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Lee, Pei-Chih

Research Biologist

Pei-Chih Lee is a research biologist specialized in reproductive biology, biobanking, and assisted reproductive technologies. Her research seeks to develop and apply latest biotechnologies to reproductive studies and genome resource banking of rare and endangered species.

Background And Education

Education And Training

B.S. in Zoology, National Taiwan University
M.S. in Molecular Medicine, National Taiwan University
Ph.D. in Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University

Awards And Honors

Smithsonian Scholarly Studies Award, conferred by Smithsonian Scholarly Studies Awards, 2017

Public Biography

Pei-Chih Lee is a research biologist at the Center for Species Survival in Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Lee’s research includes both basic and applied reproductive biology, focusing on feline species. Using the domestic cat model, she is developing a more economical preservation technique that allows gametes and tissues to be stored without the need of liquid nitrogen. Along with her collaborators, Lee has demonstrated the potential of applying microwave-assisted drying technique to the preservation of sperm, oocytes, and gonadal tissues. With more studies and optimizations, she and the team hope to achieve long-term stabilization of dry-preserved cells for storage in refrigerators or at ambient temperatures. Her work on the molecular and cellular regulation of cat oocyte development provided insight for the understanding and future evaluation of assisted reproduction techniques of felids.

Lee plays a key role in coordinating and maintaining the National Zoo’s genome resource banks. These cryopreserved collections are great resources to study and sustain biodiversity. She also supported National Zoo’s breeding programs by participating in estrus monitoring, semen collection and artificial insemination of various species, such as the giant pandas.

Lee earned her bachelor's degree in zoology and Master of Science in molecular medicine from National Taiwan University. She earned her doctorate in molecular biosciences from Northwestern University. She joined the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in 2012, where she works alongside Dr. Pierre Comizzoli to apply her expertise in molecular biology to the study of feline reproduction.

Research And Grants

Co-principal Investigator On

Assessing and Improving the Preservation of Feline Oocytes Using Protein Markers awarded by Smithsonian Scholarly Studies Awards

Publications

Selected Publications

Article
- Comizzoli, Pierre, Amelkina, Olga, Chavez, Daniela R., Rowlison, Tricia R., and Lee, Pei-Chih. 2023. "Current knowledge in the biology of gametes and embryos from Carnivora." Theriogenology, 196 254–263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2022.11.024. 2023
- Orozco Cabral, Joseph A., Lee, Pei-Chih, Wang, Shangping, Wang, Yizhou, Zhang, Yong, Comizzoli, Pierre, and Elliott, Gloria D. 2023. "The Effect of Choline Salt Addition to Trehalose Solution for Long-Term Storage of Dried and Viable Nuclei from Fully Grown Oocytes." Bioengineering, 10, (9). https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering10091000. 2023
- Comizzoli, Pierre, Amelkina, Olga, and Lee, Pei-Chih. 2022. "Damages and stress responses in sperm cells and other germplasms during dehydration and storage at nonfreezing temperatures for fertility preservation." Molecular reproduction and development, https://doi.org/10.1002/mrd.23651. 2022
- Comizzoli, Pierre, He, Xiaoming, and Lee, Pei-Chih. 2022. "Long-term preservation of germ cells and gonadal tissues at ambient temperatures." Reproduction and Fertility, 3, (2) R42–R50. https://doi.org/10.1530/RAF-22-0008. 2022
- Lee, Pei-Chih, Zahmel, Jennifer, Jewgenow, Katarina, and Comizzoli, Pierre. 2021. "Desiccated cat spermatozoa retain DNA integrity and developmental potential after prolonged storage and shipping at non-cryogenic temperatures." Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-021-02337-4. 2021
- Chavez, Daniela R., Lee, Pei-Chih, and Comizzoli, Pierre. 2021. "Oocyte Meiotic Competence in the Domestic Cat Model: Novel Roles for Nuclear Proteins BRD2 and NPM1." Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2021.670021. 2021
- Wang, Shangping, Lee, Pei-Chih, Elsayed, Amanda, Zhang, Fan, Zhang, Yong, Comizzoli, Pierre, and Elliott, Gloria D. 2021. "Preserving the Female Genome in Trehalose Glass at Supra-Zero Temperatures: The Relationship Between Moisture Content and DNA Damage in Feline Germinal Vesicles." Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering, 14, (1) 101–112. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12195-020-00635-y. 2021
- Silva, Herlon Victor Rodrigues, da Silva, Andréia Maria, Lee, Pei-Chih, Brito, Bruna Farias, Silva, Alexandre Rodrigues, da Silva, Lúcia,Daniel Machado, and Comizzoli, Pierre. 2020. "Influence of Microwave-Assisted Drying on Structural Integrity and Viability of Testicular Tissues from Adult and Prepubertal Domestic Cats." Biopreservation and Biobanking, https://doi.org/10.1089/bio.2020.0048. 2020
- Lee, Pei-Chih and Comizzoli, Pierre. 2019. "Desiccation and supra-zero temperature storage of cat germinal vesicles lead to less structural damage and similar epigenetic alterations compared to cryopreservation." Molecular Reproduction & Development, 86, (12) 1822–1831. https://doi.org/10.1002/mrd.23276. 2019
- Lee, Pei-Chih, Adams, Daniella M., Amelkina, Olga, White, Kylie K., Amoretti, Luigi A., Whitaker, Marinda G., and Comizzoli, Pierre. 2019. "Influence of microwave-assisted dehydration on morphological integrity and viability of cat ovarian tissues: First steps toward long-term preservation of complex biomaterials at supra-zero temperatures." PloS One, 14, (12) Article e0225440. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225440. 2019
- Proteomic analysis of germinal vesicles in the domestic cat model reveals candidate nuclear proteins involved in oocyte competence acquisition 2018
- Lee, Pei-Chih, Wildt, David E., and Comizzoli, Pierre. 2015. "Nucleolar Translocation of Histone Deacetylase 2 Is Involved in Regulation of Transcriptional Silencing in the Cat Germinal Vesicle." Biology of reproduction, 93, (2) 33. https://doi.org/10.1095/biolreprod.115.129106. 2015
- Elliott, Gloria D., Lee, Pei-Chih, Paramore, Elisha, Van Vorst, Matthew, and Comizzoli, Pierre. 2015. "Resilience of Oocyte Germinal Vesicles to Microwave-Assisted Drying in the Domestic Cat Model." Biopreservation and Biobanking, 13, (3) 164–171. https://doi.org/10.1089/bio.2014.0078. 2015
- SUMOylated SoxE Factors Recruit Grg4 and Function as Transcriptional Repressors in the Neural Crest 2012
- Asymmetric Expression Patterns of Brain Transthyretin in Normal Mice and A Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimerâs Disease 2009
- H2A.Z-Mediated Localization of Genes at the Nuclear Periphery Confers Epigenetic Memory of Previous Transcriptional State 2007

Contact

Location

National Zoological Park Academic Department