Miffy Hok Yan Cheng PhD
Assistant Professor (tenure-track) | (She, Her, Hers)
The LEGenD lab is actively recruiting postdoc, graduate and undergraduate students! If you are interested, please contact Miffy with a cover letter and CV at miffy.cheng@ubc.ca.
Miffy is an assistant professor in the Nanomedicine and Chemical Biology theme of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of British Columbia. She leads the Lipid Nanoparticle-Enabled Gene Delivery (LEGenD) lab, which seeks to develop the next generation of nanomedicine, particularly lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for gene therapy to combat chronic diseases. Her research program uses a transdisciplinary approach comprising synthetic chemistry, photochemistry, biophysics, molecular imaging and oncology to improve outcomes for patients by developing safer and more effective targeted molecular and nano-sized agents for cancer imaging, phototherapies and gene delivery.
Miffy has extensive fundamental training in chemistry and biomedical sciences and a broad range of research experience across institutions in the United Kingdom and Canada. She completed her BSc (2014) and PhD (2018) at the Department of Chemistry, University of Hull, UK. During her graduate study with Professor Ross Boyle, she developed multiple novel bioconjugate systems using bioorthogonal chemistry to successfully conjugate NIR dyes to clinically relevant targeting moieties such as Herceptin and Pentixafor, demonstrating her expertise in porphyrin chemistry and selective targeting moieties. She extended her expertise in building innovative cancer imaging agents beyond molecular conjugates and pursued postdoctoral training with Professor Gang Zheng at the Princess Margaret Cancer Research Centre (PMCRC) in Toronto, where she was awarded the Strategic Training in Transdisciplinary Radiation Science for the 21st Century (STARS21) fellowship. There, she developed her lipid nanoengineering and in vivo experience while synthesizing novel building blocks to create nanoparticles for in vivo cancer radio- and optical imaging. She was highly engaged in a collaborative environment, working alongside scientists with photophysical, engineering, biological and clinical expertise in cancer research. Subsequently, she joined Dr. Pieter Cullis’s Nanomedicine Research Group at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of British Columbia (UBC) to expand her nanoengineering skillset to include mRNA delivery systems design using lipid nanoparticles. She was awarded the Nanomedicine Innovation Network (NMIN) postdoctoral fellowship in gene therapy, the Michael John Page Postdoctoral Award, and the CIHR REDI career transition award in recognition of her excellence in research.
M. H. Y. Cheng*", J. Leung*, Y. Zhang, C. Strong, G. Basha, A. Momeni, Y. Chen, E. Jan, A. Abdolahzadeh, X. Wang, J. A. Kulkarni, D. Witzigmann, P. R. Cullis", Induction of Bleb Structures in Lipid Nanoparticle Formulations of mRNA Leads to Improved Transfection. Adv. Mater. 2023, 2303370. "Corresponding Author *Contributed equally
M. H. Y. Cheng*", C. A. Brimacombe*, R. Verbeke*, P. R. Cullis, Exciting times for lipid nanoparticles: How Canadian discoveries are enabling gene therapies, Mol Pharm. 2022, 19, 1663–1668 “Corresponding Author. *Contributed equally
M. H. Y. Cheng, M. Overchuk, M. A. Rajora, J. W. H. Lou, Y. Chen, M. G. Pomper, J. Chen, G. Zheng, Targeted Theranostic 111In/Lu-Nanotexaphyrin for SPECT Imaging and Photodynamic Therapy, Mol Pharm. 2022, 19, 1803–1813
M. H. Y. Cheng, A. Cevallos, M. A. Rajora, G. Zheng, Fast, facile, and efficient microwave-assisted base-free metalation of bacteriopyropheophorbides and TOOKAD, J. Porphyr Phthalocyanines. 2021, 25:07n08, 703–713
M. H. Y. Cheng, Y. Mo, G. Zheng, Nano vs molecular: optical imaging approaches to detect and monitor tumour hypoxia, Adv. Healthcare Mater. 2020, 2020, 2001549
M. H. Y. Cheng, K M. Harmatys, D M. Charron, J. Chen, G. Zheng, Stable J-aggregation of an aza-BODIPY-lipid in a liposome for optical cancer imaging, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2019, 58, 1 – 7 (IF 16.823)
M. H. Y. Cheng, S. Bao, G. Zheng, J. Chen, pH driven self-assembly of aza-BODIPY J-aggregate, J. Porphyr Phthalocyanines. 2019; 23: 1–8
M. H. Y. Cheng, A. Maruani, H. Savoie, V. Chudasama, R. W. Boyle, Synthesis of a novel HER2 targeted aza-BODIPY–antibody conjugate: Synthesis, photophysical characterisation and in vitro evaluation, Org. Biomol. Chem., 2018, 16, 1144–1149
M. H. Y. Cheng, H. Savoie, F. Bryden, R. W. Boyle, A convenient method for multicolour labelling of proteins with BODIPY fluorophores via tyrosine residues, Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2017, 16, 1260–1267
Precision oncology, Immuno-Oncology and Modeling in Cancer (PrIOMiC)'s Mobility Grant, Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), 2024
CIHR REDI Early Career Transition Award, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2023
Michael John Page Postdoctoral Fellow Award, UBC Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Centre for Blood Research, 2022
LRD-2022 Poster Award, Liposome Research Day, 2022
NMIN Postdoctoral Fellowship Award in Gene Therapy, Networks of Centres of Excellence, NanoMedicines Innovation Network, 2021
Strategic Training in Transdisciplinary Radiation Science for the 21st Century Program National Fellowship, The Terry Fox Foundation, 2019
Best Poster Award, SCBA Toronto Chapter, 2019
“Rational Design of More Potent Lipid Nanoparticle mRNA Therapeutics” Cheng MHY (PI). $660,000. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Research Excellence, Diversity, and Independence (REDI) Early Career Transition Award. 2023–2027.
