Past Projects

Principal Investigator: Assoc Prof. Dieter Trau
Team Members: Li Shihao, Larry Loo, Alicia Tan, Saurabh Bhandari, Goh Ying Siu

Neonatal jaundice is a prevalent disease worldwide, occurs in as many as 60% of term and 80% of preterm newborns within the first week of life. Thus, we are developing BiliOptics as a non-invasive bilirubin measurement device, which is suitable to be used during and after phototherapy to reduce the blood draw from newborns. Meanwhile, it provides timely and accurate results to assist medical practitioners in decision making and avoids skin pigmentation issue by measuring bilirubin level from sclera, which will be white regardless of race.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Tang Kok Zuea
Team Members: Wang Jianan, Li Zhong Tang

Surgical Tools Checker (STC) is a system that utilises advanced imaging technology to mimic how human operators check and count surgical tools. Unlike the conventional manual process, STC can inspect an unlimited number of tools rapidly and examine their minute details with great accuracy. STC is able to inspect tools with 100% accuracy. STC is the future for safe, rapid, productive and cost effective management of surgical tools.

Principal Investigator: Prof. Hanry Yu
Team Members: Ng Chan Way, Ng Inn Chuan, Yu Yang, Huang Xiaozhong, Song Ziwei

We provide animal/human liver cells to pharmaceuticals, research institutes, and CROs that need liver cells for drug testing. This is a one-stop solution for cell supply, which guarantees high quality and cost effective fresh liver cells. In B2C, we isolate and deliver primary liver cells directly to researchers to obtain reliable and reproducible experimental data. In B2B, we provide cells to CROs/research institutes to achieve scientific progression in toxicology, and to establish scalable drug screening models.

Principal Investigator: Asst Prof Raye Yeow
Team Members: Dr. Nicholas Cheng, Benjamin Ang, Low Fanzhe, Aaron Goh

A novel soft robotic wearable that is lightweight, portable, and capable of providing passive assisted movements of the foot in dorsiflexion, plantar flexion, inversion and eversion. This system is designed to aid physiotherapists in carrying out time-consuming passive rehabilitative motions on bed-bound persons to prevent the development of ankle joint contractures.

Principal Investigator: Asst Prof. Lim Chwee Ming, Asst Prof. Ren Hong Liang
Team Members: Howard Poon, Tai Kai Li, Niam Jen Yang, Loh Ee Chian, Cheryl Chng

Transoral surgical robotic systems, which are able to benefit patients with reduced trauma and healing time. Adaptive and Compliant Transoral Robotic Surgery (ACTORS) with Flexible Manipulators and Intelligent Guidance, will overcome the limitations of the existing robotic systems. Surgeons will be able access the tight confines of the upper respiratory tract and treat patients, specifically Asians, with obstructive sleep apneas, benign lesions and early to moderate stage cancerous tumors.

Principal Investigator: Prof. Seeram Ramakrishna
Team Members: Tamil Selvan, Hassanali Ghaedamini Harouni, Jared Ramon Barahona Palma

Tremor is defined as involuntary, rhythmic, oscillatory movement of a body part and is one of the more common movement disorders encountered in clinical practice. The diagnosis of tremor today is based on clinical history and physical examination of patient and there is no diagnostic standard to distinguish between different types of tremor. TremeX is committed to differentiate different types of tremors and help to diagnose the disease objectively using a wearable sensor.

Principal Investigator: Assistant Prof Raye Yeow Chen Hua
Commercial Champion: Vijay Kumar
Team Members: Jane Wang, Yap Hong Kai, Tiana Miller-Jackson

Our technology is a novel soft robotic glove that can be controlled through on-box buttons, a mobile app, residual muscle activity or a sensor glove to trigger robot-assisted hand movement to the affected hand, so as to facilitate performance of rehabilitative and activities of daily living.

Commercial Champions: Lim Teck Sin, Georgette Kwek
Team Members: Warren Stan Lee, Saurabh Bhandari

A smart enteral feeding system with integrated reflux monitoring and prevention. The system comprises of both proprietary hardware and software. A feeding tube (LifeSafe Tube™) with embedded sensors collects data continuously. Proprietary algorithms analyze the collected data, weighing multiple risk factors such as patient position and physiological functions (ie: sneezing, coughing) to predict when reflux will occur. This information is used to automatically calibrate a feeding pump and optimize feeding rate in order to prevent reflux.

