News

Congratulation to Dr. GOH Ya Hwee Jasmine for winning the Best Graduation Research Publication Award 2023!

Publication Title: An ex vivo platform to guide drug combination treatment in relapsed/refractory lymphoma

Journal: Science Translational Medicine

Thesis Advisor: A/Prof Edward Kai-Hua CHOW

Congratulations to Associate Professor Gavin Stewart Dawe on winning the Asian College of Neuropsychopharmacology (AsCNP) Basic Science Award 2023.

The commendation for the award by Professor Shih-Ku Lin, the Chair of the AsCNP Science Award Selection Committee, highlights A/Prof. Gavin Dawe’s exceptional contributions to the field of neuropsychopharmacology. “Prof. Dawe is the Head of the Department of Pharmacology at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, as well as the Director of the Neuroscience and Metabolic Phenotyping Core at the National University of Singapore. Dr. Dawe has focused on the study of antipsychotics, antidepressants, anxiolytics, and modulators of cognitive function and neuroplasticity. His scientific work in animal models of schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, and dementia is outstanding and has consistently contributed to significant advancements in the field.”

For more details on the AsCNP awards, please visit https://ascnp.org/award/index.html

Congratulation to Dr Judy Sng’s much-deserved promotion to Associate Professor (Educator Track) with retrospective effect from 1 January 2023. Through this promotion, NUS acknowledges her outstanding contributions in the sphere of education, her expertise in her discipline, and her relentless devotion towards enhancing student learning experiences.

Department of Pharmacology has always recognized and championed dedicated scholars like A/Prof Judy Sng. Her promotion not only symbolizes our belief in her academic and pedagogical capabilities but also affirms our ongoing commitment to fostering a vibrant learning environment. We look forward to A/Prof Judy Sng continuing to contribute significantly to fortifying our department and school’s academic community, thereby playing a pivotal role in investing in the future of student learning.

A/Prof Judy Sng’s commendable achievements include:

• Noteworthy educational contributions involving a diverse group of learners, including undergraduate and graduate nursing students, students from life sciences, medicine, and continuing education. Her commitment to fostering knowledge across a wide array of disciplines is commendable.
• Innovative pedagogical approaches through the introduction of creative learning tools like PharmaGAMES, PharmaVIDEOS, PharmaCASES, and the Virtual Integrated Patient. These have improved student learning outcomes, making complex concepts easily understandable.
• A scholarly and reflective approach to education. She has effectively combined student feedback with the evaluation of student performance to refine her teaching methods, consistently striving for excellence.
• Leadership in education, particularly through her positions as the Education Director for Nursing and co-ordinator of annual e-learning workshops. Her initiative in establishing the Educator Club further exemplifies her commitment to nurturing a community of educators who are dedicated to their craft.

Department of Pharmacology extend the heartfelt congratulations to A/Prof Judy Sng for this remarkable achievement and will continue to support her as she undertakes this onward phasse of her academic journey.

Congratulation to Dr XU Jingru on being selected as the winner of Lilly Medal and Prize in Pharmacology 2023.

In 2015, Lilly-NUS Center for Clinical Pharmacology Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company, established this annual award for NUS students who have excelled in Pharmacology studies and training. a cash prize of $250 and a gold medal will be awarded to the PhD student with the Best PhD Research Thesis in Pharmacology.

Thesis Title: Nanodiamond-based Drug Delivery Platform for SALL4-driven Hepatocellular Carcinoma Therapy

Thesis Advisors: A/Prof Edward CHOW and A/Prof Gautam SETHI

Congratulation to Dr. GOH Ya Hwee Jasmine for winning the Too Joon Chew PhD Prize 2023!

The Too Joon Chew Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Prize was established in 2022 by the Too family in memory of their late father, Mr Too Joon Chew. A cash prize valued at $1000 will be awarded to each of the three NUS Medicine PhD graduates with the most outstanding work done in their respective fields of research.

The National University of Singapore (NUS) continues to make its mark in higher education, securing leading positions in the latest QS World University Rankings by subject. NUS Medicine has been ranked #20 in the world and #1 in Asia, while NUS Pharmacy & Pharmacology is tied for #10 in the world and also holds the #1 spot in Asia

The rankings highlight NUS’s commitment to providing world-class education and research in the fields of medicine and pharmacology. With a strong focus on innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration, NUS has been recognized for its outstanding performance in both fields. The rankings emphasize the growing influence of the NUS Medicine Department of Pharmacology on the global stage.

These achievements reflect the dedication of the NUS Medicine Department of Pharmacology’s faculty, staff, students, and researchers in pushing the boundaries of knowledge, education, and innovation. As a leading Department of Pharmacology in Asia, the NUS Medicine Department of Pharmacology remains committed to nurturing talent and contributing to the betterment of the region and the world.

For more information on the rankings, visit the Top Universities website and read the full article from The Straits Times (More Details) and see the QS World University Rankings for Pharmacy & Pharmacology 2023 (QS Rankings) via the links below.

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• QS Rankings

Led by Prof Barry Halliwell from NUS Medicine Department of Biochemistry, and A/Prof Christopher Chen and Dr Mitchell Lai (both NUS Pharmacology) from the Memory, Ageing and Cognition Centre at NUHS, a group of scientists has restarted a clinical trial to look at whether supplementing one’s diet with ergothioneine – a compound found mainly in mushrooms – can help prevent or delay cognitive impairment and dementia, after they found that low levels of ergothioneine in the blood correlate with an increased risk of developing cognitive issues.

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In the near future, patients with relapsed lymphoma can likely enrol in a formal clinical trial that will personalise the most effective cocktail of drugs to treat their disease based on calculations done by an artificial intelligence (AI) platform. Led by Dr Anand Jeyasekharan and A/Prof Edward Chow (Department of Pharmacology) from the NUS Centre for Cancer Research (N2CR) and Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, a study on 17 patients who had suffered multiple lymphoma relapses saw significant improvement in eight of them after they took a cocktail of medication recommended by the platform. Of these eight patients, five had their cancer completely eradicated.

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Patients with Alzheimer’s disease – the most common cause of dementia – may soon get a new drug that can slow progression of the disease, a recent study has found.

Speaking to media on Tuesday, visiting consultant in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the National University Hospital (NUH) Christopher Chen (Associate Professor at Department of Pharmacology, NUS) said disease progression for patients who were given the drug known as lecanemab was found to be at least six months behind those who received a placebo after 18 months of treatment.

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Nanomedicine-based and unmodified drug interventions to address COVID-19 have evolved over the course of the pandemic as more information is gleaned and virus variants continue to emerge. For example, some early therapies (e.g., antibodies) have experienced markedly decreased efficacy. Due to a growing concern of future drug resistant variants, current drug development strategies are seeking to find effective drug combinations. In this study, we used IDentif.AI, an artificial intelligence-derived platform, to investigate the drug–drug and drug–dose interaction space of six promising experimental or currently deployed therapies at various concentrations: EIDD-1931, YH-53, nirmatrelvir, AT-511, favipiravir, and auranofin.

• Abstract