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Welcome to another issue of BME Connect!

If you are a Year-1 undergraduate student, take a look at our feature to consider the NUS-Zhejiang University Summer Programme;

We are In Conversation with Assoc Prof Leo Hwa Liang as he briefly shares about what he does;

We showcase two research topics in Id Est; and

A company and an alumnus share their experiences about internships in Industry Relations.

Happy reading!

DECEMBER 2015

 

What is your current area of research? Developing a minimally invasive approach to treat cardiovascular diseases, particularly in the areas of transcatheter bioprosthetic heart valves and vascular stents.

What else can you tell me about it? It is becoming increasingly relevant in Singapore today, due to the rise in cardiovascular diseases, as a result of an aging population.

What is most challenging about your current research focus? The constant improvement of devices and approaches in treating various cardiovascular diseases. The next generation of devices should be more cost effective for patients, and more successful at treating the diseases.

What else are you involved in? I’m a member of the Curriculum Committee, and the co-chair of the Continuing Professional Education committee in the department.

Who or what has influenced your decision to work in BME / this area / this field? I like tinkering with stuff, and also like medical-related things, which led me to this multi-disciplinary field.

Advice to someone (esp undergrads) who is thinking about doing a PhD, or pursuing a career in academia?  Consider an internship in the professors’ labs: to gain experience, and see if you really like it. It will be frustrating, and you need to get comfortable with the overwhelming feeling of uncertainty.

ASSOC. PROF LEO HWA LIANG

BME CONNECTBiannual Newsletter on What’s On at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, NUS

2015/2016 | SEMESTER 2 ISSUE

· S T U D E N T S · S T A F F · A L U M N I · I N D U S T R Y P A R T N E R S ·

One of our recently promoted academic staff share his thoughts on his research and advice for those thinking of joining academia.

Dr Raye Yeow and Dr Yap Choon Hwai received the Yamaguchi Medals for ‘Gait and Kinesiology’ and ‘Cardiovascular BioFluid Mechanics’ respectively at the 8th Asian-Pacific Conference on Biomechanics 2015.

SEPTEMBER 2015

We had another successful Department Safety Day on 1 Oct 2015. We like to thank all who attended the event, and hope you gained some useful tips from it!

OCTOBER 2015

The BME-Industry Alliance held a networking event on 6 Oct 2015, with the aim of promoting the Industry Attachment Programme that will be part of the curriculum in July 2016. 

We have MOVED! Our new department office is now located at E4-04-08!

NOVEMBER 2015

Farewell to Assoc Prof Evelyn Yim and Dr Desmond Chong who left in December 2015. Take care and with best wishes!

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DEPARTMENT’S GRADUATE EMPLOYMENT SURVEY

The survey, conducted by the Centre for Future-Ready Graduates, was conducted from November2014 to January 2015. Most “Economically Inactive” graduates are currently undertaking postgraduate studies.

Graduate students Kenry and Yeo Joo Chuan, led by Prof Lim Chwee Teck developed and filed a patent on a liquid-based tactile sensor. Full article here: http://goo.gl/BTlksW

Assoc. Prof Leo Hwa Liang and his team have started preclinical trials an innovative prosthetic heart valve to treat mitral regurgitation. Full article here: http://goo.gl/SwKFGb

   

 

RESEARCHER: Assistant Prof Yap Choon Hwai LAB: Cardiovascular Biomechanics & Ultrasound Lab 

TOPIC: Ultrasound & Computational Simulation

CONGENITAL cardiovascular malformation (CCM) is a class of diseases where babies are born with abnormal heart anatomies. This genetic predisposition, though detected via ultrasound in the womb, is not treated until after birth. The multi-stage surgeries are expensive, complex and have high rates of complications.

It is thought that abnormal growth is the result of abnormal mechanical forces, which is caused by the blood flow. So, by correcting the abnormal flow through foetal surgery, the normal heart anatomy can be returned despite the genetic predisposition. Mechano-biological drugs can be used to help achieve this as well.

Two approaches are used to study these forces: i) small animal models, and ii) human foetuses. In the former, micro-surgeries are performed on a chick embryo to simulate blood flow abnormalities. High-frequency ultrasound is then used to analyse the flow. Computer simulations are then used to characterise the mechanical forces in the normal (without surgery) and abnormal (with surgery) embryos.

