Department of Chemical Engineering

Hou-Chien Chang , Associate Professor

Tel:+886-4-22840510 ext 610

B.S., Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University,( 1994)
Ph.D., Department of Chemical Engineering, The State University of New York at Buffalo, (2003)
Process Engineer, LLDPE Plant, Formosa Plastics, Texas, (2001-2004)

Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Chung Hsing University,( 2004~2011)
Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Chung Hsing University,( 2011~)

Research Interests

The main thrust of our research is the transport phenomena of solute molecules through porous membranes. Currently we are working on modeling and characterizing the mechanism of ntercellular communication via biological pores, which permit mass transfer between neighboring cells. One of the specific goals is to quantify the diffusivity and permeability of solute molecules in liquid-filled channels by developing mathematical models considering factors like geometric and energetic interactions between solutes and pore walls. These models are aiming at predicting the transport process among cells and hence understanding how cells "talk" to each other. Elucidation of the microscopic mechanisms underlying the process is key to develop approaches to several diseases associated with intercellular communication defects.

Selected Publications

A Transient Diffusion Model Yields Unitary Gap Junctional Permeabilities from Images of Cell-to-Cell Fluorescent Dye Transfer Between Xenopus Oocytes Johannes M. Nitsche, Hou-Chien Chang, Paul A. Weber, and Bruce J. Nicholson, Journal of Biophysical, 86:2058-2077, 2004

The Permeability of Gap Junction Channels to Probes of Different Size is Dependent on Connexin Composition and Permeant-Pore Affinities Paul A. Weber, Hou-Chien Chang, Kris E. Spaeth, Johannes M. Nitsche and Bruce J. Nicholson, Journal of Biophysical, 87:958-973, 2004

The Molecular Basis of Selective Permeability of Connexins is Complex and Includes Both Size and Charge B. J. Nicholson, P. A. Weber, F. Cao, H. C. Chang, and G. Goldberg, Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, 33: (4) 369-378, April, 2000

A Mathematical Model of Dye Transfer Experiment Quantifies the Gap Junctional Permeability as a Function of Pore Type and Permeant Physicochemistry Hou-Chien Chang and Paul A. Weber, Presented at AIChE Annual Meeting 1999. Dallas, TX.

Equilibrium Partitioning and Transport Processes within Pores and Coupled Cellular Compartments: Micro- and Macroscopic Theory, and Biological Application Hou-Chien Chang The State University of New York at Buffalo, 2003

Teaching subject

Publications