Chao-Min Cheng
Chao-Min Cheng
Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
(Cell) +1-412-620-8266; (Fax) +1-617-495-9857
Email:
Education
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, U.S.A.
March 2009-Present: Post-doctoral Research Fellow in Chemistry & Chemical Biology
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, U.S.A.
January 2006- February 2009: Ph. D in Biomedical Engineering
January 2006- December 2007 in Mechanical Engineering
Dissertation: Understanding cell-based biopolymer structures through small-scale approaches
National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
August 1999- June 2001: M.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Thesis: Fabrication of high aspect ratio microstructure array by deep X-ray lithography
National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
August 1995- June 1999: B.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Positions
Visiting Post-doctoral Research Fellow, BIOS, Lab-on-a-Chip Group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, Netherlands (Jan. 2011)
Visiting Ph. D. Student, Cardiovascular Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan (Summer 2008)
Teaching Assistant, Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, U.S.A. (Fall 2007, Spring 2008); Course: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering
Visiting Scientist, Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, U.S.A. (Aug. 2004- Dec. 2005)
Research Assistant, Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taiwan (July 2003- July 2004)
Military Service, Army, Taiwan (Oct. 2001- June 2003)
Beamline Operator, Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Taiwan (June 2000- June 2001)
Areas of Research Interest
(i) Paper Diagnostic Systems & Simple Solutions for Public Health
Developing a method to answer scientific questions is one of the practical approaches for doing science; optical microscopy, for example, has been a fundamental method of biological or medical discovery for more than three centuries. However, building a system or a tool to solve current issues existed in the world (e.g., infectious diseases) is also one of the exciting projects that we can involve and contribute.
The developing world needs diagnostic devices that have the lowest cost, function without supporting equipment (e.g., electricity, pumps, optics), can be integrated with wireless communication technology for telemedicine, and are portable and easy to operate. Due to this reason, we have developed multiple “simple” technologies, which can be used in the developing world. I will extend what I have done in the Whitesides Research Group at Harvard including 3-D paper-based microfluidics, paper-based ELISA as well as paper-based portable device for biochemical analysis to detect Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Dengue, which is trying to solve these serious medical issues in Taiwan.
(ii) Cellular & Molecular Biomechanics (Mechanotransduction)
The link between mechanics and biochemistry has been implicated in a myriad of scientific and medical problems, from orthopedics and cardiovascular medicine, to cell motility and division, to signal transduction and gene expression. Most of these studies have been focused on organ-level issues, yet cellular and molecular research has become essential over the last decade in this field thanks to the revolutionary developments in microelectronics, genetics, biotechnology, and information technology. I will keep developing new tools (e.g., micropatterning or physiological-relevant microenvironments) and address how they are being used to probe scientific questions related to cellular and molecular structure. I will also attempt to understand the link between mechanics and biochemistry matters to biology and medicine with respect to the structural regulation in living cells.
(iii) Microfabrication & Micropatterning through Bio-Inspiration Approaches
Humankind often derives guidance and inspiration from the nature. However, most designers originate without any explicit reference to nature, as direct natural analogs do not exist for many associated technological applications. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in borrowing design concepts from nature to mimic biological systems, or “biomimetics”. Biomimetics has evolved from a multitude of interdisciplinary fields including chemistry, biology, physics and engineering. Biologically inspired and biologically based materials have properties that allow unique approaches and methodologies to be used to create ordered arrays of small-scale systems. I am very interested in one of these approaches, which is to use specific chemical reactions, which are inherently self-organized, to create new paradigms for structural and materials fabrication.