Non-invasive clinical studies, on human foetuses, are also done in collaboration with Prof Arijit Biswas and Dr Citra Mattar from NUHS. 4D- ultrasound images (3D images over time) are gathered from both normal foetuses and those with malformations. The aim is to differentiate the flow patterns and forces, and establish

A STEP IN COUNTERING CONGENITAL CARDIOVASCULAR MALFORMATIONS

Ways to counter congenital cardiovascular diseases: new strategies, like foetal surgery and 

mechano‐biological drugs, can be used to return the normal mechanical environment, thus 

returning normal heart anatomy.  

RESEARCHER: Assistant Prof Pakorn (Tony) Kanchanawong LAB: Nanoscale Mechanobiology Laboratory, Mechanobiology Institute (MBI)

TOPIC: Cell‐matrix interactions

FROM its discovery in 1665, cells have been continuously studied and analysed in science and engineering. It is now increasingly recognised that cells can sense and respond to the physical environment they are in.

One cellular structure responsible for this ability, and currently being investigated by a group of researchers led by Dr Kanchanawong, is the focal adhesion. These protein structures are found on the cell surface, and are used to attach and sense the physical properties of their environment (e.g. extracellular matrix).

Focal adhesions act as the link between the inside of the cell (via the cytoskeleton) and the external environment, where they attach to specific matrix proteins. The cytoskeleton is a network of filaments, which act as an internal scaffold to support various functions, ranging from cell movement to vesicle transport amongst other things. However, how focal adhesions sense the physical environment still remains an open question.

The researchers, therefore, focused on a particular protein called talin. It was found, in the previous work done by Dr

FOCAL ADHESIONS: ‘TALIN’ APART THEIR ENVIRONMENT

The location of talin and how it absorbs and transmits forces between the inside of the 

cell to its external environment. Image taken from th paper published in PNAS (see 

reference below).

Kanchanawong, that this protein spans the height of the focal adhesion, and may also provide structural support by forming pillars linking the cell’s membrane to the cytoskeleton.

They substituted naturally occurring talin, in human endothelial cells, with re-engineered talin proteins of different lengths. They then used super-resolution microscopy techniques with nanoscale resolution to show that talin length did determine the height of focal adhesion.

The protein’s diagonal orientation also

a correlation between the mechanics and malformations.

The images are then reconstructed in the computer to compute the blood flow patterns and forces. These ultrasound-based techniques for fluid mechanic simulation were developed in this lab.

suggests its role in absorbing and balancing forces between the cytoskeleton and the external environment. Therefore, the force produced by the cytoskeleton is transmitted to the external environment through the talin protein and vice versa. Altogether, this study established that talin serves as the core force-transmission component of the focal adhesions.

Results of this study are published in the 

Proceedings of the National Academy of 

Sciences USA. Liu J. et al., Talin determines the 

nanoscale architecture of focal adhesions. 

PNAS, 2015, 112 (35), E4864‐E4873. 

   

f e a t u r e

Photos by: Aaron Oh, Doloritas Quek, Ester Ong , Greyson Lau and Henny

Now in its 6th year, this Special Term exchange programme, between the NUS and Zhejiang University BME departments, gives 20 Year-2 NUS students the chance to go to ZJU during the summer vacation to study the entire module there along with 20 Year-3 students from ZJU.

THE BME NUS-Zhejiang University (ZJU) Summer

Programme is a unique cross-cultural learning experience, where a module is co-taught by faculty staff from both universities.

Last year, the module co-taught was BN2202S Introduction to Biotransport. The biotransport topics were covered by Assoc. Prof. Kim Sangho and Dr. Yap Choon Hwai from our department and the bioinstrumentation topics by the Zhejiang University academic staff.

The group project was to make a device which can measure flow rate in a tube, which involved exercising bioinstrumentation techniques and biotransport concepts.

Apart from lessons, students will get the opportunity to visit: (1) various key national research labs and; (2) research and manufacturing facilities of industry-related companies.

All the students going will also be part of the organising committee and each will be tasked with different roles (e.g. finance, administrative, itinerary, photographer, social events etc).

