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National Day Award 2024 Recipient: A/Prof. LOW Chian Ming (Long Service Medal)

Congratulations to A/P LOW Chian Ming on receiving the National Day Awards 2024 (Long Service Medal).

Established in 1962, the annual National Day Awards recognises various types of merit and service to the nation. Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans alike are honoured for outstanding contributions to the civil or military service, social and community work or excellent performance in their own field.

National Day Award 2024 Recipient: A/Prof. LOW Chian Ming (Long Service Medal) Read More »

Winner of the Graduate Mentor of the Year (GRAMAY) Award 2024: A/Prof. Christopher CHEN Li-Hsien

Congratulations to A/P Christopher CHEN Li-Hsien on receiving the Graduate Mentor of the Year (GRAMAY) Award 2024. The GRAMAY Award is an annual award that honors and celebrates faculty staff for their excellence in mentorship and the professional development of graduate students in the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. The award is given to recognize the important key roles played by the Faculty staff in inspiring and nurturing future biomedical- and clinician-scientists. The award recipients should have shown excellence in graduate supervision, intellectual and professional development as well as career development of their graduate students.

Winner of the Graduate Mentor of the Year (GRAMAY) Award 2024: A/Prof. Christopher CHEN Li-Hsien Read More »

Winner of Lilly Medal and Prize in Pharmacology 2024: Dr Jayasinghe Migara KAVISHKA

Congratulation to Dr Jayasinghe Migara KAVISHKA on being selected as the winner of Lilly Medal and Prize in Pharmacology 2024.

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: Development of Novel Extracellular Vesicle Engineering Approaches for Enhancing the Efficacy of Anti-Cancer Therapeutics

Thesis Advisors: Asst Prof. LE Thi Nguyet Minh

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Winner of Too Joon Chew PhD Prize 2024

Congratulation to Dr. Dexter THNG Kai Hao on being selected as one of the winners of the Too Joon Chew PhD Prize 2024!

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.

Winner of Too Joon Chew PhD Prize 2024 Read More »

Using digital technology and data to sustain intermittent fasting and improve health outcomes: one man’s journey

Prof Dean Ho with a glucose monitor patch on his arm, and meals that he consumed, consisting of leafy greens, nuts, chicken breast, salmon and avocado. (Credit: Prof Dean Ho)

In a first-in-kind study, Professor Dean Ho, Director of the Institute for Digital Medicine (WisDM) at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (and Joint Professor at NUS Department of Pharmacology), documented his own journey of using digital health technologies, including sensors and wearables, and intermittent fasting to delve into the concept of ketosis and its health benefits. Known to be a very fit individual with a long history of gym workouts incorporating weightlifting and cardiovascular training, Prof Ho is also an avid fasting enthusiast. He implemented a detailed regimen that included a minimum of 20 hours of fasting per day, strength or cardiovascular training every morning, a “clean eating” diet consisting of leafy greens, seeds, olive oil, lean protein, and other foods commonly found in the Mediterranean diet, and beverages consisting of only water, black coffee and black tea without milk and sugar. During the experiment, Prof Ho was assessed as healthy, with an A1c level of 4.8%, or 29 mmol/mol—which means that his average blood sugar levels over the past three months were normal. Over the course of seven months from May to November 2023, Prof Ho experienced improved health and fitness outcomes, including weight loss of around 7.5 kg, a 20% increase in grip strength, as well as the ability to lift weights that are 10% heavier, and also completed 1,000 push-ups in under 40 minutes.

More details: https://medicine.nus.edu.sg/news/using-digital-technology-and-data-to-sustain-intermittent-fasting-and-improve-health-outcomes-one-mans-journey/

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Winner of Best Graduate Research Publication Award 2024: Dr Jayasinghe Migara KAVISHKA

Congratulation to Dr. Jayasinghe Migara KAVISHKA for winning the Best Graduation Research Publication Award 2024!

Publication Title: Red Blood Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Display Endogenous Antiviral Effects and Enhance the Efficacy of Antiviral Oligonucleotide Therapy

Journal: ACS Nano

Thesis Advisor: Asst Prof LE Thi Nguyet Minh

Winner of Best Graduate Research Publication Award 2024: Dr Jayasinghe Migara KAVISHKA Read More »

Insights from multi-omic modeling of neurodegeneration in xeroderma pigmentosum using an induced pluripotent stem cell system

Individuals with the genetic condition xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) have a deficiency in the nucleotide excision repair (NER) mechanism, which leads to exaggerated sunburn and malignant skin lesions. Clinical interventions such as photoprotection and regular dermatological and ophthalmological surveillance have significantly reduced the mortality associated with malignant lesions in these individuals. However, some adult patients with XP may develop neurodegeneration and early-onset dementia.

In an international collaboration involving leading research institutions in the UK and Europe, Dr. Kong Li Ren and colleagues are working to understand the underlying mechanisms using a multi-omics approach, including transcriptomic, genomic, and metabolomic analyses. They first performed neuronal-directed differentiation using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hIPSCs) derived from patients and healthy relatives. In a time-course experiment covering different stages of neuronal differentiation, hIPSCs from XP individuals at high risk for neurodegeneration showed increased ER stress and oxidative DNA damage. This finding highlights the importance of early detection of high-risk individuals, and the study team has proposed a panel of proteomic markers for further validation.

For more details: https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(24)00571-0

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NUS scientists uncover a missing link between poor diet and higher cancer risk

A research team from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has unearthed new findings which may help explain the connection between cancer risk and poor diet, as well as common diseases like diabetes, which arise from poor diet. The insights gained from this study hold promise for advancing cancer prevention strategies aimed at promoting healthy ageing.

Led by Professor Ashok Venkitaraman, this ground-breaking study was conducted by scientists from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at NUS and NUS Centre for Cancer Research (N2CR) under the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, with colleagues from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

Prof Venkitaraman elaborated, “Our research suggests that patients with high methylglyoxal levels may have higher cancer risk. Methylglyoxal can be easily detected by a blood test for HbA1C, which could potentially be used as a marker. Furthermore, high methylglyoxal levels can usually be controlled with medicines and a good diet, creating avenues for proactive measures against the initiation of cancer.”

The study’s first author, Dr Li Ren Kong, Lee Kuan Yew Fellow from N2CR (joint staff at Department of Pharmacology), added, “We started the study aiming to understand what factors elevate risk in families susceptible to cancer, but ended up discovering a deeper mechanism linking an essential energy consumption pathway to cancer development. These findings raise awareness of the impact of diet and weight control in the management of cancer risks.”

For more details: https://news.nus.edu.sg/poor-diet-and-higher-cancer-risk/

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Winners of Student Presentations in Graduate’s Academic Progress in Pharmacology (GAPP) Meeting

The three winners of Student Presentations in GAPP Meeting and Dr LE.

From right:

Winner 1 – Phyllis GAN Xiu Li (Supervisor: Prof Fred WONG), Title: Corticosteroids Reverse Severe Eosinophilic Asthma by Reprogramming Lung Metabolism

Winner 2 – LE Hong Anh (Supervisor: Dr LE Thi Nguyet Minh), Title: Novel insights in the intracellular mechanism of drug delivery

Winner 3 – Migara Kavishka JAYASINGHE (Supervisor: Dr LE Thi Nguyet Minh), Title: Serum Brevican as a Biomarker of Cerebrovascular Disease in an Elderly Cognitively Impaired Cohort

Winners of Student Presentations in Graduate’s Academic Progress in Pharmacology (GAPP) Meeting Read More »

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