Department Introduction

Rheumatology and Immunology

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Rheumatology and Immunology

The Asia-Pacific and Taiwan Rheumatology and Immunology Center of Excellence


We are dedicated to providing "patient-first" innovative and comprehensive medical services. We develop novel diagnostic markers and precision medical testing, striving for advancements in regenerative and smart healthcare to achieve holistic patient care. Our goal is to deliver the highest medical quality and foster a seamless doctor-patient relationship.

For more information please contact
I-Mei Lin 003248@tool.caaumed.org.tw
Chien-Chung Huang 010127@tool.caaumed.org.tw

Department Introduction

The Rheumatology and Immunology Center pioneered the "Comorbidity Assessment and Personalized Treatment" model for rheumatic diseases. Over the past three years, the center has successfully treated more than 1,000 cases, earning the SNQ National Quality Certification (2021-2023).

For refractory autoinflammatory diseases, particularly Adult-Onset Still's Disease (AOSD), the center provides highly effective diagnostic and treatment services. The center has received the SNQ National Quality Certification (2022-2024).

The center has demonstrated excellence in patient care, medical quality, innovative research, and medical education. It was recognized by the Asia-Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology (APLAR) as an Asia-Pacific Rheumatology Center of Excellence (2018-2026). In 2023, it was further honored with the NHQA National Healthcare Quality Award as a "Center of Excellence".

The center actively participates in multinational clinical trials for new drug development, conducting 30 clinical trials in the past five years, with 30% of them being Phase I/II trials.

The center is advancing allogeneic adipose-derived stem cell therapy for treating immune-related interstitial lung disease.

Innovative Research and Development

The Rheumatology Research Laboratory has identified a novel peptide derived from periodontal pathogens that can be used for RA diagnosis. This innovative serum-based diagnostic test earned the 16th National Innovation Award and received funding from the 2020 Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) Forward-looking Industry Incubation Program. It was further recognized with the Future Tech Award from the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and, in 2024, won the National Innovation Award renewal and issue the Excelsior Award.

To achieve optimal treatment outcomes, the center has developed biomarkers to predict the efficacy of targeted drugs. The "Smart Anti-Inflammation" diagnostic test offers superior efficiency, affordability, and clinical benefits. The technology has secured patents in seven countries, with global patent applications in progress. Three SCI-indexed journal articles have been published, and the innovation was awarded the 21st National Innovation Award in 2024.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been incorporated into rheumatology care, utilizing Natural Language Processing (NLP) to standardize joint ultrasound reports. Deep learning algorithms have been developed for automated image interpretation, with research findings presented at the 2023 European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) Annual Congress.

Service

Disease

1. Autoimmune & Rheumatic diseases
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjögren’s syndrome (SjS), dermatomyositis, polymyositis, scleroderma, vasculitis, antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), gout, osteoarthritis (OA), and fibromyalgia, etc.

2. Autoinflammatory Diseases
Adult-Onset Still’s Disease (AOSD), Behçet’s Disease, etc.

3. Allergic diseases
Urticaria, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, asthma, angioedema, and food or drug allergies, etc.

Symptoms

1. Autoimmune & Rheumatic symptoms
Joint pain, swelling, fever or redness, limited joint mobility, butterfly-shaped rash on the face, discoid rash, photosensitivity, oral ulcers, hair loss, joint swelling and pain, foamy urine, edema, alopecia areata, dry mouth and dry eyes, proximal muscle weakness, unexplained rashes, Raynaud’s phenomenon, skin hardening, cough, shortness of breath, recurrent miscarriages, lower back pain, hip pain, morning stiffness, heel swelling and pain, and widespread myofascial pain, etc.

2. Allergic symptoms
Rashes, prurigo (itchy skin), sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, wheezing, shortness of breath, swollen lips, or swollen eyelids, etc.

Recommended Physician

▪︎ Dr. Joung-Liang Lan:SLE, dermatomyositis, scleroderma, interstitial lung disease (ILD)
▪︎ Dr. Der-Yuan Chen:RA, SLE, AOSD
▪︎ Dr. Gregory J Tsay:RA, SjS
▪︎ Dr. Chung-Ming Huang:RA, SjS
▪︎ Dr. Jiunn-Horng Chen:Gout, fibromyalgia
▪︎ Dr. Chien-Chung Huang:RA, SLE, AS
▪︎ Dr. Wei-Jhe Hong:RA, AS, PsA
▪︎ Dr. Kai-Jieh Yeo:Inflammatory arthritis and autoimmune diseases
▪︎ Dr. Po-Chang Wu:SjS and autoimmune diseases
▪︎ Dr. Shih-Hsin Chang:ILD, APS

Our Teams

Joung-Liang Lan

Joung-Liang Lan

Consultant
Dr. Joung-Liang Lan, is a specialist of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology. He served as Visiting Scholar of Johns Hopkins Center, USA. He earned as the Master Award from Taiwan College of Rheumatology (TCR, 2013) and Asia-Pacific League of Associations of Rheumatology (APLAR, 2017). Currently, he serves as an advisor to the Dean’s office of CMUH and Distinguished Professor of China Medical Univ. He served as President of TCR (2009-2011). His research interests include pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and connective tissue diseases associated with interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD). The laboratory focuses on identifying the novel biomarkers and autoantibodies for diagnosing autoimmune disease and monitoring progression of CTD-ILD. He is the principal investigator of more than fifty international clinical trials (phase I-III,1995-2024).
Der-Yuan Chen

Der-Yuan Chen

Vice Superintendent
Dr. Der-Yuan Chen, is a specialist of Allergy, Immunology, Rheumatology. He earned as an excellent Dr. of CMUH (2022), the Master Award from Taiwan College of Rheumatology (TCR) (2023) and Asia-Pacific League of Associations of Rheumatology (APLAR) (2024). He serves as the director/vice superintendent of Rheumatology/Immunology Center of CMUH. He served as President of TCR (2014-2016). His research interests include immunopathogenesis of autoimmune diseases (SLE, RA) and autoinflammatory disease (AOSD), an association of infection with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, and the safety profile of biological/targeted synthetic DMARDs. With an excellent achievement in SLE research, he has won the SLE Academic Research Award from the Society of Immunology and participated in the development of APLAR guidelines for SLE treatment (Lancet Rheumatology 2022). He has thirty-five AOSD-related papers published in SCI journals, including Ann Rheum Dis and Arthritis Rheumatol, and also by Kelly's textbooks of Rheumatology. He has been awarded an outstanding researcher by various organizations. With 265 peer-reviewed publications in SCI Journals (~2025.01), He was listed as one of the World’s Top 2% Scientists in 2020-2024 [Citation: 11,100, H-index: 55 and i10-index: 209 (Google Scholar, 2025.01)]
Chung-Ming Huang

Chung-Ming Huang

Director
1.Doctor Chung-Ming Huang specializes in systemic lupus erythematosus, arthritis, immunological disease (Polymyositis, scleroderma, capillaritis etc.) and other allergy relation diseases (urticaria, rhinitis, asthma etc.)
2.The key to Immunology-Rheumatology disease is for early diagnosis and treatment. Diagnosis, Treatment and Care of systemic lupus erythematosus, arthritis and Ankylosing spondylitis is a specialty of Doctor Huang’s. He as accumulated years of treatment experience and has presented over 50 papers in international arthritis journals.
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