M.P. (Miao-Ping) Chien, PhD

Miao-Ping received her PhD in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego, in 2013, and pursued her postdoctoral research at Harvard University, focusing on technology development for biology (combining biophysics, optical imaging, and computational biology). She joined Erasmus University Medical Center as a group leader in June 2017 and became a Principal Investigator (PI) at the Oncode Institute in 2019. Her current research focuses on developing and applying multidisciplinary technologies, including advanced microscopy and imaging, computation, single-cell technology, and bioinformatics, to investigate how specific cancer cell states or subpopulations acquire metastatic potential, develop therapy resistance, or drive tumor progression. Since becoming a PI, Miao-Ping has received numerous awards and grants, including ERC Consolidator Grant, NWO Vidi and Veni Grants, Oncode Institute junior and senior fellowships, KWF Grant, and Ammodo Science Award.

Visit Chien Lab

Our research aims to uncover the mechanisms driving tumor metastasis, tumor progression, and therapy resistance by developing and applying imaging-guided omics technologies, combining imaging-based techniques and omics profiling technologies. We integrate advanced imaging, computational analysis, and single-cell & spatial omics profiling to achieve this goal.
 
By leveraging information from both imaging and omics, we can decode cellular behaviors, morphological signatures, and dynamic phenotypes that are otherwise difficult to capture. These imaging-derived insights can be used to predict cell fates or isolate rare cell subpopulations, such as migratory, drug-resistant, or immune-evasive cells, which can then be deeply profiled at the molecular level. This integrative approach enables a more comprehensive understanding of disease-driving processes at both phenotypic and molecular resolutions.

Research Interests:
Tumor metastasis: Using imaging-guided omics technologies (e.g., 2D- and 3D-FUNseq, BC-seq), we investigate both cell-intrinsic mechanisms and contributions from the tumor microenvironment (TME).
Tumor progression: We examine the roles of chromosomal instability (CIN) and immune evasion through imaging-guided omics technologies such as CIN-seq, 3D-FUNseq, and CINet.
Therapy resistance: We study DNA damage response dynamics and cancer cell plasticity using imaging-guided omics platforms like FUN-TRACE and PAINT-seq.

Miao-Ping Chien studied Molecular Biology at National Yang-Ming University in Taiwan in 2006. During 2006-2008, she was a research assistant in Prof. Ding-Kwo Chang’s Lab in the Institute of Chemistry at Academia Sinica in Taiwan, applying biophysical tools to study HIV and influenza viral infection mechanisms.

PhD in Chemistry and Biochemistry

She obtained her PhD with Prof. Nathan Gianneschi in Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in 2013, developing a new method to detect and treat tumors with programmable enzyme-responsive nanomaterials.

Postdoc at Harvard University

Miao-Ping Chien then joined Prof. Adam Cohen’s group for her postdoc research in Chemistry and Chemical Biology and Physics at Harvard University, combining advanced optics and photochemistry to develop methods for live single cell isolation based on functional analysis.

Publications

1. Posthoorn-Verheul, C., Fabro, F., Ntafoulis I, den Hollander, C., Verploegh, I.S.C., Balvers, R., Kers, T.V., Hoogeveen, J., van der Burg, J., Eussen, B., de Klein, A., Feller, K.J., Chien, M.P., Dirven, C.M.F., Leenstra, S., Lamfers, M.L.M. Optimized culturing yields high success rates and preserves molecular heterogeneity, enabling personalized screening for high-grade gliomas. (NPJ Precis Oncol. 2025 May 27;9(1):156. doi: 10.1038/s41698-025-00946-1.)
2. Su, P.R., Chien, M.P. Functional Single-Cell Proteomics: Technology and Biological Applications.  (Callmann, C. (eds)  Biomedical Nanotechnology.  Methods in Molecular Biology (Springer Nature Protocols), 2025, vol 2902. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-4402-7_9.)
3. Cheng, K.W., Su, P.R., Feller, K.J.A., Chien, M.P.*, Hsu, C.C.* Investigating the Metabolic Heterogeneity of Cancer Cells Using Functional Single-Cell Selection and nLC Combined with Multinozzle Emitter Mass Spectrometry. (Analytical Chemistry. 2024, 96, 2, 624–629.  DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.3c03688.) 
4. Chou, T.C.*, You, L.*, Beerens, C., Feller, K.F., Storteboom, J., Chien, M.P. Instant processing of large-scale image data with FACT, a real-time cell segmentation and tracking algorithm. (Cell Reports Methods. 2023, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crmeth.2023.100636.) 
5. Chen, T.Y., You, L. Hardillo, J.A.U., Chien, M.P. Spatial Transcriptomic Technologies. (Cells. 2023, 12(16), 2042, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12162042.) 
6. Smit, M., Feller, K.J., You, L., Chien, M.P. Protocol for profiling intratumor heterogeneity using spatially annotated single cell sequencing. (STAR Protocols. 2023, July. DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102447.)
7. Su, P.R., You, L., Beerens, C., Bezstarosti, K., Demmers, J., Pabst, M., Kanaar, R., Hsu, C.C., Chien, M.P. Microscopy-based single-cell proteomic profiling reveals heterogeneity in DNA damage response dynamics. (Cell Reports Methods, 2022, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crmeth.2022.100237.) 
8. Smit M., Feller K., You L., Storeteboom J., Begce Y., Beerens C. Chien M.P. (Spatially annotated single cell sequencing for unraveling intratumor heterogeneity. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 2022 (https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2022.829509).
9. Brinks, D., Chien, M.P. Functional single-cell sequencing links dynamic phenotypes to their genotypes. Nature Biomedical Engineering, 2022. (https://rdcu.be/cJr8o) (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-022-00877-3) 
10. You L.*, Su P.R.*, Betjes M*. Ghadiri Rad, R., Chou, T.C., Beerens, C., van Oosten, E., Leufkens, F., Gasecka, P., Muraro, M., van Tol, R., van Steenderen, D., Farooq, S., Hardillo, J.A.U., Baatenburg de Jong, R., Brinks, D., Chien, M.P. Linking the genotypes and phenotypes of cancer cells in heterogenous populations via real-time optical tagging and image analysis., Nature Biomedical Engineering, 2022 (https://rdcu.be/cJct9) (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-022-00853-x) 
11. Li L., Ugalde A. P., Scheele C. LGJ, Dieter S. M., Nagel R., Ma J., Pataskar, A., Korkmaz, G., Elkon R., Chien, M.P., You, L., Su, P.R., Bleijerveld O. B., Altelaar, M., Momchev L., Manber Z., Han R., van Breugel P. C., Lopes R., ten Dijke P., van Rheenen J., Agami R. A Comprehensive enhancer screen identifies TRAM2 as a key and novel mediator of YAP oncogenesis. Genome Biology, 2021, 22, 54 (https://doi.org/10.1186/s13059-021-02272-8).

Scholarships, grants and awards

Prior to appointment as a Principal Investigator

My Group

• Project manager: Swati Garg
• Postdoc: Li You, Jelle Storteboom, Mayte Lopez-Cascales
• Technician: Cecile Beerens, Pierangela Chiafele
• PhDs: Reza Ghadiri Rad, Ting-Chung Chou, Tsai-Ying Chen, Lars van Roemburg, Junfeng Huang, Oluwatoba (Toba) Ajani, Johanna van Vliet