RESEARCH
The research in the Chen lab is focused on membrane pore-forming proteins. We are interested in both the fundamental principles of protein structure and function relationship and their potential in biotechnological applications.
Our current research schemes are as follows:
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New nanopore tools to monitor protein structural dynamics at single molecule level.
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Engineering OmpG nanopores for protein sensing.
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DNA/RNA sequencing.
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Peptide and protein sequencing.
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β-barrel membrane protein folding and design.
NEWS
NIH grant awarded
to Min Chen Group
September 2025
Our proposal "Developing a nanopore tweezer platform for probing structural dynamics of protein kinases and selective screening of allosteric inhibitors" has been awarded from the NIH/NIGMS. Thank you!
PhD Defense
August 8, 2024
Spencer Shorkey has successfully defended his PhD dissertation entitled "Developing Nanopore Tweezer Technology for Enzymatic Function Analysis". Congratulations, Spencer!
PhD Defense
September 27, 2023
Minji Kim has successfully defended her PhD dissertation entitled "Development and evaluation of novel detection techniques for food borne pathogens". Congratulations, Minji!
NIH grant awarded to Aleksei Aksimentiev, Min Chen and Anthony Leung Groups
September 2025
Our proposal "Developing a Nanopore approach for Cellular Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation Profiling" has been awarded from the NIH/NHGRI. Thank you!
PhD Defense
August 1, 2024
Joshua Foster has successfully defended his PhD dissertation entitled "Expanding the Nanopore Toolbox– Engineering Nanopore Sensors for Bioanalysis". Congratulations, Josh!
MS Defense
July 28, 2023
Congratulations to Samantha Schultz for completion of the Masters Defense!
New lab members
December 2024
Susmita Dey and Mitchell Kampf, Chemistry PhD students, have joined the Chen lab. Welcome!
CBI Fellow Award
June 2024
Congratulations to David DeCoeur for receiving the NIH Chemistry-Biology Interface Program Fellowship Award!
NIH R01 grant to the Aksimentiev, Chen, Niederweiser and Wanunu group
June 1, 2023
Our proposal "Asymmetric Single-Chain MspA nanopores for electroosmotic stretching and sequencing proteins" has been funded by the NIH. Thank you!
LATEST ARTICLES
Contact
Lab Address
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Department of Chemistry, 720 LGRT
710 North Pleasant St.
Amherst, MA 01003
Tel: 413-545-2318
Office
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Department of Chemistry, 865 LGRT
710 North Pleasant St.
Amherst, MA 01003
Tel: 413-545-06830