Prof. Dr.Rong-Kung Tsai Taiwan

Name: Rong-Kung Tsai MD, PhD 蔡榮坤 醫師 Current Position: Professor and Director, Institute of Medical Sciences (PhD Program), Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan; Director, Institute of Eye Research, Tzu Chi Medical Center, Hualien, Taiwan Email address: rktsai@tzuchi.com.tw, tsai.rk@gmail.com Research Interest: Neuro-ophthalmology, pediatric ophthalmology, ocular Neuro-protection, Regenerative medicine, translation medicine, iPS, mesenchymal stem cells and derivatives in optic neuropathy and retinal degeneration, exosomes in optic neuropathy. Featured publications: 1. Miller NR, Tsai RK*. Editorial. Optic Neuropathies: Current and Future Strategies for Optic Nerve Protection and Repair. Int J Mol Sci. 2023; 24(8):6977. 2. Desai TD, Wen YT, Daddam JR, Cheng F, Chen CC, Pan CL, Lin KL, Tsai RK*. Long term therapeutic effects of icariin-loaded PLGA microspheres in an experimental model of optic nerve ischemia via modulation of CEBP-β/G-CSF/noncanonical NF-κB axis. Bioeng Transl Med. 2022; 7(2):e10289. 3. Wen YT, Huang CW, Liu CP, Chen CH, Tu CM, Hwang CS, Chen YH, Chen WR, Lin KL, Ho YC, Chen TC, Tsai RK*. Inhibition of Retinal Ganglion Cell Loss by a Novel ROCK Inhibitor (E212) in Ischemic Optic Nerve Injury Via Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Actions. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2021; 62:21. 4. Huang CT, Wen YT, Desai TD, Tsai RK*. Intravitreal Injection of Long-Acting Pegylated Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor Provides Neuroprotective Effects via Antioxidant Response in a Rat Model of Traumatic Optic Neuropathy. Antioxidants (Basel). 2021 ;10(12):1934. 5. Chen TW, Wen YT, Liu PK, Hossen M, Tsai RK*. Roles of 670 nm Photobiomodulation on Rat Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy: Enhancing RGC Survival, Mitochondrial Function, and Anti-Inflammatory Response. Antioxidants 2025, 14, 886. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14070886