Commercial Champion: Vijay Kumar
Team Member(s): Shahrzad Rayatpisheh

We have developed an innovative device which works as a vertical clip. This is replacing Sleeve gasterectomy in which the lateral parts of stomach are surgically removed. This surgery has become more popular in recent years due to being effective; however, it is still invasive and carries a mortality rate of 3-5% which is quite high.

Commercial Champion: SC Cheong
Team Members: Dr Mohammad Esmaeili, Dr Asif Hussain

H-Man is a compact low cost robot designed for the rehabilitation/training of planar arm movements with an engaging gaming visual interface to provide an effective and motivating training solution to the elderly and neurologically impaired population. It offers two active degrees of freedom through its H-shaped cable-driven differential mechanism. The advantage of this mechanism is that it results in a system that is homogeneous, lightweight and hence low cost, and intrinsically safe for use.

Commercial Champion: Bipin Bhola
Team Members: Dr Siham Ouasti, Luis Aiw Jia Hui

A non invasive detection device that monitors catheterized patients and prevents extravasation based on differential polarization sensor technology.

Principal Investigators: Assoc Prof. Giorgia Pastorin
Team members: Goh Wei Jiang, Shui Zou

EXOPLEX is a novel drug delivery system of nanoscale dimensions with features of improved cellular uptake, cell targeting and low toxicity, as well as the ability for further functionalisation. Currently we are using EXOPLEXs to transfect or introduce genetic material into difficult-to-transfect cell lines and evaluating its commercial viability as a research reagent. EXOPLEXs would be a one-step transfection reagent with the aim of improved transfection efficiency compared to conventional non-viral transfection methods.

Principal Investigators: Assoc Prof. Huang Dejian
Team members: Liang Dong, Katja Krizman, Ivan Zwe, See Xin Yi, Jun Matsumoto

Garlic supplements are known for their health promoting effects, especially cardiovascular protection. This is achieved through the generation of Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S), a gasotransmitter from garlic polysulfide. However, conventional polysulfides release H2S instantly within the human body, while slow-releasing H2S donor is preferred for longer lasting effects; they also have a strong garlic smell. We have developed a method to make a compound which is safe, water soluble, free of garlic smell, and more importantly, is able to generate H2S slowly.

Team members: Dr. Ajith Isaac, Dr. Gary Ang, Dr. Shawn Gao, Samarth Bhargava

We are developing a biomedical device to be used in colorectal surgery to reduce the risk of leakage from the intestine (anastomotic leakage). Based on our pilot experiments, our proposed solution to this problem is comprised of a novel sealant and propriety delivery device that can be easily adopted into the current surgical workflow. The sealant will be delivered at the site of the anastomosis as a prophylactic to reduce leak rates.

Principal Investigators: Prof. Zhang Yong
Team members: Dr. Muthu Kumara, Akshaya Bansal, Chris Ho Jun Hui

Upconversion nanoparticles are a unique range of fluorescent nanoparticles. These nanoparticles act as a platform technology and can be used in a variety of applications such as imaging, food testing, environmental testing, veterinary testing, in-vitro diagnostics, anti-counterfeiting, optogenetics and cancer therapy.

Principal Investigators: Assoc Prof. Heng Chun Huat
Team members: David Wong, Yu Ju Feng, Siddharth Manoharan

We have designed a light-weight integrated wearable medical grade wireless vital signs patch for continuous acquisition of vital signs such as temperature, respiration, 3 lead-ECG, pulse oximeter and blood pressure to allow clinicians to have continuous healthcare surveillance on their patients. It is also supported by a cloud-based client application, that displays, records and analyses (trending and alerts) real-time vital stats to assist clinicians in providing better clinical care. This solution can also be realised in private clinics, home-care, community and rural healthcare monitoring.

