[Phoenix Lecture] Academia Sinica Academician Shang-Cheng Hong : The Motivation Behind Scientific Research is to Help Society-國立成功大學永續發展SDGs

Academician Shang-cheng Hong of Academia Sinica, newly elected in 2024, delivered a lecture at National Cheng Kung University on December 10. He spoke about how to choose a research field, advising students, "Don't rush when you don't have a clear direction at first. Believe that you have great potential for development." He also emphasized, "The most important starting point for scientific research is to help local people." With this mindset of wanting to help society, one can find a research field that is worth long-term commitment and deep exploration.


Reflecting on his 26-year journey in carbohydrate science research, Academician Hong shared that his training background was in natural compounds and physics, but in his first year of postdoctoral studies, he had never worked on glycoscience and only knew about glucose. It wasn’t until he worked in Professor Qi-Hui Weng’s laboratory for three years that he began his glycoscience research. He mentioned that when he returned to Taiwan in 1998 to conduct independent research, he originally intended to focus on natural compounds. However, he chose to focus on glycoscience because, in addition to its broad application, it had personal significance for his hometown, Tainan. At that time, there was a dengue fever outbreak in Tainan, and data showed that the virus's membrane protein interacted with sugars on host cells. He thought that if chemical synthesis of the sugars on the cell surface could be developed, it might help block viral infection.


NCKU Vice President Hong-Chen Chen stated that Academician Hong’s research has profoundly impacted the biomedical field, spanning from chemistry to interdisciplinary work. His development of the "one-pot" glycosylation technique has significantly contributed to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Academician Hong became a joint professor in the NCKU Department of Chemistry on August 1, 2022, and was elected as an Academician of Academia Sinica in 2024, which is a great honor for NCKU.


The terms "sugar" and "carbohydrate" differ. While "sugar" tastes sweet, "carbohydrate" refers to all food that produces sugar, which may not necessarily taste sweet. Carbohydrates also provide energy and are closely related to our daily lives and health. Academician Hong’s lecture, titled "Carbohydrate Science and Life," introduced the structure and role of natural monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides in a popular science format. He also discussed the development of carbohydrate-based medicines, including how synthetic complex carbohydrates on the cell surface can be used as tools for early disease diagnosis and for preventing or treating cancer and infectious diseases.


"A foldable thinking approach is similar to how scientists think about synthesizing biological molecules," Hong said during the lecture, where he also shared his origami creations, including models of the DNA double helix structure and the structure of the COVID-19 virus. He personally guided the audience to fold a bodhi leaf, commonly seen on the NCKU campus, from square colored paper. The lecture combined scientific knowledge of carbohydrate science with artistic fun, showcasing a unique aspect of a scientist’s life and providing the attending students and faculty with a highly enjoyable experience.


Academician Hong is currently a distinguished researcher at the Genomics Research Center of Academia Sinica. In addition to his achievements in scientific research, he is also a key participant and leader in several international scientific projects. He is dedicated to carbohydrate pharmaceutical science, pioneering the "one-pot" glycosylation technique. Using his original organic chemistry synthesis techniques and molecular biology detection methods, he provides essential information on the structure and activity relationship of carbohydrate-protein complexes, opening new avenues for the development of small-molecule drugs to combat human diseases and significantly improving research and development efficiency.


His major awards include the 2023 Taiwan Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Development Foundation Biotechnology Lecture, the 2021 National Science Council Future Technology Award, the 2017 27th Wang Min-ning Outstanding Contribution Award, the National Science Council Future Technology Breakthrough Award, and the 2016 and 2021 National Science Council Academic Summit Program Award.