N.1 Investigators
Prof. Dean HO
Director, N.1
Professor Dean Ho is currently Provost’s Chair Professor, Director of The Institute for Digital Medicine (WisDM) at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine; Director of The N.1 Institute for Health (N.1), and Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the National University of Singapore.
Prof Ho and collaborators successfully developed and validated CURATE.AI, a powerful artificial intelligence technology platform that has optimised human treatment for broad indications ranging from oncology to infectious diseases, among others. He co-led the first in-human clinical trials that have resulted in completely halted disease progression and durable patient responses that far outperformed standard of care approaches.
Prof. Ho is an elected Fellow of the US National Academy of Inventors (NAI), American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and the Royal Society of Chemistry. He was also named to the HIMSS Future50 Class of 2021 for his internationally-recognised leadership in digital health. Prof. Ho is also a Subgroup Lead in the World Health Organization (WHO) Working Group for the regulation of AI for Health.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Blasiak, A., Truong, A.T., Remus, A., Hooi, L., Seah, S.G.K., Wang, P., Chye, D.H., Lim, A.P.C., Ng, K.T., Teo, S.T. and Tan, Y.J. “The IDentif. AI-x pandemic readiness platform: Rapid prioritization of optimized COVID-19 combination therapy regimens.” NPJ Digital Medicine, (2022). Link
2. D. Ho, “Artificial Intelligence in Cancer Therapy.” Science, (2020). Link
3. A. Pantuck*, D.K. Lee, T. Kee, P. Wang, S. Lakhotia, M. Silverman, C. Mathis, A. Drakaki, A.S. Belldegrun, C.M. Ho*, and D. Ho*. “Modulating BET Bromodomain Inhibitor ZEN‐3694 and Enzalutamide Combination Dosing in a Metastatic Prostate Cancer Patient Using CURATE.AI, an Artificial Intelligence Platform.” Advanced Therapeutics, (2018). Link
3. Rashid, M. B. M. A., Toh, T. B., Hooi, L., Silva, A., Zhang, Y., Tan, P. F., ... & Chng, W. J. “Optimizing drug combinations against multiple myeloma using a quadratic phenotypic optimization platform (QPOP).” Science Translational Medicine, (2018). Link
4. Zarrinpar, A.; Lee, D.-K.; Silva, A.; Datta, N.; Kee, T.; Eriksen, C.; Weigle, K.; Agopian, V.; Kaldas, F.; Farmer, D.; Wang, S. E.; Busuttil, R.; Ho, C.-M.; Ho, D.*. “Individualizing liver transplant immunosuppression using a phenotypic personalized medicine platform.” Science Translational Medicine, (2016). Cover Article
5. Ho, D., Wang, C. H. K., and Chow, E. K. H. “Nanodiamonds: The intersection of nanotechnology, drug development, and personalized medicine.” Science Advances, (2015). Link
A/Prof. Christopher L. ASPLUND
I am a cognitive neuroscientist, meaning that I explore our amazing cognitive abilities and how they are realized in the brain. To do so, I conduct behavioral experiments, build computational models, and employ functional neuroimaging, seeking to understand attention, working memory, reasoning, and consciousness. I am also an inaugural faculty member at Yale-NUS College in the division of Social Sciences. As a liberal arts college, Yale-NUS focuses on excellent undergraduate education in courses ranging from the humanities to the sciences, active learning in small seminar-style classes, participation in community initiatives, and deep investigation through research. In addition to my primary appointment at Yale-NUS, I have affiliations with the Clinical Imaging Research Centre (CIRC), the N.1 Institute for Health (N.1), the Duke-NUS Program in Neuroscience & Behavioural Disorders, and the NUS Department of Psychology.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Tamber-Rosenau, B.J., Asplund, C.L., and Marois, R. “Functional dissociation of the inferior frontal junction from the dorsal attention network in top-down attentional control.” Journal of Neurophysiology, (2018). Link
2. Yeo, B. T.T., Krienen, F.M. Eickhoff, S.B., Yaakub, S.N., Fox, P.T., Buckner, R.L., Asplund, C.L., and Chee, M.W.L. “Functional specialization and flexibility in human association cortex.” Cerebral Cortex, (2015). Link
3. Asplund, C.L., Fougnie, D., Zughni, S., Martin, J.W., and Marois, R. “The attentional blink reveals the probabilistic nature of discrete conscious perception.” Psychological Science, (2014). Link
4. Asplund, C.L., Todd, J.J., Snyder, A.D., Gilbert, C.M., and Marois, R. “Surprise-induced Blindness: A stimulus-driven attentional limit to conscious perception.” Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance, (2010). Link
5. Asplund, C.L., Todd, J.J., Snyder, A.D., and Marois, R. “A central role for the lateral prefrontal cortex in goal-directed and stimulus-driven attention.” Nature Neuroscience, (2010). Link
Dr. Aishwarya BANDLA
Dr. Aishwarya Bandla is jointly appointed as Regional R&D Manager at Paxman Coolers Ltd, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, and Investigator at The N.1 Institute for Health, and the National University Cancer Institute Singapore. She holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from NUS and her research specializes in wearable medical devices for supportive care in cancer, user-centric design, and clinical translation of technology.
At the N.1 Institute for Health, Dr. Bandla heads the Translational Core. This multidisciplinary research program aims to translate bioengineering solutions for clinically relevant questions in a “bedside to bench and back” approach. The group focuses on developing non-invasive therapeutics and diagnostics for identified unmet clinical needs, specifically focusing on research, development, and translation efforts towards a wearable limb cryocompression device for preventing chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. On the bench side, mechanisms are studied, and therapeutic parameters optimized using in vitro and in vivo models. These devices are then tested in clinical trials in healthy volunteers and patients for safety and efficacy.
Dr. Bandla, an IEEE senior member, serves as the Secretary, IEEE Singapore Section and is the immediate past chairperson of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society’s (EMBS) Singapore chapter. She was named to GovInsider's 50 Women in Global GovTech list 2020, and the inaugural Singapore’s 100 Women in Tech list 2020, which celebrates women who have made significant contributions to tech in Singapore and for their ability to influence, inspire and impact on community and industry. Aishwarya was also conferred with the NUS College of Design and Engineering’s Outstanding Young Alumni award 2022, and NUS’ Outstanding Young Alumni award 2023.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. J. Jia, Y. Guo, R. Sundar, A. Bandla †, and Z. Hao †. “Cryotherapy for prevention of taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy: a meta-analysis.” Frontiers in Oncology, 11, (2021): p.781812, . †Correspondence
2. J. Binder, E. Unver, J. Clayton, P. Burke, R. Paxman, R. Sundar and A. Bandla †. “A limb hypothermia wearable for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: a mixed-methods approach in medical product development.” Frontiers in Digital Health, 2, (2020): p.573234, . †Correspondence
3. A. Bandla, S. Tan, N.B. Kumarakulasinghe, et al. “Safety and tolerability of cryocompression as a method of enhanced limb hypothermia to reduce taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy.” Supportive Care in Cancer, 28, (2020): 3691-3699.
