Tzyh-Chang Hwang, PhD

Research interests

• Structure-function studies of CFTR chloride channel

Research summary

I devote my entire academic career to the study of CFTR chloride channels, whose dysfunction cause cystic fibrosis. I take advantage of the enduring lesson learned in the history of medicine: physiology, pharmacology, and pathology, the trilogy of basic medical sciences, complement each other from tissue to molecule; when wedded harmoniously, they offer a more comprehensive understanding of any human illness. To achieve my goal, I take a multi-disciplinary approach that intergrates biophysical, biochemical, molecular biological and structural biological assays, and my research program includes both experimental and computational components.

Lab staff

• Xiaolong Gao, PhD
• Han-I Yeh, PhD
• Shenghui Hu, MS
• Cindy Chu, MS

Select publications

• Kang-Yang Jih, and Tzyh-Chang Hwang. (2013). Vx-770 potentiates CFTR function by promoting decoupling between the gating cycle and ATP hydrolysis cycle. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 110:4404-4409.
• Xiaolong Gao, and Tzyh-Chang Hwang. (2015). Localizing a gate in CFTR. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 112:2461-2466.
• Han-I Yeh, Liming Cui, Yoshiro Sohma, Katja Conrath, Xiaoqin Zou, and Tzyh-Chang Hwang. (2019). Identifying the molecular target sites for CFTR potentiators VX-770 and GLPG1837. J. Gen. Physiol. 151:912-928.
• Han-I Yeh, Ying-Chun Yu, Pei-Lun Kuo, ChunKuang Tsai, Hsin-Duan Huang, and Tzyh-Chang Hwang. (2021). Functional stability of CFTR depends on tight binding of ATP at its degenerate ATPbinding site. J. Physiol. 599:4625-4642.
• Xiaolong Gao, Han-I Yeh, Zhengrong Yang, Chen Fan, Fan Jiang, Rebecca J. Howard, Erik Lindahl, John C. Kappes, and Tzyh-Chang Hwang. (2024). Allosteric inhibition of CFTR gating by CFTRinh-172 binding in the pore. Nat. Comm. Aug 6;15(1):6668.