معرفی
Min Chen is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with affiliations in the Molecular & Cellular Biology Program and the Institute for Applied Life Sciences (Center for Bioactive Delivery and Models to Medicine). Her research focuses on developing cutting-edge nanopore technologies for single-molecule analysis of proteins and nucleic acids.
Education:
- Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Oxford, UK (2005–2008)
- Ph.D., University of Frankfurt, Germany (2004)
- MSc(Eng), Tianjin University, China (1999)
- BSc(Eng), Tianjin University, China (1996)
Her research interests lie at the intersection of biophysics, molecular biology, and nanotechnology. The Chen lab develops nanopore tweezers to monitor protein structural dynamics in real time, engineers OmpG nanopores for sensitive biosensing, advances protein and peptide sequencing methods, and improves nanopore-based DNA/RNA sequencing. These technologies aim to enable point-of-care diagnostics, drug screening for cancer and infectious diseases, and fundamental understanding of membrane protein function.
Her recent publications reveal a strong trend in developing label-free, single-molecule tools for studying enzyme dynamics, protein-ligand interactions, and nucleic acid-based data storage. The work leverages biological nanopores like ClyA, OmpG, and MspA, integrating biophysical measurements with molecular engineering. Applications span from kinase conformational analysis to antibody detection and protein translocation.
Scientific Awards and Recognition:
- NIH R01 Grant (2023) as co-PI for developing asymmetric MspA nanopores for protein sequencing
- NIH Chemistry-Biology Interface (CBI) Fellowship awarded to her student David DeCoeur
Min Chen actively mentors graduate students and has supervised several Ph.D. and Master’s theses. Her lab has received consistent grant support, including the NIH R01, indicating strong external funding. She leads a dynamic research team working on multiple fronts of nanopore technology development.
The Chen Research Group operates within the Lederle Graduate Research Tower and is part of a vibrant interdisciplinary research ecosystem at UMass Amherst, collaborating with experts in computational modeling, genomics, and drug delivery.