4. R. Sundar*, A. Bandla*, S. S. H. Tan, et al., "Limb hypothermia for preventing paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy in breast cancer patients: a Pilot study." Frontiers in Oncology, 6, (2017): 274. *Equal Contribution
5. A. Bandla, R. Sundar, L.-D. Liao, et al., "Hypothermia for preventing chemotherapy-induced neuropathy–a pilot study on safety and tolerability in healthy controls." Acta Oncologica, 55, no.4, (2016): 430-436.
A/Prof. Christopher CHEN
Dr Christopher Chen Li-Hsian is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Pharmacology and Director of the Memory Aging and Cognition Centre, National University Health System.
Dr Chen has developed a comprehensive multi-disciplinary dementia programme and encouraged collaborative research in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. His current focus is on developing a regional network for innovative trials into conditions prevalent and pertinent to Asia. In addition, he has developed a Trials Unit focusing on stroke and dementia with wide international collaborations.
His major research and clinical interests are in neurochemistry, molecular biology and treatment of stroke and dementia. He has published over 250 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, served on several editorial boards (Stroke, Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry), trial steering committees and data safety monitoring boards. He is currently the Principal Investigator of the CHIMES trials, which has extensive international collaborations.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. SJ van Veluw, S Hilal, HJ Kuiff, MK Ikram, X Xin, BY Tan, N Venketasubramanian, GJ Biessels, C Chen. “Cortical Microinfarcts on 3T MRI : Clinical Correlates in Memory Clinic Patients.” Alzheimer’s & Dementia (IF=17.472), (2015).
2. X Xu, S Hilal, SL Collinson, EJY Chong, MK Ikram, N Venketasubramanian, CLH Chen. “The Association of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Markers of Cerebrovascular Disease Burden and Cognition.” Stroke (IF=6.018), (2015).
3. S Hilal, YL Chai, MK Ikram, S Elangovan, BY Tan, X Xin, JY Chong, N Venketasubramanian, AM Richards, JPC Chong, MKP Lai, C Chen. “Markers of Cardiac Dysfunction in Cognitive Impairment and Dementia.” Medicine, (IF=4.867), (2015).
4. N Venketasubramanian, SHY Young, SS Tay, T Umapathi, AY Lao, HH Gan, AC Baroque II, , JC Navarro, HM Chang, JM Advincula, S Muengtaweepongsa, BPL Chan, CL Chua, N Wijekoon, HA de Silva, JHB Hiyadan, NC Suwanwela, KSL Wong, N Poungvarin, GB Eow, CF Lee, CLH Chen. “CHInese Medicine NeuroAiD Efficacy on Stroke recovery – Extension Study (CHIMES-E : A multicenter study of long-term efficacy.” Cerebrovascular Diseases, IF=3.698, (2015).
5. ENOS Trial Investigators, Bath PMW, Woodhouse L, Scutt P, Krishnan K, Wardlaw JM, Bereczki D, Sprigg N, Berge E, Beridze M, Caso V, Chen C, Christensen H, Collins R, El Etribi A, Laska AC, Lees KR, Ozturk S, Phillips S, Pocock S, de Silva HA, Szatmari S, Utton S. “Efficacy of nitric oxide, with or without continuing antihypertensive treatment, for management of high blood pressure in acute stroke (ENOS): a partial-factorial randomised controlled trial.” Lancet, (IF=39.207), (2015).
Dr. Chester DRUM
Chester Drum, M.D. Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore, a consultant cardiologist at the National University Hospital and director of the clinical trial innovation lab at TLGM, A*STAR. He is a Singapore permanent resident and currently maintains both internal medicine and cardiology board certifications in the US and Singapore. Dr. Drum received an M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He was trained in medicine at the University of California, San Diego and as a cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Harvard Medical School), in Boston. He then moved to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he was director of translational medicine for the regulatory innovation group, MIT-NEWDIGS. While at MIT, he received the Burroughs Wellcome Career Award for Medical Scientists. In Singapore, he has been a recipient of a Clinician Scientist Award from the NMRC.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Deshpande, S., Masurkar, N. D., Girish, V. M., Desai, M., Chakraborty, G., Chan, J. M., & Drum, C. L. “Thermostable exoshells fold and stabilize recombinant proteins.” Nature Communications, (2017). Link
2. Ohlson, S., Kaur, J., Raida, M., Niss, U., Bengala, T., Drum, C. L., et al. “Direct analysis–no sample preparation–of bioavailable cortisol in human plasma by weak affinity chromatography (WAC).” Journal of Chromatography B, (2017). Link
3. Drum, C. L., Tan, W. K., Chan, S. P., Pakkiri, L. S., Chong, J. P., Liew, O. W., et. al. “Thymosin beta-4 is elevated in women with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction”. Journal of the American Heart Association, (2017). Link
4. Patra, A., Ding, T., Hong, M., Richards, A. M., Wong, T. I., Zhou, X., & Drum, C. L. “Using extraordinary optical transmission to quantify cardiac biomarkers in human serum”, JoVE, (2017). Link
5. Patra, A., Ding, T., Engudar, G., Wang, Y., Dykas, M.M., Liedberg, B., Kah, J.C.Y., Venkatesan, T. and Drum, C.L. “Component‐specific analysis of plasma protein corona formation on gold nanoparticles using multiplexed surface plasmon resonance”. Small, (2016). Link
Dr. Mengling FENG
Dr. Mengling ‘Mornin’ Feng is currently an Assistant Professor at Institute for Data Science, National University of Singapore, and the Senior Assistant Director of National University Hospital championing the big data analytics efforts. Dr Feng is also an affiliated scientist with the Lab of Computational Physiology, Harvard-MIT Health Science Technology Division. His research is to develop machine learning algorithms to extract actionable knowledge from large amount of data to enable better quality of healthcare. His research brings together concepts and tools across deep learning, optimization, signal processing, statistical causal inference and big data management. Dr. Feng’s work was recognized by both well-established journals, such as Science Translational Medicine, JAMA and top international conferences, such as KDD, AAAI, MICCAI and AMIA. His team recently ranked number 2 in an international challenge on AI tools for medical image analysis. Dr. Feng works closely with clinicians aiming to develop and deploy the right AI solutions for more effective and cost-efficient care.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Mengling Feng et al. “Transthoracic Echocardiography and Mortality in Sepsis: Analysis of the MIMIC-III Database.” Intensive Care Medicine (IF 12), (2018).
2. Hao Du, Corey Markus, Michael Metzb, Mengling Feng (co-senior author), Tze Ping Loh. “Derivation of outcome-based pediatric critical values.” Journal of Chemical Physics (IF 2.95), (2018).
