Electrifying Healthcare Innovations

Deandra Limandibhrata
Jun 1, 2023
5 min read

Updated: Jun 4, 2023

Professor Chen Peng, an electrifying figure at NTU School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CCEB), embodies the belief in pursuing passions while maintaining broad interests for a holistic research outlook.

Entering the World of Biophysics

Since his high school years, Professor Chen Peng had cultivated a passion for science and research, embarking on his educational journey in electrical engineering. However, during his Master's studies, he realised that his interest lay beyond conventional electrical systems. Curiosity drove him to explore the various applications of electrical systems in our daily lives.

In a fortuitous turn of events, he found himself conducting his PhD research in 1997 at the University of Missouri, situated within a cardiovascular research institute. It was there that his supervisor introduced him to the world of merging biology and engineering, known as biophysics. The lab's focus was on studying cell secretion through electrical measurements, based on the Nobel Prize-winning patch clamp technique (1991). Though seemingly unrelated to his background in electrical engineering, it provided him with a valuable understanding of the electrical phenomena of cell membranes.

Missed Opportunities

After completing his PhD, he received an offer to conduct research on nanopore-based DNA sequencing at Harvard University's Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology. Collaborating with cell biologists and physicists, he aimed to develop a technique for immediate DNA sequencing using ionic current signals. However, he doubted the feasibility of such technology as the DNA passed too quickly through the nanopore and he declined the opportunity to work on the project further and continued his journey as an assistant professor at NTU in 2005. Meanwhile, pioneering professors in this field, including his Harvard supervisor who initiated the idea, collaborated to commercialise the technology, the first of its kind, which is now being employed in the space station and submarines for ultrafast sequencing. Despite a hint of regret, he takes pride in having made some contribution, even if he wasn't the one to realise it.

On another occasion, after facing numerous setbacks, Prof Chen Peng finally secured his first grant as an independent investigator to fabricate and use silicon nanowire based field-effect transistors to detect tiny electrical signals from living cells . However, collaboration delays and the tedious nature of producing state-of-the-art transistor chips resulted in a year's worth of lost work. To his dismay, another research group from Harvard published the same idea that he had conceived. Nevertheless, he consoled himself with the knowledge that he was all along on the right track, and the missed opportunity was merely due to a timing misalignment. He remains proud of his ideas and continues to enhance the interfacing of nanoelectronic transistors with biological systems to detect biomarkers in trace amounts or to detect subtle cellular activities.

Navigating Grant “Paywalls”

Reflecting on his career, he believes that the most challenging aspect of being a professor lies not in writing research papers but in obtaining grants to sustain his research and team. He likens running a research team to managing a startup, emphasising the importance of securing funding every three years or so. The stress he feels stems from the fact that these funds are essential for purchasing equipment, consumables, and hiring researchers, which becomes exceedingly difficult to recover if one faces bankruptcy. Acquiring a grant often relies on luck, strategic plans of the nation, and current industrial needs. Prof Chen Peng contends that many valuable inventions go to waste, as only a fortunate few are able to receive the necessary funding to continue the research and eventually commercialise into products. He advises aspiring grant recipients to have confidence and an unwavering belief in their ideas. Even if their initial grant proposals are unsuccessful, they must justify the "high risk, high reward" nature of investing in research from an investor's perspective and keep trying to apply for the grant.

Many researchers abandon their ideas not because they become too difficult, but due to a decrease in interest over time. Prof Chen Peng emphasises the importance of having an unwavering belief in your ideas. Even though the process from an idea to a published paper can be arduous, it is essential to maintain the utmost belief in your idea and see it through to completion, no matter what it takes.

Deciding research directions

Drawing from his experience of having over 200 research papers under his belt, he understands the significance of a strong research team in efficiently producing high-quality papers. He values the knowledge and insights gained from his students, who bring fresh perspectives, experimental techniques, and literature reviews to the table. While he often provides potential research directions to his students, he also encourages them to generate their own ideas. For instance, one of his PhD students who initially joined to work on wearable electronics later decided to explore the creation of plant sensors, which turned out to be highly successful.

Plant sensors based on flexible electronics (PhD student Wen Hanqi)

Prof Chen Peng classifies two types of researchers: those who are highly focused, such as the scientists behind mRNA vaccines, and those with broad interests. Transitioning from being an electrophysiologist who specialised in patch clamping, he expanded his focus from researching the fundamental measurements of cell secretions in fat cells to detecting biomarkers and treating obesity by utilising nanoparticles as a photo-thermal agent.

A Photo-thermal Approach to Tackle Obesity (Post-doctoral research fellow, Zan Ping)

He believes that being a narrow or diverse researcher does not inherently have pros and cons as it largely depends on the individual's personality. However, he warns that narrow-field researchers run the risk of dedicating their lives to solving small problems with limited impact. It is crucial for such researchers to tackle significant problems that warrant lifelong dedication and focus.

Advice to students

Follow your interest

His biggest regret was not pursuing his interest in physics and opted for the more practical route of an electrical engineer. He emphasises the importance of pursuing what truly interests you and remaining steadfast in your beliefs.

Embrace chance and coincidence

While we often have predetermined paths and goals in mind, it is important to be open to new ideas and possibilities. Prof. Chen Peng attributes many of his interdisciplinary research opportunities to chance and coincidence. Be open to new ideas and possibilities and be brave to explore the unknown.

Recognise the interdisciplinary nature of research

Throughout his work, Prof. Chen Peng has collaborated with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including electrical engineering, materials, biological and clinical science, and physics. He highlights that even seemingly unrelated knowledge from different fields can significantly contribute to one's research area.

He also emphasises the importance of collaboration across different faculties, where he himself co-wrote a research proposal with an EEE professor, despite being a professor from CCEB. He advises against limiting oneself and encourages exploration of various areas to discover personal interests.

Academia vs industry

He believes that academia provides more freedom to think and explore personal interests, while the industry often focuses on incremental improvements to existing products. Choosing between the two will depend on individual interests and passions.

Overall, Prof Chen Peng believes that a career in research is driven by personal curiosities in aiming to explain the unknown and explore beyond the current boundaries of science and technology. If you are interested in knowing more about the research activities in his lab, visit his lab’s website https://personal.ntu.edu.sg/chenpeng/ or email him at chenpeng@ntu.edu.sg.