Principal Investigators: Assoc Prof. Caroline Lee
Team members: Dr. Maulana Bachtiar, Tony Sugiarta, Theodora Chung, Dr. Ang Siang Yun

A new algorithm to predict drugs which may display population differences in response through the interrogation of the human genome and drug response pathways. The robustness of this strategy is evident from the accurate prediction of 10 of 11 drugs which were previously reported to show population differences in response. A high proportion of drugs with pharmacogenetics warning-labels are also predicted to show population differences in response.

Principal Investigators: Dr. Victor Koh
Entrepreneurial Leads: Sanjairaj Vijayavenkataraman, Xu Shenyao
Team members: Muhammad Azri, Ivy Law, Lyana Shaffiee

Project description: A novel glaucoma and retina hand-held imaging device to fulfil an unmet need in ophthalmology – a portable, standalone, affordable device that can be easily used by non-ophthalmologists to promote its widespread use in the eye care community.

Principal Investigators: Assoc. Prof Robert Marks, Kamal Elouarzaki
Entrepreneurial Leads: Dorin Harpaz, Tim Axelrod, Abri Lavena De Cesarea

Project description: ElectroPearls will enable the development of easy, fast and low-cost conductive beads. The new technology enables the integration of CNTs directly onto 3D surfaces of engineered materials by developing a new approach using CNTs-containing alginates polymers, which are converted simultaneously and directly to make 3D beads in one step, without the need for purification or heavy process.

Principal Investigators: Assoc. Prof Chen Nanguang
Entrepreneurial Leads: Chion Jet Chun
Team members: Dr. Duan Yubo, Dr. Chen Xue, Dr. Bi Renzhe

Project description: The hybrid imaging technique combines scanning microscopy and wide-field microscopy to accelerate the image acquisition process while maintaining the resolution and 3D sectioning capability. The hybrid images in principle can be obtained in video rate with the signal-to-background ratio and signal-to-noise ratio comparable to those of full-resolution confocal microscopy.

Principal Investigators: Assoc Prof Tan Kok Kiong
Entrepreneurial Leads 1: Arun Shankar Narayanan; Kyaw Ko Ko Htet (Steve)
Entrepreneurial Leads 2: Pitchaya Sunthanakul
Team members: Yeoh Wui Keat

Project description: A sensor technology that has innovative sensing approaches and applied algorithm.

Principal Investigators: Asst Prof Chiu Ngar Chee, Gigi
Entrepreneurial Leads: Liu Yuanjie, Research Assistant

Project description: This is a device to measure in vitro drug dissolution/absorption at the same time. This device is expected to provide two major advantages compared to current standard drug dissolution tester: (1) measure drug release and absorption that is more relevant to physiological condition in one test, (2) to provide reliable prediction of a drug’s in vivo behaviour based on the device.

Principal Investigators: Asst Prof Yu Haoyong
Entrepreneurial Leads 1: Dr. Guo Zhao, Francisco Anaya Reyes
Entrepreneurial Leads 2: Averil Chen
Team members: Ryan Koh Zhao Yuan, Lizhu, James Ye Jing

Project description: A lightweight and low-profile wearable walking assistive device which, instead of giving full support, provides certain amounts of assistive force at the knee joints. The system of sensors and algorithms enables gait phase detection and intelligent control of assistive force. The compact device can be worn under slack pants and can be easily don and doff by the user.

Principal Investigators: Prof Ariel Kushmaro, Prof Robert Marks
Entrepreneurial Leads 1: Siti Zarina Zainul Rahim, PhD Student
Entrepreneurial Leads 2: Debbie Lee
Team members: Karin Yaniv, Raz Hilman

Project description: Quorum sensing inhibitor molecules isolated from marine bacteria were retrieved. These molecules are indole dimer derivatives and are found to attenuate quorum sensing and to possess extensive antibiofilm and anti-virulence properties against known gram-negative bacterial pathogens.

Principal Investigators: Dr. Saji George, Senior Lecturer
Entrepreneurial Leads: Tan Chiew Nai, Lim Swee Thiam

Project description: This technology deals with nanomaterials that co-deliver multiple therapeutic agents for pet/animal hygiene.