3. Fuchs, Lior, Matthew Anstey, Mengling Feng, Ronen Toledano, Slava Kogan, Michael D. Howell, Peter Clardy, Leo Celi, Daniel Talmor, and Victor Novack. “Quantifying the mortality impact of do-not-resuscitate orders in the ICU.” Critical Care Medicine (IF 7.05), (2017).
4. Mengling Feng (co-first author) et al. “The Effect of ARDS on Survival: Do Patients Die From ARDS or With ARDS?” Journal of Intensive Care Medicine (IF 3.26), (2019).
5. Mengling Feng et al. “Robust Causality Analysis of Non-Stationary Multivariate Physiological Time Series.” IEEE Transaction on Biomedical Engineering (IF 2.5), (2018).
Dr. Eliza FONG
Eliza Fong is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS). She received her Ph.D. in Bioengineering at Rice University in Houston, Texas, under the NUS-Overseas Graduate Scholarship. While at Rice, she was also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) fellow under the Med-into-Grad program in Translational Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She subsequently completed her post-doctoral training back at NUS and received the NUS-Early Career Award in 2017. Dr. Fong has made key contributions in the field of translational tumor engineering by being one of the first to demonstrate the integration of organoid technologies with biomaterials-based strategies to better model patient tumors in vitro. Her research group is interested in developing improved patient-derived tumor models for personalized drug screening that captures the heterogeneity in both cancer cells as well as in the surrounding stromal compartment. To achieve this, her team also focuses on using bioengineering tools to mechanistically dissect the effect of biophysical and biochemical cues on heterogeneity in cancer-associated fibroblasts and immune cells.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Fong, E.L.S., Toh, T.B., Lin, Q.X.X., Liu, Z., Hooi, L., Rashid, M.B.M.A., Benoukraf, T., Chow, E.K.H., Huynh, T.H. and Yu, H. “Generation of Matched Patient-Derived Xenograft In Vitro-In Vivo Models using 3D Macroporous Hydrogels for the Study of Liver Cancer.” Biomaterials, (2018). – Featured in NUS News and The Straits Times
2. Fong, E.L., Wan, X., Yang, J., Morgado, M., Mikos, A.G., Harrington, D.A., Navone, N.M. and Farach-Carson, M.C. “A 3D in vitro model of patient-derived prostate cancer xenograft for controlled interrogation of in vivo tumor-stromal interactions.” Biomaterials, (2016).
3. Fong, E.L.S., Lamhamedi-Cherradi, S.E., Burdett, E., Ramamoorthy, V., Lazar, A.J., Kasper, F.K., Farach-Carson, M.C., Vishwamitra, D., Demicco, E.G., Menegaz, B.A. and Amin, H.M. “Modeling Ewing Sarcoma Tumors in vitro with 3D scaffolds.” Proc Natl Acad Sci (PNAS) USA, (2013).
4. Fong, E.L.S., Toh, T.B., Yu, H. and Chow, E.K.H. “3D Culture as a Clinically Relevant Model for Personalized Medicine.” SLAS Technology, (2017).
5. Fong, E.L., Harrington, D.A., Farach-Carson, M.C. and Yu, H. “Heralding a New Paradigm in 3D Tumor Modeling.” Biomaterials, (2016).
Dr. John HO
Our group focuses on the development of advanced wireless bioelectronic systems for enhancing human health. Our approach is to improve the ability of bioelectronics to target physiological processes with high spatiotemporal resolution, and then seek to use this precision to treat or diagnose human disease in new ways. Towards this goal, our group makes advances in wireless technology for highly miniaturized bioelectronic devices and demonstrates how these technologies can be used to for precise modulation of neural activity, cancer therapy, and continuous physiological monitoring.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Bansal, A., Yang, F., Xi, T., Zhang, Y. and Ho, J. S. "In vivo wireless photonic photodynamic therapy." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, (2018). Featured in NUS News
2. Agrawal, D.R., Tanabe, Y., Weng, D., Ma, A., Hsu, S., Liao, S.Y., Zhen, Z., Zhu, Z.Y., Sun, C., Dong, Z., Yang, F., Tse, H.F., Poon, A.S.Y., and Ho, J.S. . “Conformal phased surfaces for wireless powering of bioelectronic microdevices.” Nature Biomedical Engineering, (2017). Featured in Editorial and News & Views.
3. Dong, Z., Yang, F. and Ho, J. S. "Enhanced electromagnetic energy harvesting with subwavelength chiral structures." Physical Review Applied, (2017). Link
4. Tian, X., Lee, P. M. and Ho, J. S. "Control of wireless power transfer to a bioelectronic device by harmonic feedback." AIP Advances, (2018). Featured on the front page and in Scilight.
5. Chang, T., Tanabe, Y., Wojcik, C.C., Barksdale, A.C., Doshay, S., Dong, Z., Liu, H., Zhang, M., Chen, Y., Su, Y., Lee, T.H., Ho, J.S., and Fan, J.A. “A General Strategy for Stretchable Microwave Antenna Systems using Serpentine Mesh Layouts.” Advanced Functional Materials, (2017). Link
Dr. Zhongwei HUANG
Zhongwei is a Clinician-scientist, practising obstetrician and gynaecologist as well as Ministry of Health accredited Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART) specialist. He supports couples with fertility and sexual issues holistically as an integral part of his clinical practice. He also cares for mothers throughout their pregnancy and women in their post reproductive years. Zhongwei works from bench to bedside (and vice versa) and utilize large data analytic tools to delve into innovative solutions to improve the care of women with fertility and reproductive health issues.
Being passionate to find ways to ameliorate the detrimental effects of reproductive ageing on the fertility and health outcomes of women, his research focus is on understanding the biology of ovarian folliculogenesis and reproductive ageing employing basic, translational and clinical studies through multi-collaborative efforts across disciplines.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Huang, Z. and Wells, D. “The human oocyte and cumulus cells relationship: new insights from the cumulus cell transcriptome.” Molecular Human Reproduction, (2010).
2. Huang, Z., Fragouli, E. and Wells, D. “Biomolecules of Human Female Fertility-Potential Therapeutic Targets for Pharmaceutical Design.” Current Pharmaceutical Design, (2012).
3. Lim, A.J., Huang, Z., Chua, S.E., Kramer, M.S. and Yong, E.L. “Sleep duration, exercise, shift work and polycystic ovarian syndrome-related outcomes in a healthy population: a cross-sectional study.” PLOS One, (2016).
4. Indran, I.R.*, Huang, Z.*, Khin, L.W., Chan, J.K., Viardot‐Foucault, V. and Yong, E.L., 2018. Simplified 4‐item criteria for polycystic ovary syndrome: A bridge too far?” Clinical Endocrinology, (2018). *co-first authors
5. Gao, L.*, Huang, Z.*, Lin, H., Tian, Y., Li, P. and Lin, S. “Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) restore functional endometrium in the rat model for severe Asherman syndrome.” Reproductive Sciences, (2019). *co-first authors
Prof. Jussi KEPPO
Associate Professor Jussi Keppo teaches risk management and analytics courses, and directs analytics executive education programs at NUS Business School. He is also Research Director of the Institute of Operations Research and Analytics at NUS. Previously, he taught at the University of Michigan.