Honors, Awards and Recognitions
Graduate Student Conference Funding, awarded by Ministry of Education, Taiwan for attending 2009 Mechanotransduction in Physiology and Disease, Keystone Symposia
Graduate Student Conference Funding, awarded by Ministry of Education, Taiwan for attending APS 2008 March Meeting
GSA Graduate Student Conference Funding, selected by Carnegie Mellon University for attending Society for Neuroscience 2008 Annual Meeting
Travelling Fellowship awarded by Journal of Cell Science for visiting Okayama University, Japan, cited in CMU ME Newsletter, Fall/2008
Society of Phi Kappa Phi, selected member of Carnegie Mellon University
Sigma Xi, National Honor Organization
Student Travel Award for NAS Sackler Colloquium, Nanomaterials in Biology and Medicine: Promises and Perils on April 10-11, 2007 at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.
Dowd-ICES Graduate Student Fellowship awarded by Institute for Complex Engineered Systems, Carnegie Mellon University; cited in CMU Newsletter, 06/2006
AVS Graduate Research Award awarded by American Vacuum Society
Ph. D. Research Scholarship awarded by Ministry of Education, Taiwan
Best Paper Award, 3rd National Conference on Precision Mechanical Manufacture, Taiwan
Academic Achievement Award for Graduate Students, Taiwan
Applied Materials Taiwan Scholarship for Excellent Engineering Students, Taiwan
National Science Council Research Project for Undergraduate Students, Taiwan (07/1997 and 11/1998)
Research/Activities Cited in the National Academies- Keck Futures Initiative (website), 02/2006
Research/Activities Cited in the World Health Care Congress, Affordable Health Innovations
Research/Activities Cited in Scientific American, Fall/2010
Research/Activities Cited in BioTechniques, 07/2010
Research/Activities Cited in Chemistry World, 11/2010
Research/Activities Cited in Scientific American (Traditional Chinese Version), 01/2011
Journal Reviewer (ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Advanced Materials, Analytical Chemistry, Applied Physics Letters, BioTechniques, Journal of Applied Spectroscopy, Lab on a Chip, Langmuir, Materials Research Society, Nucleic Acids Research, Small)
Societies and Organizations
Society for Neuroscience; American Physical Society; American Society for Cell Biology; Biomedical Engineering Society; Biophysical Society; Materials Research Society
Lectures, Seminars and Presentations
2011 Institute of Biomedical Informatics, National Yang Ming University, Taiwan
2010 Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
2010 Department of Physiology, National Cheng Kung University Medical School, Taiwan
2010 Center of Nanoscience & Nanotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan
2010 Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
2010 Medical Device and Diagnostic Innovation, Waltham, MA, U.S.A.
2009 Department of Life Science, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
2009 Institute of Nanoengineering and Microsystems, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
2009 Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
2009 Research Center for Applied Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
2009 Institute of Applied Mechanics, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
2009 Mechanotransduction in Physiology and Disease, Keystone Symposia, Taos, NM, U.S.A.
2008 Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, National Taiwan Ocean University, Taiwan
2008 Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan
2008 Cardiovascular Physiology/Cellular Physiology/Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Japan
2007 Department of Physics (Biophysical Journal Club), National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan
2007 Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
Reviews
1. S. H. Leuba, T. B. Wheeler, C.-M. Cheng, P. R. LeDuc, M. Fernández-Sierra and E. Quiñones, “Structural and dynamics of single DNA molecules as manipulated by magnetic tweezers and or flow,” Methods, Vol. 47, pp. 214-222, 2009.
Peer-Review Journal Publications
2. C.-M. Cheng, M. Hazar, R. L. Steward Jr., C. J. Orndoff, Y. Zeng, M.-S. Ho and P. R. LeDuc, “Controlling material interfaces using biologically inspired intermediates,” Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2011 (submitted).
3. S.-Y. Chou, C.-M. Cheng, C.-C. Chen and P. R. LeDuc, “Localized neurite outgrowth sensing via substrates with alternative rigidities,” Soft Matter, 2011 (revised).
4. C.-M. Cheng, J. T. Dawson, Q. Guo, P. R. LeDuc and B. Li, “Maskless fabrication of small-scale structures through controlling phase interactions,” Applied Physics A, Vol. 102, pp. 185-188, 2011.