Principal Investigators: Assoc Prof Raymond Seet Chee Seong
Entrepreneurial Leads: Sebastian Khoo, Michele Goh
Team members: Phua Chee Teck

Project description: A simple to use device and related proprietary algorithm capable of synchronously measuring transit time between electrocardiographic excitation and arterial/capillary waveforms in a single limb.

Principal Investigators: Assoc Prof Gene Yeo
Entrepreneurial Leads 1: Dr. Jonathan Scolnick, Senior Research Fellow
Entrepreneurial Leads 2: Wang Yingting
Team members: Shawn Hoon

Project description: A method for targeted protein quantitation that utilizes high-throughput DNA sequencing as a readout. This technology will allow researchers and clinical scientists to utilize standard molecular biology techniques to quantitate proteins in their samples.

Principal Investigators: Assoc. Prof. Huang De Jian
Entrepreneurial Leads 1: Tang Yanchi, Masters Student
Entrepreneurial Leads 2: Voja Jovanovic

Project description: Plant polyphenolic compounds have broad spectrum of bioactivity and are important active ingredients of wide range health supplements. Current method of preparing polyphenolic compounds involve low efficient column separations and the high production cost is a major hurdle for the development of affordable dietary supplements. We possess a proprietary method in enriching polyphenolic compounds from plants that can reduce the cost of production significantly.

Principal Investigators: Assoc. Prof. Michael Brown
Entrepreneurial Leads: Alvaro Gauterin, Research Engineer
Team members: Jan-Philipp Kruip, Pham Kanh

Project description: FitSense, which allows for gathering the activity data of large groups of people using step counters worn on the wrist like Fitbit. The platform provides study managers – who supervise large groups of people – a clear overview of the daily activity levels of their study participants or patients.

Principal Investigators: Dr.  Yuichiro Katsumoto, Senior Research Fellow with Prof. Do Yi Luen Ellen
Entrepreneurial Leads: Nikhil Kapur, Keith Tay
Team members: Daniel Leong

Project description: Ninja Track is a belt shaped object which possesses the capacity to alter its flexibility and hence strength. It consists at its modular level – a composition of two parts – the vertical hinges and horizontal hinges. When flat, Ninja Track is fluid and wavy. When the user folds it at the horizontal hinges, Ninja Track becomes a rigid stick.

Principal Investigators: Prof. Lee Mong Li, Prof. Wynne Hsu
Entrepreneurial Leads: Dr Rina Rudyanto, Dr Cheng Yuan, Research Fellow
Team members: Asha Srinivasan

Project description: Suite of innovative ocular image analysis technologies allow for the detection, monitoring and recording of small changes in the retina over time, which can be early indications of eye and systemic diseases.

Principal Investigators: Prof. Hong Ming Hui
Entrepreneurial Leads 1: Dr Yang Jing, Research Fellow
Entrepreneurial Leads 2: Divya Jain
Team members: Jiahao, Yang Jie, Dr Qin Fei, Dr Du Zheren

Project description: To overcome the imaging resolution limit of conventional microscopies in air, the optimized particle lens are designed for optical nano-imaging in ambient air. This non-physical-contact mode imaging method benefits in many ways, such as no damage to fragile samples (such as biological samples), focal plane images can be captured, ability to scan over the whole surface at a high speed, combine with a laser source to increase the resolution and reduce the cost (compared to the confocal microscope and NSOM).

Principal Investigators: Asst Prof Raye Yeow Chen Hua
Entrepreneurial Leads: Shruthi Suresh, Research Engineer
Team members: Liu Yuchun

Project description: This invention is centered on the detection and display of brainwaves, and subsequently utilising the brainwave data for a variety of different applications. Specifically, Emosis intends to focus on extending its system for use as a pain monitoring system to objectively assess the efficacy of pain-relieving methods.

Principal Investigators: Professor Robert Marks
Entrepreneurial Leads: Cheng Ting, PhD Student
Team members: Siham Ouasti, Wu Yuanyuan, Yuan Xintong

Project description: The Biopen device consists of the integration of a CMOS sensor with immobilised glowing bioreporter bacteria within a calcium alginate matrix, which together can detect a variety of toxic chemicals. The type of chemical detected depends on the chosen genetically engineered bioreporter utilised. The light signal produced is proportional to the target analyte concentration.