He has several publications in the top-tier journals such as Journal of Economic Theory, Review of Economic Studies, Management Science, Operations Research, and Journal of Business on topics such as investment analysis, banking regulation, learning, and strategic incentives. His research has been featured also in numerous business and popular publications, including the Wall Street Journal and Fortune.
His research has been supported by several Asian, European, and US agencies such as the National Science Foundation. He serves on the editorial boards of Management Science, Mathematics of Operations Research, Journal of Risk, Production and Operations Management, and Journal of Energy Markets. He has consulted several startups, Fortune 100 companies, and financial institutions.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Ning, J., Babich, V., Handley, J. and Keppo, J. “Risk-aversion and B2B contracting under asymmetric information: Evidence from managed print services.” Operations Research, (2018).
2. Keppo, J. and Korte, J. “Risk targeting and policy illusions—evidence from the announcement of the Volcker rule.” Management Science, (2018).
3. Keppo, J., Smith, L. and Davydov, D. “Optimal electoral timing: Exercise wisely and you may live longer.” The Review of Economic Studies, (2008).
4. Keppo, J., Moscarini, G. and Smith, L. “The demand for information: More heat than light.” Journal of Economic Theory, (2008).
5. Peura, S. and Keppo, J. “Optimal bank capital with costly recapitalization.” The Journal of Business, (2006).
A/Prof. KIM Sangho
Sangho Kim is an Associate Professor and Principal Investigator of the BLOOD Laboratory in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore. He received the B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea, in 1997, and the Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering and mechanics from Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA, in 2002. He has over 15 years of research experience in the field of hemodynamics, covering a myriad of biorheological and biotransport interests such as RBC biophysics, control of the cell-free layer (CFL) formation in vivo and in vitro, and the computational modelling of biotransport processes. His group is recognized as one of the few groups in the world who can perform integrated studies of both hemodynamics and gas transport using a myriad of experimental and numerical techniques. His group also focuses on the development of biosensors and microfluidic analytical platforms for disease screening.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Chng, K.Z., Ng, Y.C., Namgung, B., Tan, J.K.S., Park, S., Tien, S.L., Leo, H.L. & Kim, S. “Assessment of transient changes in oxygen diffusion of single red blood cells using a microfluidic analytical platform.” Communications Biology, (2021).
2. Chng, K.Z., Tan, J.K.S., Park, S., Lim, J., Chua, D.X.W., Le, Q., Fang, J., Ouyang, J., Yap, C.H., Tien, S.L., Leo, H.L. & Kim, S. “Rapid one-step in situ synthesis of carbon nanoparticles with cellulosic paper for biosensing.” Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, (2021).
3. Namgung, B., Lee, T., Tan, J.K.S., Poh, D.K.H., Park, S., Chng, K.Z., Agrawal, R., Park, S.Y., Leo, H.L. & Kim, S. “Vibration motor-integrated low-cost, miniaturized system for rapid quantification of red blood cell aggregation.” Lab on a Chip, (2020).
4. Namgung, B., Ng, Y.C., Leo, H.L., Rifkind, J.M. & Kim, S. “Near-wall migration dynamics of erythrocytes in vivo: effects of cell deformability and arteriolar bifurcation” Frontiers in Physiology, (2017).
5. Ng, Y.C., Namgung, B., Tien, S.L., Leo, H.L. & Kim, S. “Symmetry recovery of cell-free layer after bifurcations of small arterioles in reduced flow conditions: effect of RBC aggregation.” American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, (2016).
Dr. Yuxin LIU
Our group focuses on developing tissue-mimicking brain-machine interface, medical wearable electronics, and precision electronic medicine. Specifically, we will develop next-generation polymeric electronic materials and micro/nanoelectronics that can self-transform its morphology in vivo and autonomously respond to rapid cellular and tissue growth, while providing chronic and high-bandwidth neural-machine communication at single-cell precision.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Y. Zheng*, Y. Liu*, D. Zhong, S. Nikzad, S. Liu, Z. Yu, D. Liu, H. Wu, C. Zhu, J. Li, H. Tran, J. B.-H. Tok, Z. Bao “Monolithic optical microlithography of high-density elastic circuits” Science, (2021).
2. Y. Liu*, J. Li*, S. Song*, J. Kang, Y. Tsao, S. Chen. W. Xu, J B.-H. Tok, P. M. George. Z. Bao “Morphing electronics for growing tissue”, Nature Biotechnology, (2020).
3. Y. Liu, V. Fieg, Z. Bao “Conjugated polymer for implantable electronics towards clinical application”, Advanced Healthcare Materials, (2021).
4. Y. Liu*, J. Liu*, S. Chen, T. Lei, Y. Kim, S. Niu, H. Wang, X. Wang, A.M. Foudeh, J. B-H. Tok, Z. Bao “Soft and elastic hydrogel-based microelectronics for localized low-voltage neuromodulation” Nature Biomedical Engineering, (2019).
5. Y. Liu*, AF. McGuire*, HY. Lou, TL. Li, J. B.-H. Tok, B. Cui, Z. Bao, “Soft conductive micropillar electrode arrays for biologically relevant electrophysiological recording” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, (2018).
A/Prof. Jason LEE
Jason obtained his first degree (Sports and Exercise Science) from Loughborough University, UK. Following the award of G V Sibley Memorial Prize, he stayed on to complete a PhD in Exercise Physiology under the UK Overseas Research Scholarship and Faculty Studentship. Jason is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. Jason serves in various national and international panels related to human performance and safety. His main research interests are in fluid balance, thermoregulation and mitigation strategies for improving human performance, especially in the heat. Knowledge gained from his research has also benefitted other agencies in formulating performance and safety guidelines and policies. Jason recently completed his 12-year tenure at the DSO National Laboratories, serving as the Director for the Human Performance Programme in his final appointment. He chairs the Thermal Factors Scientific Committee under the International Commission on Occupational Health. He continues to provide consultancy to enhance performance/productivity, wellbeing and health under occupational and sporting settings. He is currently a Research Associate Professor in Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Tan, X. R., Low, I. C. C., Stephenson, M. C., Kok, T., Nolte, H. W., Soong, T. W. and Lee, J. K. W. “Altered Brain Structure with Preserved Cortical Motor Activity Following Exertional Hypohydration: A MRI study.” Journal of Applied Physiology, (2019).
2. Alhadad, S.B., Tan, P.M. and Lee, J.K. “Efficacy of heat mitigation strategies on core temperature and endurance exercise: a meta-analysis.” Frontiers in Physiology, (2019)
3. Reeve, T., Gordon, R., Laursen, P. B., Lee, J. K. and Tyler, C. J. “Impairment of cycling capacity in the heat in well-trained endurance athletes after high-intensity short-term heat acclimation.” International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, (2019).