“Extrahepatic delivery of mRNA using long circulating lipid nanoparticles” M.H.Y. Cheng. Controlled Release Society 2024 Annual Meeting, Bologna, Italy. July 2023
“Induction of Bleb Structures in Lipid Nanoparticle Formulations of mRNA Leads to Improved Transfection” M.H.Y. Cheng. Controlled Release Society 2023 Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, USA. July 2023
“Fast, facile, and efficient microwave-assisted base-free metalation of bacteriopyropheophorbides and TOOKAD” M.H.Y. Cheng. 12th International Conference of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines, Madrid, Spain, July 2022
“Targeted Theranostic 111In/Lu-Nanotexaphyrin for SPECT Imaging and Photodynamic Therapy” M.H.Y. Cheng. Liposome Research Day 2022, Vancouver, Canada. June 2022
“Stable J-aggregation of an aza-BODIPY-lipid in a liposome for optical cancer imaging” M.H.Y. Cheng. 258th ACS Fall 2019 National Meeting, San Diego, USA. August 2019
“Illuminating the cutting edge: New generation drug design for fluorescence guided surgery” M.H.Y. Cheng. 17th Congress of European Society for Photobiology, Pisa, Italy. September 2017
Dr. Cheng as a member of the UBC NanoCore, the Translational NanoMedicines Formulation and Characterization Core Facility, situated at the University of British Columbia, stands at the forefront of nanomedicine research. 2024. https://www.mcgill.ca/dna-to-rna/article/nanocore-unlocking-power-nanomedicine
Dr. Cheng was the recipients of the prestigious CIHR Research Excellence, Diversity, and Independence (REDI) award that aims to support post-doctoral researchers, clinicians and research associates belonging to specific underrepresented groups in Canada as they embark on their journey toward establishing research faculty careers. CIHR REDI Early Career Transition Award, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2023. https://lsi.ubc.ca/2024/03/12/congratulations-to-the-lsi-postdoctoral-researchers-awarded-the-cihr-redi-early-career-transition-award/
Dr. Cheng was featured in the tribute video of Dr. Pieter Cullis’s induction into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hctEGl6uK9c&t=1s
Dr. Cheng was featured in the special Covid 19 mRNA vaccine program, The Tang Prize in Biopharmaceutical Science winner Dr. Pieter Cullis's feature documentary, CTV News Channel (Taiwanese TV channel). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgOtvwj5hyk
Dr. Cheng was awarded the 2022 Michael John Page Postdoctoral Fellow Award, UBC Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Centre for Blood Research. This award recognizes a postdoctoral fellow who reflects Dr. Page’s academic excellence and his passion for life. https://cbr.ubc.ca/michael-john-page-postdoctoral-fellow-award-ceremony-2022/
Dr. Cheng was selected for the Best Poster Award at the Liposome Research Day 2022 and was selected among a total of eight selected in advance for oral presentation, based on scientific merit and interest, out of a total of 72 submissions. https://www.nanomedicines.ca/2022/08/03/lrd-2022-poster-awards/
Dr. Cheng was selected as the awardee of 2021 NMIN Postdoctoral Fellowship Award in Gene Therapy. She was selected by the members of NMIN’s Research Management Committee, based on the applicant’s qualifications, as well as the quality of the proposed research project and training opportunity. https://www.nanomedicines.ca/2021/11/03/2021-pdf-gene-therapy/
Dr. Cheng was awarded the University Health Network ORT Conference Travel Award. https://www.uhnresearch.ca/news/impact-fundamental-science
Dr. Cheng was shortlisted from hundreds of applicants to present her bioscience research to politicians and experts at the British parliament at the STEM for Britain event. https://www.thecomet.net/news/22402003.scientist-grew-letchworth-presents-bioscience-research-parliament/
Dr. Cheng was selected from a competitive pool of researchers based in and around Hull, to share her work in science and to advocate for women in science, challenging the public’s view, of women and science. http://soapboxscience.org/soapbox-science-2017-hull/