Principal Investigators: Asst Prof Liaw Sok Ying
Entrepreneurial Leads: Wu Ling Ting
Team members: Ooi Sim Leng Maybelline, Siau Chiang

Project description: RAPIDS stands for Rescuing A Patient In Deteriorating Situations. This interactive e-learning software known as e-RAPIDS, is developed to train nurses to confidently identify and manage patients who show signs of clinical deterioration in the general ward setting. It has been designed to equip nurses with the knowledge and skills to understand, communicate & respond effectively during such events before patients collapse.

Principal Investigators: Professor Sam Li Fong Yau
Entrepreneurial Leads: Lin Junyu
Team members: Li Haiyan, Liu Feng, Gerald Chow

Project description: G-Sense aims to demonstrate the feasibility of its patent pending technology based on DNA probe coupled with surface plasmon resonance for environmental and water quality monitoring. It is portable, high accurate, cost effective and reagent free.

Principal Investigators: Asst Prof Vincent Lee Chengkuo
Entrepreneurial Leads: Wang Hao, Research Engineer
Team members: Lokesh Dhakar, Xiang Zhuolin

Project description: MicroNeedle fabricates micro-needles integrated with CNT nanofilters. The device could be used for controlled release of bio-molecules such as insulin, DNA and cosmetics. The packaged device is a wearable patch with drug loaded and could be sold in normal clinics for a simple self-administration drug or in cosmetics but with a higher absorption rate.

Principal Investigators: Professor Chang Young-Tae
Entrepreneurial Lead 1: Xu Wang, Graduate Student
Entrepreneurial Lead 2: Divya Jain
Team members: Animesh Samanta

Project description: Milk QC is making a portable device to rapidly and accurately measure the amount of fat in milk. The first fluorescent sensor for milk-fat, which exhibits magnificent, yet selective, turn-on feature towards fat molecules. The portable, easy-to-use, handy device promises to help businesses in ensuring the quality of their product.

Principal Investigators: Assoc Prof Markus Wenk
Entrepreneurial Leads: Manfred Raida, Senior Research Fellow
Team members: Anne K Bendt, Amaury Cazenave Gassiot, Federico Torta

Project description: Lipid knowledge generation via services, training courses and kits.

Principal Investigators: Assoc Prof Too Heng-Phon
Entrepreneurial Leads: Wong Long Hui, Research Scientist
Team members: Ho Yoon Khei, Christine Chan, Justin Tan

Project description: Non-viral methods are known to have a number of significant advantages over viral based gene delivery but they suffer from low efficiency in transfection and high toxicity in many clinically relevant cell types. TrafEn is a novel reagent rationally designed to enhance the efficiency of polymer based gene delivery and serve as a broad enabling tool for R&D in therapeutic protein production, cell reprogramming and engineering.

Principal Investigators: Assoc Prof Stephen Chang
Entrepreneurial Leads: Andy, Xing Chen

Project description: Ablation Division Device which uses electrical current generated at radiofrequency to create heat in needles to coagulate tissue before deploying a knife in the device to cut the tissue.

Principal Investigators: Assoc Prof Heng Chew Kiat
Entrepreneurial Lead 1: Ooi Shu Qin, Delicia, Research Fellow
Entrepreneurial Lead 2: Daniel Kirilly

Project description: Current cardiac assessment cannot predict risk and does not take genetics into account e.g. ECG/Treadmill test. The gold standard angiogram is invasive. CADRA uses both genetic/non-genetic data to predict risk of heart disease over time. It is non-invasive and genetic data remains unchanged over time.

Principal Investigators: Ian Gibson
Entrepreneurial Leads: Shambavi Krishnamurthi, Rahul Rajeev, Nguyen Vo, Christian Halberg

Project description: An end-to-end continuous health monitoring solution to help out-patients with chronic diseases quantify their health and share this data easily with their Doctors and Family. The solution consists of a wrist based device that measures vital signs such as heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, blood glucose, etc non-invasively and wirelessly; and cross-platform applications that record, analyze and display the health data. The solution can also detect emergency situations through the use of a multi-sensory approach and send alerts to the caretakers.