4. Byrne, C. and Lee, J. K. “The Physiological Strain Index Modified for Trained Heat-Acclimatized Individuals in Outdoor Heat.” International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, (2019).
5. Seng, K.Y., Chen, Y., Wang, T., Chai, A.K.M., Fun, D.C.Y., Teo, Y.S., Tan, P.M.S., Ang, W.H. and Lee, J.K.W. “Nonlinear mixed effects modelling for the analysis of longitudinal body core temperature data in healthy volunteers.” Physiological Measurement, (2016).
Dr. Camilo LIBEDINSKY
Selective activation of individual neurons is a cornerstone of our modern understanding of how brain activity relates to cognitive processes, such as perception, attention, memory and decision making. However, understanding neuronal activity in the context of other brain cells (i.e. networks of neurons) is essential to achieve a deeper understanding of brain function. In our lab we record the activity of dozens of neurons simultaneously while animals perform complex behavioral tasks. The goal is to understand information processing in networks of neurons distributed in multiple brain regions.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Parthasarathy, A., Herikstad, R., Bong, J. H., Medina, F. S., Libedinsky, C.* and Yen, S. C.*. “Mixed selectivity morphs population codes in prefrontal cortex.” Nature Neuroscience, (2017). *Equal Contribution
2. Massar, S. A.*, Libedinsky, C.*, Weiyan, C., Huettel, S. A. and Chee, M. W. “Separate and overlapping brain areas encode subjective value during delay and effort discounting.” Neuroimage, (2015). *Equal Contribution
3. Libedinsky, C., Massar, S. A., Ling, A., Chee, W., Huettel, S. A. and Chee, M. W. “Sleep deprivation alters effort discounting but not delay discounting of monetary rewards.” Sleep, (2013).
4. Libedinsky, C. and Livingstone, M. “Role of prefrontal cortex in conscious visual perception.” Journal of Neuroscience, (2011).
5. Libedinsky, C., Savage, T. and Livingstone, M. “Perceptual and physiological evidence for a role for early visual areas in motion-induced blindness.” Journal of Vision, (2009).
Prof. Bin LIU
Professor Liu Bin is Deputy President (Research and Technology) at National University of Singapore (NUS). She currently holds the appointment of Tan Chin Tuan Centennial Professor. Prof. Liu obtained her Ph.D. degree from the NUS in 2001 (supervisor: Prof. Yee-Hing Lai) with research focus on organic semiconductors for light-emitting diodes. During 2002-2005, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow and later as an assistant researcher with Prof. Alan Heeger and Prof. Gui. Bazan at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she extended her research directions into chem/biosensors. Prof. Liu joined NUS in November 2005 as an assistant professor. Her overall research goal is to design multifunctional materials with optimized architecture and performance for applications in bionanotechnology and sustainable energy. She was promoted to Associate Professor in 2010 and named Dean’s Chair Professor in 2014. She also has a secondary employment at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*Star.
Prof. Liu is well recognized for her contributions in polymer chemistry and the application of polymers for sensing, imaging and solar cells. She is a recipient of many prestigious awards, including NUS Young Investigator Award (2006), Singapore National Science and Technology Young Scientist Award (2008), L’Oreal-Singapore Women in Science National Fellowship (2011), NUS Young Researcher Award (2013), Asia Rising Star, 15th Asia Chemical Congress (2013), Invited lecturer of Asia Excellence, Japanese Polymer Society (2013), Dean’s Chair Professor (2014), and Singapore National Institute of Chemistry (SNIC)-BASF Materials Award (2014). Recently, she has been identified as one of the top 1% highly cited researchers in Materials Science and was named among "The World's Most Influential Scientific Minds: 2014" by Thomson Reuters.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Hu, F., Mao, D., Cai, X., Wu, W., Kong, D., and Liu, B. “A Light‐Up Probe with Aggregation‐Induced Emission for Real‐Time Bio‐orthogonal Tumor Labeling and Image‐Guided Photodynamic Therapy.” Angewandte Chemie International Edition, (2018).
2. Feng, G., and Liu, B. “Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) dots: emerging theranostic nanolights.” Accounts of Chemical Research, (2018).
3. Zhang, R., Sung, S. H., Feng, G., Zhang, C. J., Tang, B. Z., and Liu, B. “Aggregation-Induced Emission Probe for Specific Turn-On Quantification of Soluble Transferrin Receptor: An Important Disease Marker for Iron Deficiency Anemia and Kidney Diseases.” Analytical Chemistry, (2017)
4. Feng, G., Liu, J., Zhang, C. J., and Liu, B. “Artemisinin and AIEgen conjugate for mitochondria-targeted and image-guided chemo-and photodynamic Cancer cell ablation.” ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, (2018).
5. Lin, H., Yang, H., Huang, S., Wang, F., Wang, D. M., Liu, B., ... and Zhang, C. J. “Caspase-1 specific light-up probe with aggregation-induced emission characteristics for inhibitor screening of coumarin-originated natural products.” ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, (2018).
Prof. Xiaogang LIU
My general interests encompass supramolecular chemistry, materials science, and nanotechnology, which are focused on developing fundamental methodologies for synthesis and characterization of optically active nanomaterials, exploring the basic relations between their structures and physical/chemical properties, and extending their applications to the fields of volumetric display, biomedical imaging, molecular sensing, optogenetics, anti-counterfeiting, and potentially many others.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Q. Chen, J. Wu, X. Ou, B. Huang, J. Almutlaq, A. A. Zhumekenov, X. Guan, S. Han, L. Liang, Z. Yi, J. Li, X. Xie, Y. Wang, Y. Li, D. Fan, D. B. L. The, A. H. All, O. F. Mohammed, O. M. Bakr, T. Wu, M. Bettinelli, H. Yang, W. Huang, X. Liu, “All-Inorganic Perovskite Nanocrystal Scintillators.” Nature, (2018).
2. S. Chen, A. Z. Weitemer, X. Zeng, L. He, X. Wang, Y. Tao, A. J. Y. Huang, Y. Hashimotodani, M. Kano, H. Iwasaki, L. K. Parajuli, S. Okabe, D. B .L. Teh, A. H. All, I. Tsutsui-Kimura, K. F. Tanaka, X. Liu, T. J. McHugh, “Near-Infrared Deep Brain Stimulation via Upconversion Nanoparticle-medicated Optogenetics.” Science, (2018).
3. X. Qin, X. Liu, W. Huang, M. Bettinelli, X. Liu, “Lanthanide-Activated Phosphors Based on 4f-5d Optical Transitions: Theoretical and Experimental Aspects.” Chemical Reviews, (2017).