5. A. W. Martinez, S. T. Phillips, Z. Nie, C.-M. Cheng, E. Carrilho, B. J. Wiley and G. M. Whitesides, “Programmable diagnostic devices made from paper and tape,” Lab on a Chip, Vol. 10, pp. 2499-2504, 2010 (highlighted in Chemical Technology, 09/2010; ranked as the most accessed article in Lab on a Chip for August and September 2010).
6. C.-M. Cheng, A. W. Martinez, J. Gong, Charles R. Mace, S. T. Phillips, E. Carrilho, K. A. Mirica and G. M. Whitesides, “Paper-Based ELISA,” Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Vol. 49, pp. 4771-4774, 2010.
7. C.-M. Cheng, A. D. Mazzeo, J. Gong, A. W. Martinez, S. T. Phillips, N. Jain and G. M. Whitesides, “Millimeter-scale contact printing of aqueous solutions using a stamp made out of paper and tape,” Lab on a Chip, Vol. 10, pp. 3201-3205, 2010.
8. C.-M. Cheng, P. R. LeDuc and Y.-W. Lin, “Bimodal response of neurite extensions and structural proteins in dorsal-root ganglion neurons with controlled substrate stiffness,” Journal of Biomechanics, 2010 (accepted).
9. R. L. Steward Jr., C.-M. Cheng, D. L. Wang and P. R. LeDuc, “Probing cell structure responses through a dual-mode mechanical stimulation approach,” Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics, Vol. 56, pp. 115-124, 2010.
10. C.-M. Cheng, Y.-W. Lin, R. M. Bellin, R. L. Steward Jr., Y.-R. Cheng, P. R. LeDuc and C.-C. Chen, “Probing localized neural mechanotransduction through surface-modified elastomeric matrices and electrophysiology,” Nature Protocols, Vol. 5, pp. 714-724, 2010.
11. R. M. Bellin, J. D. Kubicek, M. J. Frigault, A. J. Kamien, R. L. Steward Jr., H. M. Barnes, M. B. DiGiacomo, L. J. Duncan, C. K. Edgerly, E. M. Morse, C. Y. Park, J. J. Fredberg, C.-M. Cheng and P. R. LeDuc, “Defining the role of syndecan-4 in mechanotransduction using surface-modification approaches,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of U.S.A., Vol. 106, pp. 22102-22107, 2009.
12. C.-M. Cheng, K. Matsuura, I.-J. Wang, Y. Kuroda, P. R. LeDuc and K. Naruse, “Fabricating small-scale curved polymeric structures with of convex and concave menisci through interfacial free energy equilibrium,” Lab on a Chip, Vol. 9, pp. 3306-3309, 2009.
13. C.-M. Cheng, Y. T. Kim, J.-M. Yang, S. H. Leuba and P. R. LeDuc, “Dynamics of individual polymers using microfluidic based microcurvilinear flow,” Lab on a Chip, Vol. 9, pp. 2339-2347, 2009.
14. S.-Y. Chou, C.-M. Cheng and P. R. LeDuc, “Composite polymer systems with control of local substrate elasticity and their effect on cytoskeletal and morphological characteristics of adherent cells,” Biomaterials, Vol. 30, pp. 3136-3142, 2009.
15. Y.-W. Lin*, C.-M. Cheng*, P. R. LeDuc and C.-C. Chen, “Understanding sensory nerve mechanotransduction through localized elastomeric matrix control,” PLoS One, Vol. 4, pp. e4293, 2009 (*equal contribution).
16. C.-M. Cheng, R. L. Steward Jr. and P. R. LeDuc, “Probing cell structure by controlling the mechanical environment with cell-substrate interactions,” Journal of Biomechanics, Vol. 42, pp. 187-192, 2009.
