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Michael M. C. Lai

Michael M. C. Lai

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Microbiology
Taiwan
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Microbiology

D-Index
116
Citations
38233
World Ranking
186
National Ranking
2

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Microbiology in Taiwan Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Microbiology in Taiwan Leader Award
  • 2022 - Research.com Microbiology in Taiwan Leader Award
  • 2006 - Fellow, The World Academy of Sciences
  • 2002 - Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology RNA Viruses

Overview

Michael M. C. Lai is affiliated with Academia Sinica in Taiwan and has contributed extensively to research in the field of medicine, with a particular focus on infectious diseases, immunology, and molecular biology. Their research portfolio includes work on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, viral detection and testing, as well as immune response mechanisms.

The scientist's recent publications cover various aspects of viral infection and antiviral research. Notable papers include:

  • Small Structural Proteins E and M Render the SARS-CoV-2 Pseudovirus More Infectious and Reveal the Phenotype of Natural Viral Variants (2021, International Journal of Molecular Sciences)
  • Upregulation of galectin-3 in influenza A virus infection promotes viral RNA synthesis through its association with viral PA protein (2023, Journal of Biomedical Science)
  • A disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain 9 facilitates SARS-CoV-2 entry into cells with low ACE2 expression (2023, Microbiology Spectrum)
  • Glycyrrhizic acid conjugates with amino acid methyl esters target the main protease, exhibiting antiviral activity against wild-type and nirmatrelvir-resistant SARS-CoV-2 variants (2024, Antiviral Research)
  • Dual Effects of 3-epi-betulin from Daphniphyllum glaucescens in Suppressing SARS-CoV-2-Induced Inflammation and Inhibiting Virus Entry (2023, International Journal of Molecular Sciences)

Michael M. C. Lai collaborates frequently with several coauthors, including:

  • Wen-Chi Su
  • Yuag-Meng Liu
  • Mien-Chie Hung
  • Yu-Jen Chang
  • Chih-Hao Lu

Their work has been published in a variety of scientific venues, with multiple papers in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, and others appearing in the Journal of Biomedical Science, Microbiology Spectrum, Antiviral Research, and the European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases.

Areas of focus in their research include:

  • SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
  • SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing
  • Interferon and immune responses
  • Animal virus infection studies
  • Galectins and cancer biology
  • Toxin mechanisms and immunotoxins
  • Protein tyrosine phosphatases

Their subfields of study span infectious diseases, immunology, molecular biology, pharmacology, and plant science.

Among their recognitions are Fellowships in prestigious scientific organizations: Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology in 2002, with a citation related to RNA viruses, and Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences awarded in 2006.

Best Publications

  • The molecular biology of coronaviruses

    Michael M.C. Lai;David Cavanagh

  • Inhibition of the interferon-inducible protein kinase PKR by HCV E2 protein

    Deborah R. Taylor;Stephanie T. Shi;Patrick R. Romano;Glen N. Barber

  • RNA recombination in animal and plant viruses.

    M. M. C. Lai

  • Hepatitis C Virus Core Protein Binds to the Cytoplasmic Domain of Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Receptor 1 and Enhances TNF-Induced Apoptosis

    Nongliao Zhu;Ali Khoshnan;Robert Schneider;Masayuki Matsumoto

  • Continuous tissue culture cell lines derived from chemically induced tumors of Japanese quail

    Carlo Moscovici;Carlo Moscovici;M.Giovannella Moscovici;M.Giovannella Moscovici;Humberto Jimenez;Humberto Jimenez;Michael M.C. Lai

  • Putative papain-related thiol proteases of positive-strand RNA viruses Identification of rubi- and aphthovirus proteases and delineation of a novel conserved domain associated with proteases of rubi-, α- and coronaviruses

    Alexander E. Gorbalenya;Eugene V. Koonin;Michael M.-C. Lai

  • Coronaviridae: the viruses and their replication

    M. M. C. Lai;K. V. Holmes

  • Hepatitis C virus NS5A colocalizes with the core protein on lipid droplets and interacts with apolipoproteins

    Stephanie T. Shi;Stephen J. Polyak;Hong Tu;Deborah R. Taylor

  • Interactions between viral nonstructural proteins and host protein hVAP-33 mediate the formation of hepatitis C virus RNA replication complex on lipid raft.

    Lu Gao;Hideki Aizaki;Jian-Wen He;Michael M. C. Lai

  • The complete sequence (22 kilobases) of murine coronavirus gene 1 encoding the putative proteases and RNA polymerase.

    Han-Jung Lee;Chien-Kou Shieh;Alexander E. Gorbalenya;Eugene V. Koonin

  • Hepatitis C virus induces a mutator phenotype: Enhanced mutations of immunoglobulin and protooncogenes

    Keigo Machida;Kevin T.-N. Cheng;Vicky M.-H. Sung;Shigetaka Shimodaira

  • Coronavirus: organization, replication and expression of genome.

    Michael M. C. Lai

  • The Molecular Biology of Hepatitis Delta Virus

    Michael M. C. Lai

  • Molecular cloning and sequencing of a human hepatitis delta (δ) virus RNA

    Shinji Makino;Ming Fu Chang;Chien Kou Shieh;Toshio Kamahora

  • Human hepatitis delta virus RNA subfragments contain an autocleavage activity.

    Huey-Nan Wu;Yu-June Lin;Fu-Pang Lin;Shinji Makino

  • High-frequency RNA recombination of murine coronaviruses.

    Shinji Makino;J. G. Keck;S. A. Stohlman;M. M C Lai

  • CELLULAR FACTORS IN THE TRANSCRIPTION AND REPLICATION OF VIRAL RNA GENOMES: A PARALLEL TO DNA-DEPENDENT RNA TRANSCRIPTION

    Michael M.C. Lai

  • Characterization of the hepatitis C virus RNA replication complex associated with lipid rafts.

    Hideki Aizaki;Ki-Jeong Lee;Vicky M.-H Sung;Hiroaki Ishiko

  • Hepatitis C Virus Triggers Mitochondrial Permeability Transition with Production of Reactive Oxygen Species, Leading to DNA Damage and STAT3 Activation

    Keigo Machida;Kevin T.-H. Cheng;Chao-Kuen Lai;King-Song Jeng

  • Hepatitis C Virus RNA Replication Occurs on a Detergent-Resistant Membrane That Cofractionates with Caveolin-2

    Stephanie T. Shi;Ki-Jeong Lee;Hideki Aizaki;Soon B. Hwang

Frequent Co-Authors

Stephen A. Stohlman
Stephen A. Stohlman Cleveland Clinic
Shinji Makino
Shinji Makino The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Peter K. Vogt
Peter K. Vogt Scripps Research Institute
Hideki Aizaki
Hideki Aizaki National Institutes of Health
Kyoko Yokomori
Kyoko Yokomori University of California, Irvine
Sugantha Govindarajan
Sugantha Govindarajan University of Southern California
Alexander E. Gorbalenya
Alexander E. Gorbalenya Leiden University
Steven K. H. Foung
Steven K. H. Foung Stanford University
Alexandra M. Levine
Alexandra M. Levine City Of Hope National Medical Center
Takaji Wakita
Takaji Wakita National Institute of Infectious Diseases

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