4. C. D. S. Brites, X. Xie, M. L. Debasu, X. Qin, R. Chen, W. Huang, J. Rocha, X. Liu*, L. D. Carlos*, “Instantaneous Ballistic Velocity of Suspended Brownian Nanocrystals Measured by upconversion nanothermometry.” Nature Nanotechnology, (2016).
5. B. Zhou, B. Shi, D. Jin*, X. Liu*, “Controlling Photon Upconversion in Nanocrystals.” Nature Nanotechnology, (2015).
A/Prof. Ajay MATHURU
A/Prof. Mathuru directs the Neurogenetic Models of Human Brain Disorders Lab. He is the Head of Studies of the Life Science Major at Yale-NUS College. He is also appointed as a Joint Principal Investigator at IMCB, A*STAR where he directs the Mechanisms Underlying Behavior Lab. A/Prof. Mathuru has a lifelong interest in neuroethology and his lab studies neural mechanisms underlying natural behavior motivated by rewards and risks. Their research focuses on applying the insights gained from such studies to model phenotypes associated with human brain disorders, including neurodegeneration, dementia, substance dependence, depression, and anxiety disorders.
He received a B.Sc. degree in Science (Genetics, Microbiology, and Chemistry) from Osmania University in India, the university gold medal, and a Master’s degree in Life Sciences (Plant Sciences) from the University of Hyderabad, India. He started his scientific research career in the late Prof. Obaid Siddiqi’s laboratory at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai as a summer research student. He then received his Ph.D. degree in 2005 from MAHE, and trained at National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore, India under Prof. Upi Bhalla. Prior to his appointment at N1, he worked first at Temasek Lifesciences Labs, then at Duke-NUS/A*STAR, followed by IMCB, A*STAR, and Yale-NUS College in Singapore.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Nathan, F.M., Kibat, C., Goel, T., Stewart, J., Claridge‐Chang, A. and Mathuru, A.S., “Contingent stimulus delivery assay for zebrafish reveals a role for CCSER1 in alcohol preference.” Addiction Biology, (2022). Cover Image
2. Xue, S., Ly, T.T.N., Vijayakar, R.S., Chen, J., Ng, J., Mathuru, A.S., Magdinier, F. and Reversade, B. “HOX epimutations driven by maternal SMCHD1/LRIF1 haploinsufficiency trigger homeotic transformations in genetically wildtype offspring.” Nature Communications, (2022).
3. Lim, C.H., Kaur, P., Teo, E., Lam, V.Y.M., Zhu, F., Kibat, C., Gruber, J., Mathuru, A.S. and Tolwinski, N.S. “Application of optogenetic Amyloid-β distinguishes between metabolic and physical damages in neurodegeneration.” Elife, (2020).
4. Mathuru, A.S., Libersat, F., Vyas, A. and Teseo, S. “Why behavioral neuroscience still needs diversity?: A curious case of a persistent need.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, (2020).
5. Mathuru, A.S., Kibat, C., Cheong, W.F., Shui, G., Wenk, M.R., Friedrich, R.W. and Jesuthasan, S. “Chondroitin fragments are odorants that trigger fear behavior in fish.” Current Biology, (2012).
A/Prof. Mehul MOTANI
My research lies at the intersection of information theory and data science. Data science is the science of learning from data (Donoho 2015). Information theory is concerned with the fundamental performance limits of data, i.e., data processing, data communications, and data storage. The tools and analysis my group develops have a wide range of applications and span many disciplines, from mathematics to statistics to computing to engineering to medicine. Specific examples include predictive diagnosis and behavioural incentives for healthcare applications, intelligent transportation systems, and the design and analysis of emerging wireless communication networks.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Zhou, L., Tan, V.Y. and Motani, M. “The dispersion of mismatched joint source-channel coding for arbitrary sources and additive channels.” IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, (2018).
2. Zhou, L., Tan, V.Y., Yu, L. and Motani, M. “Exponential strong converse for content identification with lossy recovery.” IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, (2018)
3. Ni, Z., Bhat, R.V. and Motani, M. “On dual-path energy-harvesting receivers for IoT with batteries having internal resistance”. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, (2018).
4. Zhou, C., Jia, Y. and Motani, M. “Optimizing autoencoders for learning deep representations from health data.” IEEE journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, (2018).
5. Zhou, C., Tham, C.K. and Motani, M. “Finding decomposable models for efficient distributed inference over sensor networks.” IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing, (2018).
A/Prof. NGIAM Kee Yuan
A/Prof Ngiam is a Senior Consultant at the Division of General Surgery (Thyroid & Endocrine Surgery) at the National University Hospital, specialising in Thyroid and Endocrine surgical disorders. Following the completion of his Advanced Specialist Training in General Surgery, he was awarded a fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and was accredited as a surgical specialist by the Specialist Accreditation Board, Singapore in 2012.
He received the Higher Manpower Development Program Award in 2012 to complete a Fellowship in Metabolic and Endocrine Surgery in Taiwan. He received further training in robotic thyroid surgery at the Seoul National University Hospital, South Korea.
A/Prof Ngiam’s special interests are in thyroid and endocrine surgery, robotic thyroid surgery, bariatric and metabolic surgery, advanced endoscopy and laparoscopic surgery. He was awarded the ExxonMobil-NUS Research Fellowship for Clinicians in 2007 and his research interests include parathyroid surgery, robotic thyroid surgery, obesity surgery for type 2 diabetes and thyroid cancer surgery.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Ngiam KY, Khoo VY, Kong L, Cheng AK. “Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding Revisions in Singapore: a 10-Year Experience.” Obesity Surgery, (2015).
2. Ngiam KY, Lee WJ, Lee YC, Anton Cheng. “Efficacy of Metabolic Surgery on HbA1c Decrease in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients with BMI2 – A Review.” Obesity Surgery, (2013).
3. Tan EJ, Soh KC, Ngiam KY. “Colonic architectural change on colonoscopy in patients taking psychotropic medications.” Surgical Endoscopy, (2013).
4. Ngiam KY, Tan EJ, Soh KC. “Reply to: 10.1007/s00464-013-3134-x: colonic architectural changes after the use of psychotropic drugs: looking at the egg while forgetting the hen?” Surgical Endoscopy, (2014).
5. Lee KY, Goo TT, Ngiam KY, Tan WB, Parameswaran R. “Long term outcomes of renal hyperparathyroidism from Singapore with no access to renal transplant.” European Journal of Surgical Oncology, (2014).
