「國家衛生研究院98年報」呈現過去一年多來本院重要研究成果：為提昇癌症患者的照護品質，透過基礎及臨床研究人員攜手合作，於2009年6月與成大醫院共同成立「前期臨床試驗中心」，專責於抗癌新藥的第一、二期臨床研究，以加強癌症新藥及新療法的開發；心血管疾病是全世界名列前茅的死亡原因，本院心血管研究團隊發現創新腦中風治療方法及機制，未來可應用在腦中風的治療及心血管所引起的相關疾病上；分子基因研究團隊首度證明人類第四號染色體中，Cisd2遺傳基因決定人類早衰、老化及調控哺乳動物的壽命長短；生藥研發團隊針對C型肝炎進行藥物研發，已篩選出一有潛力發展為抗C型肝炎的口服先導化合物，透過國際合作，以期早日發展出抗C型肝炎之新穎藥物；醫學工程研究團隊成功地開發出高階醫療器材/設備—高強度聚焦超音波系統（HIFU），研發以子宮肌瘤治療為臨床標的之產品；疫苗研發團隊cGMP設施硬體已於2008年底開始啟用，除配合政府所訂定具備自行製造疫苗能力的政策，以因應任何緊急傳染性疾病的威脅，並致力於本土性傳染病疫苗的研究及重要疫苗的生產。

This volume, the 2009 NHRI Annual Report, outlines NHRI’s research highlights and
achievements over the past year, which have value not just in their advancement of human knowledge and health care but also in their potential applications in the biotechnology industry. Recent milestones include the establishment of the NICR/NCKUH cooperative early-phase clinical trials center to seek and provide potential effective treatments for cancer patients, the discovery of a transcriptional pathway that is critical for protection against neuronal apoptosis and cerebral infarction, the demonstration for the first time that Cisd2 is involved in mammalian life-span control, the identification of a series of lead compounds by focusing on developing novel anti-HCV therapeutic agents, the development of HIFU transducer technology at the Division of Medical Engineering Research, and the official opening of the Vaccine Research and Development Center’s cGMP pilot plant. Some of NHRI’s research findings have already become well known and have guided policy makers in formulating national health strategies. Moreover, certain drug-discovery and vaccine developments are important for national reparedness for emerging infectious diseases and may save lives in times of pandemic.