. Emerging roles of E2Fs in cancer: an exit from cell cycle control. Chen HZ, Tsai SY, Leone G. Nat Rev Cancer. 2009 Nov;9(11):785-97.
  10. Mouse development with a single E2F activator. Tsai SY, Opavsky R, Sharma N, Wu L, Naidu S, Nolan E, Feria-Arias E, Timmers C, Opavska J, de Bruin A, Chong JL, Trikha P, Fernandez SA, Stromberg P, Rosol TJ, Leone G. Nature. 2008 Aug 28;454(7208):1137-41.

Awards

  • 2024 Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine Research Excellence Award
  • 2017-2019 Oon Chiew Seng Fellow in Medicine (Women’s Health & Ageing Science)
  • April 19- April 24, 2015 Keystone Symposia Scholarship. “The Crossroads of Lipid Metabolism and Diabetes” Copenhagen, Denmark
  • 2011-2013 NIH Training Grant RL9 AG032114
  • June 21- June 26, 2009 Keystone Symposia Scholarship. “ Deregulation of Transcription in Cancer: Controlling Cell Fat Decisions” Killarney, Co. Kerry, Ireland

Aging
Skeletal Muscle
MTOR
Protein Dynamics
  • Sex and Aging: How may sex differences interfere with biological aging? Would the sex also play a role in the responses to anti-aging interventions?
  • Protein Homeostasis in Aging: How is protein quality control regulated during aging? Could target of protein quality control serve as a therapeutic approach against aging and related diseases?
  • Sacropenia of Aging: What signaling pathways, if dysregulated, would lead to the pathogenesis of sacropenia? Could we promote longevity through maintaining healthier skeletal muscles?

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My Mentoring Style

How would you describe your mentoring style in terms of freedom given to your students?

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Autonomy
Adaptive
Mentorship

Selecting Research Topics?

How do you guide your PhD students in selecting research topics?

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Curated
Align
Collaborate
Student-led

Setbacks / Challenges

How do you handle setbacks or challenges faced by your PhD students?

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Independent
Nudge
Guidance

Feedback

How do you give feedback on your students’ thesis drafts and progress?

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Minimal
Brief
Detailed

Consultation Frequency

How often do you typically meet your PhD students one-on-one for consultation?

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Weekly
Bi-Weekly
Monthly
As Needed

Research Group Meetings

How often do you typically hold lab meetings where your PhD students present their research work to the class?

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Weekly
Bi-Weekly
Monthly
As Needed
Contact Information
email-iconphsts@nus.edu.sg
Aging and Metabolism Research Laboratory
open-newLinkedIn