A/Prof. Bina RAI
Dr Bina Rai is a microbiologist, bio-engineer and a community-engaged educator. She is the Associate Head (FYP) and Senior Lecturer with the Department of Biomedical Engineering, NUS. She is the course lead for three modules, BN3402 - Bioanalytical Methods for Engineers, BN4701 - Serious Games for Health and BN5304 - Biomedical Engineering Practice and Innovation. She views herself as an educational innovator and instructional designer dedicated to bringing joy and play back into the classroom. Dr Rai is passionate about the advancement of science and engineering undergraduate interdisciplinary teaching. Dr Rai actively teaches and conducts research on gamification, virtual reality simulations and serious games for education and healthcare applications. As a member of bGood and the Health District Initiative, she conducts co-design workshops and guides the translation of student bespoke solutions for engaged and inclusive communities. Aligned to her interest in scientific communication, she has published about her teaching efforts in various online platforms and is on the editorial board for the Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching (JALT). As a result of her continued efforts to enhance instruction, learning and assessment, Dr Rai was awarded the Tertiary Educator of the Year at Edutech (Asia) Awards in 2017, the Innovplus Award in 2020 (a competitive learning innovation grant challenge), the College Educator Award in 2023 and the Annual Teaching Excellence Awards consecutively in 2023 and 2024.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Tan, S.B., Rai, B, et al. “Digital game-based interventions for cognitive training in healthy adults and adults with cognitive impairment: protocol for a two-part systematic review and meta-analysis.” BMJ Open, (2023).
2. Salim, R.S.M., Chen, J.S., Leo, C.H., Rai, B. “Design and development of MemoryTrail virtual reality game to study brain and memory processes in a fun and interactive manner.” Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching, (2023).
3. Siew, W., Silva, A. & Rai, B. “Innovation by design: Key challenges faced by budding designers developing solutions for dementia. In: Design in the Era of Industry 4.0. 9th International Conference on Research into Design. 9-11th January, IDC School of Design, IIS, Bombay, India, (2023).
4. Siew, W., Rai, B., Stone, B.R., Ho, D. “Designing for inclusive and engaged communities.” Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching, (2022).
5. Rai, B. “A team of instructors' response to remote learning due to COVID-19. A 10.012 Introduction to Biology case study.” Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching, (2020).
A/Prof. Raghav SUNDAR
Dr. Raghav Sundar obtained his medical degree from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, where his academic distinctions earned him a place in the Dean’s List and the Thambipillai Silver Medal. He topped the country in the Internal Medicine specialty examination obtaining the Master of Medicine (Internal Medicine) and the Gordon Arthur Ransome Gold Medal in Internal Medicine. He was Chief Resident and Chief Senior Resident during his training at the National University Hospital. He subsequently completed his Medical Oncology Senior Residency at the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS). His clinical interest is in gastrointestinal cancers. His research interest lies in early phase drug development, immunotherapy, DNA damage repair, and chemotherapy-induced neuropathy. He was awarded the National Medical Research Council Overseas Fellowship Award to undergo fellowship training at the Drug Development Unit, Royal Marsden Hospital, UK. He won the Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Merit Award for his work on developing novel anticancer therapeutics. He holds several grants and has secured over $1,400,000 in grant funding. He has published in high impact peer-reviewed journals including Cancer Discovery and Clinical Cancer Research and designs clinical trials for novel cancer drugs and devices.
At the N.1 Institute for Health, he runs a biomedical translational research program along with Dr Aishwarya Bandla which aims to translate devices that deliver non-invasive therapy and diagnostic modalities into clinical applications. Using the principle of “From bedside to bench and back to bedside”, the team has established a comprehensive program. First, clinical areas of unmet research needs are identified, with focus on non-invasive therapies in cancer patients. Bioengineering principles are then applied, using mechanistic and animal models to develop devices. These devices are then tested in clinical trials using healthy subjects as well as cancer patients to validate the hypothesis, including safety and efficacy.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Yong, W.P., Rha, S.Y., Tan, I.B.H., Choo, S.P., Syn, N.L., Koh, V., Tan, S.H., Asuncion, B.R., Sundar, R., et al. “Real-time tumor gene expression profiling to direct gastric cancer chemotherapy: proof-of-concept “3G” trial.” Clinical Cancer Research, (2018).
2. Sundar, R., Miranda, S., Rodrigues, D.N., et al. “Ataxia telangiectasia mutated protein loss and benefit from oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy in colorectal cancer.” Clinical Colorectal Cancer, (2018).
3. Sundar, R., McVeigh, T., Dolling, D., et al. “Clinical outcomes of adolescents and young adults with advanced solid tumours participating in phase I trials.” European Journal of Cancer, (2018).
4. Basu, B.*, Krebs, M.G.*, Sundar, R.*, et al. “Vistusertib (dual m-TORC1/2 inhibitor) in combination with paclitaxel in patients with high-grade serous ovarian and squamous non-small-cell lung cancer.” Annals of Oncology, (2018). *Equal Contribution
5. Sundar, R., Qamra, A., Tan, A.L.K., et al. “Transcriptional analysis of immune genes in Epstein–Barr virus-associated gastric cancer and association with clinical outcomes.” Gastric Cancer, (2018).
A/Prof. Benjamin TEE
Our group aims to develop core platform technologies that enables massive integration of artificial sensory systems that surpass the human equivalent. Nature ensures survival by endowing complex living organisms with distinct skin sensors that have very high complexity. These structures enable skin sensors, for example, to be highly strain sensitive, and communicate in real time pertinent environment information. Endowing artificial systems with cutting-edge hapto-tactile capabilities could impact several areas such as next generation human-like robotic assistants, immersive virtual reality, smarter human-machine interfaces, wearable healthcare technologies and life-like prosthetics.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Tan, Y.J., Wu, J., Li, H. and Tee, B.C. “Self-healing electronic materials for a smart and sustainable future.” ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, (2018).
2. Tee, B.C. and Ouyang, J. “Soft electronically functional polymeric composite materials for a flexible and stretchable digital future.” Advanced Materials, (2018).
3. Tee, B.C.K., Chortos, A., Berndt, A., et al. “A skin-inspired organic digital mechanoreceptor.” Science, (2015).
4. Chen, L.Y., Tee, B.C.K., et al. “Continuous wireless pressure monitoring and mapping with ultra-small passive sensors for health monitoring and critical care.” Nature Communications, (2014).
5. Tee, B.C.K., et al. “Tunable flexible pressure sensors using microstructured elastomer geometries for intuitive electronics.” Advanced Functional Materials, (2014).
Dr. Tan Boon TOH
Dr. Toh Tan Boon obtained his Ph.D. degree in 2013 from the National University of Singapore. Thereafter, he performed his postdoctoral work at the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore under the guidance of Associate Prof. Edward Chow. He is currently the head of N.1 Translational Core Laboratory where his group focuses on the establishment of patient-derived organoids and xenografts in solid tumors such as liver, breast and brain cancers. Using these clinically relevant patient-derived models, his lab hopes to improve the understanding of tumor heterogeneity and guide the development of targeted therapies and drug combinations in the future.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Toh, T.B., Lim, J.J., Hooi, L., Rashid, M.B.M.A. and Chow, E.K.H. “Targeting Jak/Stat pathway as a therapeutic strategy against SP/CD44+ tumorigenic cells in Akt/β-catenin-driven hepatocellular carcinoma.” Journal of Hepatology, (2020)
2. Gu, M., Toh, T.B., Hooi, L., Lim, J.J., Zhang, X. and Chow, E.K.H. “Nanodiamond-Mediated Delivery of a G9a Inhibitor for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Therapy.” ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, (2019).
