Press Releases

06 Jun 2019

NUS medical students get exposure to mass casualty incidents

Medical students at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine can now put their knowledge and skills to the test as members of a medical emergency response team operating in various mass casualty incident scenarios, through a virtually simulated environment. This is made possible through the School’s introduction of the Virtual Interactive Simulation Environment (VISE) system at the Centre for Healthcare Simulation.

10 Apr 2019

Quick thinking? It’s all down to timing

Synaptic plasticity, which underlies learning and memory, involves the strengthening and weakening of synapses. This process is affected by the relative timing of spikes in electrical activity in the pre- and postsynaptic neurons. Researchers at NUS Medicine have now found that, when both spikes occur simultaneously (or within tens of milliseconds of each other), the synapses were strengthened for up to 4 hours. These findings could impact research in conditions with impaired learning and memory.

14 Mar 2019

Not mere gut feeling: Blastocystis unmasked as clandestine killer of good bacteria

Blastocystis, a common single gut SCE is often regarded as a harmless commensal organism, peacefully co-existing with its bacterial neighbours. However, this could change with the publication of a new study from NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine) which shows that a subtype of Blastocystis can actually harm its neighbours and its home in an insidious way.

12 Feb 2019

NUS scientists find a key to unlocking mystery of Lou Gehrig’s Disease

For the longest time, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis was thought to be a purely motor neuron disease (MND), in which nerve cells controlling our body movements gradually break down and die. Now, a five-year study by NUS Medicine's Department of Physiology has revealed that neighbouring cells known as oligodendrocytes also participate in the disease process.  This will help scientists better understand ALS, leading to the possibility of an eventual treatment for the condition.

25 Oct 2018

A potential new treatment method for melanoma skin cancer

Researchers at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine have discovered a small man-made molecule that can activate a receptor in the cell membrane to “kill” tumour cells in melanoma skin cancer, controlling the growth of the cancer cells. This process is activated once the molecule is injected into the body. The small molecule NSC49652 will bind to a death receptor p75NTR in the cell membrane, starting a process which then causes melanoma cells to die.

18 Oct 2018

Making hearing checks easy and accessible for seniors

An NUS-led research initiative is under way to develop and trial accessible and cost-effective hearing services for the elderly in Singapore. It is part of a three-year project which seeks to address the increasing need for hearing care services of the growing elderly population.

12 Oct 2018

Scientists reveal mystery of superbug evolution

Scientists have found a new way in which bacteria evolve, one they believe is at least 1,000 times more efficient than any currently known mechanism. The insights will help scientists to better understand how dangerous bacteria can rapidly evolve and become increasingly virulent and antibiotic resistant.

14 Sep 2018

Students compete in search for innovative healthcare ideas

Over the past year, the students from the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine) and their counterparts from the Business, Computing, Engineering, Dentistry, and Science faculties have gone through interdisciplinary boot camps to develop and refine their proposed solutions and prototypes to a number of healthcare problems. The students, grouped into 14 teams, are taking part in the second edition of the Medical Grand Challenge, which was launched last year.

06 Sep 2018

Neighbourhood Health Service to screen for all chronic illnesses

Singapore’s pioneering student-led health screening programme for residents of rental HDB apartments is going big this year, the 12th since the programme began in 2007. The NUS Medicine student planners of the Neighbourhood Health Service intend to screen residents in Kampong Glam and Queenstown (Leng Kee) for all chronic illnesses as well as oral, vision and hearing health.

05 Sep 2018

Stronger chemotherapy for children with high-risk leukaemia boosts cure, reduces relapse rates

A team of doctors from Singapore and Malaysia has managed to raise cure rates for a group of child leukemia patients from 69.6 per cent to 91.6 per cent while also lowering relapses from 30 per cent to 13 per cent