Product Detail

About the Speaker

Prof. Yin-Ru Chiang (江殷儒) My research team has established itself as a leader in anaerobic steroid metabolism over the past two decades. We have systematically investigated the biodiversity, biochemical mechanisms, and microbial enzymes driving these transformations. Our work has mapped the central pathways of microbial steroid metabolism, resulting in over 60 peer-reviewed publications cited approximately 2,300 times. Our most significant recent discovery reveals that anaerobic bacteria can interconvert sex steroids through novel vitamin B12-dependent methylation pathways (Wang et al., 2025. PNAS 122: e2422930122; Wang et al., 2020. PNAS 117: 1395-1403). This cobalamin-dependent steroid demethylation/methylation (reversible reactions) represents an unexpected metabolic link between vitamin B12 utilization and bacterial steroid metabolism. This finding highlights previously unrecognized microbe-host metabolic interdependencies mediated by sex steroids, suggesting potential applications for certain sterolbiome members as probiotics to modulate host sex steroid levels.