3. Fong, E.L.S., Toh, T.B., Lin, Q.X.X., Liu, Z., Hooi, L., Rashid, M.B.M.A., Benoukraf, T., Chow, E.K.H., Huynh, T.H. and Yu, H. “Generation of matched patient-derived xenograft in vitro-in vivo models using 3D macroporous hydrogels for the study of liver cancer.” Biomaterials, (2018).
4. Toh, T.B., Lim, J.J. and Chow, E.K.H. “Epigenetics in cancer stem cells.” Molecular Cancer, (2017).
5. Chong, Y.K., Toh, T.B., Zaiden, N., Poonepalli, A., Leong, S.H., Ong, C.E.L., Yu, Y., Tan, P.B., See, S.J., Ng, W.H. and Ng, I. “Cryopreservation of neurospheres derived from human glioblastoma multiforme.” Stem Cells, (2009).
Dr. Yiyuan YANG
Yiyuan Yang is the Presidential Young Assistant Professor with the Department of Biomedical Engineering with primary affiliations at the N.1 Institute for Health (N.1) and the Institute for Digital Medicine (WisDM). He gained his Ph.D. in Northwestern University and conducted postdoctoral research in Massachusetts Institute of Technology before he joined the National University of Singapore.
Dr. Yang’s research focuses on the intersection of new materials, interface development, micro/nanofabrication, and artificial intelligence to develop new-generation neurobiological and biomedical implants. These devices not only promote the explorations of complex neural dynamics behind consciousness, intelligence, and behaviors, but also improve the accessibility and effectiveness of daily healthcare, especially in the context of automated diagnosis and therapy.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Yang Y*, Wu M*, Vázquez-Guardado A*, et al. “Wireless Multilateral Devices for Optogenetic Studies of Individual and Social Behaviors”. Nature Neuroscience, 24, 1035-1045 (2021). Link
2. Yang Y*, Wu M*, Wegener AJ*, Vázquez-Guardado A*, et al. “Preparation and Implantation of Wireless Multilateral Optogenetic Devices with Real-Time Control in Free Behaving Animals”. Nature protocols, 17, 1073-1096 (2022). Link
3. Yang Y*, Wu M*. “OLED-on-CMOS probes for single-neuron optogenetics”. Nature Electronics, 6, 648-649 (2023). Link
4. Kim Y*, Yang Y*, Zhang X*, Li Z*, VázquezGuardado A*, et al. “Remote control of muscle driven miniature robots with battery-free wireless optoelectronics”. Science Robotic, Vol 8, Issue 74 (2023). Link
5. Vázquez-Guardado A*, Yang Y*, Bandodkar A*, Rogers JA. “Recent Advances in Neurotechnologies with Broad Potential for Neuroscience Research”. Nature Neuroscience, 23, 1522-1536 (2020). Link
Dr. Shih-Cheng YEN
Our research program is focused on two areas: neural coding and neuroprostheses. In the area of neural coding, we are interested in understanding how large populations of neurons in animal models encode and represent information. Our current focus areas are the role of neuronal populations in the prefrontal cortex in working memory and the role of neuronal populations in the hippocampal formation in spatial representations. In the area of neuroprostheses, we are interested in developing implantable systems that are capable of interfacing with the central and peripheral nervous system to monitor, modulate, and restore physiological functions. The areas we work on include electrodes, microchips, wireless power and data transfer, signal processing and decoding, and acute and chronic in vivo small and large animal testing.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Peh, W.Y.X., Raczkowska, M.N., Teh, Y., Alam, M., Thakor, N.V. and Yen, S.C. “Closed-loop stimulation of the pelvic nerve for optimal micturition.” Journal of Neural Engineering, (2018).
2. Peh, W.Y.X., Mogan, R., Thow, X.Y., Chua, S.M., Rusly, A., Thakor, N.V. and Yen, S.C. “Novel neurostimulation of autonomic pelvic nerves overcomes bladder-sphincter dyssynergia.” Frontiers in Neuroscience, (2018).
3. Wang, J., Thow, X.Y., Wang, H., Lee, S., Voges, K., Thakor, N.V., Yen, S.C. and Lee, C. “A highly selective 3D spiked ultraflexible neural (SUN) interface for decoding peripheral nerve sensory information.” Advanced Healthcare Materials, (2018).
4. Parthasarathy, A., Herikstad, R., Bong, J.H., Medina, F.S., Libedinsky, C. and Yen, S.C. “Mixed selectivity morphs population codes in prefrontal cortex.” Nature Neuroscience, (2017).
5. Herikstad, R., Baker, J., Lachaux, J.P., Gray, C.M. and Yen, S.C. “Natural movies evoke spike trains with low spike time variability in cat primary visual cortex.” Journal of Neuroscience, (2011).
A/Prof. Thomas YEO
There is a deluge of data across many scientific disciplines. Future scientific breakthroughs will rely on algorithms to explore these massive data. Our group develops machine learning algorithms to automatically generate scientific discoveries from large-scale datasets comprising thousands of subjects with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), behavioral, genetic and other physiological measures. By exploring large multi-modal datasets, we seek to discover fundamental principles of brain network organization, how brain networks are organized to support cognition and how brain networks are disrupted in mental disorders.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
1. Kong, R., Li, J., Orban, C., Sabuncu, M.R., Liu, H., Schaefer, A., Sun, N., Zuo, X.N., Holmes, A.J., Eickhoff, S.B. and Yeo, B.T. “Spatial topography of individual-specific cortical networks predicts human cognition, personality, and emotion.” Cerebral Cortex, (2019).
2. Bertolero, M.A., Yeo, B.T., Bassett, D.S. and D’Esposito, M. “A mechanistic model of connector hubs, modularity and cognition.” Nature Human Behaviour, (2018).
3. Schaefer, A., Kong, R., Gordon, E.M., Laumann, T.O., Zuo, X.N., Holmes, A.J., Eickhoff, S.B. and Yeo, B.T. “Local-global parcellation of the human cerebral cortex from intrinsic functional connectivity MRI.” Cerebral Cortex, (2018).
4. Liegeois, R., Laumann, T.O., Snyder, A.Z., Zhou, J. and Yeo, B.T. “Interpreting temporal fluctuations in resting-state functional connectivity MRI.” Neuroimage, (2017).
5. Zhang, X., Mormino, E.C., Sun, N., Sperling, R.A., Sabuncu, M.R., Yeo, B.T. and Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. “Bayesian model reveals latent atrophy factors with dissociable cognitive trajectories in Alzheimer’s disease.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, (2016).