Miao-Ping Chien is a multidisciplinary scientist. She obtained her PhD in chemistry and biochemistry at University of California, San Diego, where she successfully invented a nanomaterial that can specifically be targeted to and deposited in tumor tissues for a long period of time, through which the tumor can be detected with conjugated probes (fluorescent or MRI contrast agents) and treated with attached drugs (Doxorubicin). After that, she pursued her postdoctoral training in optical engineering and computational biology with Dr. Adam Cohen at Harvard University, where she developed technologies that are applicable to single cell biology and high-throughput measurements.

In 2017 June, Miao-Ping joined Erasmus MC as a group leader. Her research focuses on developing and applying multidisciplinary technologies (advanced microscopy and imaging, computation, single cell technology and bioinformatics) to investigate the underlying mechanisms of tumorigenesis, particularly of rare cancer-driving cells. Her main research goals are: the creation and application of technology for (early) detection and treatment of tumors, and the creation and application of single cell technology to facilitate the discovery and interpretation of genetic, transcriptomic and proteomic profiles of aberrant (single) cancer cells, with the aim of translating the knowledge gained to clinical applications. She is a founder of UFO Biosciences, which aims to profile rare & cancer-driving cells and identify actionable targets driving clinically relevant tumorigenic phenotypes.

• 2024: ERC Consolidator Grant

• 2024: NWO XL Consortium Grant
• 2023: EMC2 Synergy grant
• 2023: Aspasia award
• 2022: NWO Vidi Award
• 2022: KWF Public-Private-Partnership TKI grant
• 2022: Flagship Consortium Grants
• 2022: Computable Award
• 2022: Inspiring Fifty Deep Tech
• 2020: Ammodo Science Award
• 2020: Josephine Nefkens Foundation Grant
• 2020: Erasmus MC-TU Delft Convergence Grant
• 2018: Erasmus MC Fellowship
• 2017: CancerGenomiCs.nl Junior Fellow
• 2017: NWO Veni Award

1. 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.O., 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 (DOI: 10.1038/s41551-022-00853-x).
2. 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)
3. Su, P.R., Chien, M.P. Functional Single-Cell Proteomics: Technology and Biological Applications. In: 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.
4. Brinks, D., Chien, M.P. "Functional single-cell sequencing links dynamic phenotypes to their genotypes". Nature Biomedical Engineering (research briefing), 2022. (https://rdcu.be/cJr8o) (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-022-00877-3)
5. 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. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.3c03688.
6. 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.
7. Smit, M., Feller, K. J., You, L., Chien, M.P. Protocol for profiling intratumor heterogeneity using spatially annotated single cell sequencing. STAR Protocols. 2023, 4(3):102447. doi: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102447.
8. Chien M.P.*, Brinks D.*, Adam, Y., Bloxham, W., Kheifets, S., Cohen A.E. “Photoactivated voltage imaging in tissue with an archaerhodopsin-derived reporter”, Science Advances, 2021:Vol. 7, no. 19, eabe3216and clearance of Picornaviridae. Nature, 541(7637), 412.