A group of them will also be responsible for hosting the ZJU students when they came to Singapore for lab tours in our department, as well as a visit to an industry-related company. Last year, they visited Edwards Lifesciences, which is located in Changi North Industrial Estate. Edwards Lifesciences is a manufacturer of heart valves from bovine tissue.

BME NUS-ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY

SUMMER PROGRAMME

REGISTRATION & BRIEFING INFORMATION An email will be sent in March to all Year-1 students about the programme. Details on the registration deadline and programme briefing will be mentioned in the email. Positions are limited to around 20, and it is on a first-come-first-served basis.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT For Singaporean Citizens and Permanent Residents, financial aid is available through the China Initiatives Steering Committee (CISC) Funding, and the NASA Enhancement Funding.

F O L L O W U S O N https://goo.gl/Q88lfFF

https://goo.gl/ZOmoed

https://goo.gl/5lkWZ6

 

EDITORIAL TEAM Associate Prof. Chen Nanguang

Assistant Prof. Tony Kanchanawong Chng Chin Han Yeo Kun Song

AC A D E M I C CA L E N D E R 20 - 28 FEB 16 | SAT - SUN RECESS WEEK

15 - 22 APR 16 | SAT - FRI READING WEEK

23 APR 16 – 7 MAY 16 EXAMINATION PERIOD

8 MAY 16 – 31 JUL 16 VACATION PERIOD

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS 8 – 9 FEB 16 | MON - TUE CHINESE NEW YEAR

25 MAR 16 | FRI GOOD FRIDAY

1 – 2 MAY 16 | SUN-MON LABOUR DAY

21 MAY 16 | SAT VESAK DAY

WE ARE NOW LOCATED AT

E4-04-08

The department held its 4th NUS Biomedical Engineering Industry Alliance networking event on 6th October 2015, at the NUS University Club. A company and a former intern shared their experiences on how an internship helped them.

THE NUS Biomedical Engineering Industry Alliance (BME-IA) networking event aims to connect our faculty staff and students to the industry, either through internships, final year projects, or research collaborations.

This year’s theme is on the BME Industrial Attachment Programme (IAP). This 6-month internship, during the undergraduate’s third year, is one opportunity for companies to access the talent pool of our BME students. THE COMPANY Mr Theodore Tan, Managing Director of The Biofactory Pte Ltd, Singapore’s leading biomedical incubator, gave his views during the event about his experience of hiring BME students and graduates.

The company has a history of hiring NUS students exclusively. Some of his many reasons for doing so, and descriptors used to describe the students were: critical thinkers, self-sufficient and independent individuals that would do the job at hand.

More importantly, the students had the initiative to seek clarification if they were unclear at any aspect of the project. These are essential characteristics needed for the work done in his company. THE INTERN Pinky Malempati, is a BME alumni from the class of 2015 and currently works as a

Research Engineer at the Singapore Bioimaging Consortium, A*STAR.

During her Bachelors course in BME, she undertook a 6-month internship, in the early half of 2014, at ThemoFisher. During that time, she worked on research and development for optics for PCR (polymerase chain reaction) machines.

She was also involved in qualification testing and sustenance research, which allowed her the opportunity to work with people across several departments: Procurement; Manufacturing; and Verification and Validation (V&V). The company did offer an employment opportunity, however she was unavailable for the offer at that time.

For her, this internship experience has led her to continue in biooptics and bioimaging projects during a research attachment in Germany the following summer vacation. Her final year project’s topic was also in bioimage processing.

If you would like your company to be part of the 

BME‐IA, or  be a sponsor for the event, do get in 

touch with:  

Mr Li Shihao ‐ Secretary (lishihao@u.nus.edu)  

 

For  more  information  on  the  IAP,  visit  the 

faculty’s website  at  http://goo.gl/CkhbTJ  ,  or 

contact our department representatives:  

A/Prof. Huang Zhiwei (biehzw@nus.edu.sg) 

Mr Chng Chin Han (biechng@nus.edu.sg)  

The cocktail reception was proudly sponsored 

by:  

INDUSTRYRELATIONS

SHARING PERSPECTIVES: COMPANY & INTERN

The administrative office of the department has moved to E4-04-08 from 6 Nov 2015. This is on the same level as LT6.

All telephone extensions however will remain the same.