Dr. Min-Hua Chen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Chung Yuan Christian University (CYCU), Taiwan, and holds a joint appointment as an Adjunct Assistant Fellow at the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI). His academic research integrates biomedical materials science, nanomedicine, radiobiology, and microneedle-assisted transdermal delivery, with a particular emphasis on translational medicine and interdisciplinary innovation.

Dr. Chen has served as principal investigator on multiple projects funded by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), including the development of theranostic nanoparticles for enhancing radiotherapy and dissolving microneedles for precise skin cancer treatment. His work on rare-earth doped upconversion nanoparticles and Hf-doped bioceramics has led to novel strategies in real-time imaging and radiosensitization, earning him several domestic and international invention awards and peer-reviewed publications in SCI journals such as Biomaterials Advances, Pharmaceutics, and Nanomedicine.

The Small and Controlled Release Lab, established in 2016, is a pioneer in the fields of biomaterials, controlled release, and radiobiology. Its initial work revolved around the creation of radiosensitizers nanoparticles and microneedles for skin cancer treatment. Over time, the lab’s focus has broadened to include the controlled release of various radiosensitizers, such as Hafnium-doped ceramic nanoparticles and imiquimod, which are combined with radiation for microneedle transdermal delivery to treat skin cancer. The lab also ventures into the development of dental materials using the electrospinning method for dental tissue engineering applications.

    Currently, the lab is exploring the potential of theranostic nanoparticles as photothermal and radiosensitizer agents for cancer treatment. The lab synthesizes and characterizes theranostic nanoparticles of varying doping concentrations and sizes, and assesses their biocompatibility in vitro. The lab also investigates their photothermal and radiosensitizing effects both in vitro and in vivo, using a xenograft mouse model. The lab evaluates the therapeutic efficacy and safety of theranostic nanoparticles when combined with photothermal therapy and radiotherapy, and monitors the biodistribution of particles through NIR-II window fluorescent emission. The lab also employs microneedles with theranostic nanoparticles for localized delivery, photothermal therapy, and radiotherapy in an orthotopic mouse model.

    The lab collaborates with the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI), National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), and Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST). This collaboration provides students with comprehensive knowledge of translational research. Dr. Jen-Kun Chen from the NHRI, an expert in radioactive nanoparticles, supports the project in translational radiation research. Dr. Hsiang-Kuang Liang, a radiation oncologist at NTUH, provides ideas and consultation for developing combined therapy for cancer treatment. The Lab. also collaborates with Dr. Lokesh Agrawal from OIST, who assists in studying neurotoxicity.