17. C.-M. Cheng and P. R. LeDuc, “Creating cellular and molecular patterns via gravitational force with liquid droplets,” Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 93, pp. 174106, 2008.
18. X. Huang*, C.-M. Cheng*, L. Wang, B. Wang, C.-C. Su, M.-S. Ho, P. R. LeDuc and Q. Lin, “Thermally tunable polymer microlenses,” Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 92, pp. 251904, 2008 (*equal contribution).
19. Y.-L. Lu*, C.-M. Cheng*, P. R. LeDuc and M.-S. Ho, “Controlling the mechanics and nanotopography of biocompatible scaffolds through dielectrophoresis with carbon nanotubes,” Electrophoresis, Vol. 29, pp. 3123-3127, 2008 (*equal contribution) (highlighted in Nanotechweb.org 07/2008; http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/34977).
20. L. Helmick, A. Antúnez de Mayolo, Y. Zhang, C.-M. Cheng, S. C. Watkins, C. Wu and P. R. LeDuc, “Spatiotemporal response of living cell structures in dictyostelium discoideum with semiconductor quantum dots,” Nano Letters, Vol. 8, pp. 1303-1308, 2008.
21. C.-M. Cheng and P. R. LeDuc, “Structural phase coexistence under reversible thermal control,” Advanced Materials, Vol. 20, pp. 953-958, 2008.
22. M.-S. Ho, F.-J. Kuo, Y.-S. Lee and C.-M. Cheng, “Atomic force microscopic observation of surface-supported human erythrocytes,” Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 91, pp. 023901, 2007 ; selected in Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science & Technology, Vol. 16, No. 4, 2007.
23. C.-M. Cheng and P. R. LeDuc, “Creating ordered small-scale biologically-based rods through force-controlled stamping,” Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. 129, pp. 9546-9547, 2007.
24. Y. Zhang, C.-M. Cheng, B. Cusick and P. R. LeDuc, “Chemically encapsulated structural elements for probing the mechanical responses of biologically inspired systems,” Langmuir, Vol. 23, pp. 8129-8134, 2007.
25. A. Tafazzoli*, C.-M. Cheng*, C. Pawashe, E. K. Sabo, L. Trofin, M. Sitti and P. R. LeDuc, “Subfeature patterning of organic and inorganic materials using robotic assembly,” Journal of Materials Research, Vol. 22, pp. 1601-1608, 2007 (*equal contribution).
26. C.-M. Cheng and P. R. LeDuc, “Force-controlled inorganic crystallization lithography,” Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. 128, pp. 12080-12081, 2006.
27. C.-M. Cheng and P. R. LeDuc, “Micro-drilling for fabricating micrometer scale holes in soft matter,” Applied Physics A, Vol. 85, pp. 195-198, 2006.
28. C.-M. Cheng and P. R. LeDuc, “Micropatterning polyvinyl alcohol as a biomimetic material through soft lithography with cell culture,” Molecular BioSystems, Vol. 2, pp. 299-304, 2006; selected in Chemical Biology Virtual Journal, Issue 12, 2006.
29. C.-M. Cheng, J. D. Kubicek and P. R. LeDuc, “Polymeric microlenses for real-time aqueous and non-aqueous organic imaging,” Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 88, pp. 053902, 2006; selected in Virtual Journal of Biological Physics Research, Vol. 11, No. 4, 2006 (highlighted in Analytical Chemistry, 05/2006).
30. C.-M. Cheng, B. Li and P. R. LeDuc, “Optical fabrication of three-dimensional polymeric microstructures,” Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 87, pp. 164104, 2005.
31. R.-H. Chen, C.-C. Chang and C.-M. Cheng, “Fabricating a micro mould insert using a novel process,” International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 25, pp. 678-684, 2005.
32. C.-M. Cheng and R.-H. Chen, “Improving spin coating process by using an altered cover design,” Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 43, pp. 8028-8029, 2004.