Chen Sun

Chen Sun

she/her

Structural Biologist | Cryo-EM | Cryo-ET | Cell Therapy & Drug Discovery | Deciphering molecular structures to drive therapeutic innovation

Posts by Collection

EMpapers

Posters

portfolio

publications

Bioengineered Norovirus S60 Nanoparticles as a Multifunctional Vaccine Platform

Published in ACS Nano, 2018

This study presents a bioengineered S60 nanoparticle derived from Norovirus as a versatile vaccine platform capable of displaying various antigens.

Recommended citation: Xia M, Huang P, Sun C, Han L, Vago FS, Li K, Zhong W, Jiang W, Klassen JS, Jiang X, Tan M. (2018). "Bioengineered Norovirus S60 Nanoparticles as a Multifunctional Vaccine Platform." ACS Nano. 12(11):10665–10682. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.8b02776
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Sub-3 Å Apoferritin Structure Determined With Full Range of Phase Shifts Using A Single Position Of Volta Phase Plate

Published in Journal of Structural Biology, 2019

In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of using a single position on the Volta Phase Plate (VPP) and examined its impact on image quality and phase shift distribution. Two cryo-EM datasets were collected—one with phase shifts ranging from 0–180°, and another extending to 0–360°. Both datasets yielded high-resolution reconstructions of apoferritin. Our results demonstrate that images with large phase shifts remain suitable for high-resolution structure determination, highlighting the robustness and flexibility of VPP imaging strategies.

Recommended citation: Kunpeng Li, Chen Sun, Thomas Klose, Frank S. Vago, Jose Irimia-Dominguez, Ruben Vidal, Wen Jiang. (2019). "Sub-3 Å Apoferritin Structure Determined With Full Range of Phase Shifts Using A Single Position Of Volta Phase Plate." Journal of Structural Biology. 206(2), pp. 225–232.
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Cryo-EM Structure of Heterologous Protein Complex Loaded Thermotoga Maritima Encapsulin Capsid

Published in Biomolecules, 2020

This study reports the cryo-EM structure of Thermotoga maritima encapsulin loaded with a heterologous protein complex, providing insight into capsid architecture and protein cargo encapsulation.

Recommended citation: Xiong, Xiansong*, Chen Sun*, Frank S. Vago, Thomas Klose, Jiankang Zhu, and Wen Jiang. (2020). "Cryo-EM Structure of Heterologous Protein Complex Loaded Thermotoga Maritima Encapsulin Capsid." Biomolecules. 10(9): 1342.
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High resolution single particle Cryo-EM refinement using JSPR

Published in Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology, 2021

This paper introduces JSPR, a cryo-EM refinement tool that enhances single particle resolution through improved real-space alignment and classification strategies.

Recommended citation: Chen Sun, Brenda Gonzalez, Frank S. Vago, and Wen Jiang. (2021). "High resolution single particle Cryo-EM refinement using JSPR." Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology. 160: 37–42.
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Helical Indexing in Real Space

Published in Scientific Reports, 2022

A user-friendly web interface for automatically determining helical parameters from an initial model in real space.

Recommended citation: Chen Sun, Brenda Gonzalez, Wen Jiang. (2022). "Helical Indexing in Real Space." Scientific Reports. 12, 8162.
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Structural diversity of axonemes across mammalian motile cilia

Published in Nature, 2025

This study reveals the structural heterogeneity of mammalian axonemes using cryo-EM, offering insights into tissue-specific ciliary architecture.

Recommended citation: Leung MR, Chen Sun, Zeng J, Anderson JR, Niu Q, Huang W, Noteborn WEM, Brown A, Zeev-Ben-Mordehai T, Zhang R. (2025). "Structural diversity of axonemes across mammalian motile cilia." Nature. 637(8048):1170–1177. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08337-5
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talks

teaching

Human anatomy and physiology BIOL 203/204

Undergraduate course, Purdue University, Department of Biological Sciences, 2017

Served as a teaching assistant for lab sessions. Responsibilities include collaborating with fellow teaching assistants to deliver lab presentations, preparing the required materials, and providing guidance to students.