The Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Inflammatory Disease 2
The molecular mechanisms underlying inflammatory disease is a joint partnership between the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJ) under the Singapore-HUJ Alliance for Research and Enterprise (SHARE).
The project was established by the National Research Foundation of Singapore (NRF) in 2011 under the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) and has recently entered Phase II..
The project focuses on advancing an understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms of inflammation of diseases prevalent in Asia, a field that is currently under-studied. The project comprises a detailed investigation into two themes: the cellular pathways that underlie the initiation of inflammatory signalling; and, inflammatory cell biology and signalling. This forms a coordinated continuum from cellular stress and related sensing pathways (the initiators of inflammation), through to the signalling cascades that are elicited by cellular stress, through to how these signalling pathways influence the activation/functionality of key inflammatory cells, the mast cell, the macrophage and the neutrophil.
Inflammation is the body's response to infection and injury. Prolonged or chronic inflammation may lead to a variety of disease including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune disorders and diabetes. Anti-inflammatory drugs are not always effective in preventing chronic inflammations and can lead to severe side effects. As such, a better understanding of inflammatory processes is necessary in order to produce more powerful and specific drugs, capable of fighting inflammation-related diseases.
The project is presently under the stewardship of Professor Ehud Razin (HUJ) and Professor Paul MacAry (NUS). The team is comprised of world renowned researchers and clinicians from both Singapore and Israel.. This powerful combination of basic and translational research advances the development of promising new drugs for Asian inflammatory disease.
VISION
Become a world-leading institute for inflammation research based in Singapore
MISSION
Develop a comprehensive system based program of inflammation research that involves biochemists, immunologist and pharmacologists and lead to translational outcomes.
Learn more about MMID2 Researchers (hyperlink)
Towards Innovative Manufacturing with Advanced Materials for Energy and Energy-Water Nexus
Phase II (NEW-CREATE 2)
Nanomaterials for Energy and Water Management (NEW) is a joint research project between HUJ and NTU, to develop novel materials and devices for three themes: Printable energy materials and devices, energy modulation and storage systems for buildings, and materials and processes for energy-water nexus. This project aims to innovate advanced materials in pushing the scientific frontiers in energy aims harvesting, conservation and storage and meet the energy-water nexus needs through innovative manufacturing processes.
VISION
A collaborative research effort between NTU and HUJ in “Nanomaterials for Energy and Water Management” will bring scientific excellence and innovation, leading to technology transfer, licensing and entrepreneurship.
MISSION
Foster the beneficial applications of advanced materials and additive manufacturing and processes into energy and energy-water nexus technologies.
About NEW CREATE
The joint research programme between Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJ), Ben Gurion University (BGU) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) on “Nanomaterials for Energy and Water Management” commenced on July 2011. The research programme is funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF), under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE).
The collaborative research programme aims to develop and apply innovative tailored nanomaterials to help address energy and water needs. The programme also aims to strengthen the emerging energy and water industries in Singapore by creating large portfolios of patents, spinning off technologies and establishing start-up companies.
The program comprises two core thrusts:
Thrust I: Energy Conversion and Conservation via Nanomaterials
Nanomaterials for energy conversion were successfully developed and designed such as carbon nanotubes coating to convert sunlight to heat, thermoelectric modules to convert waste heat into electricity, nanomaterials for magnetic cooling and solar cells. New generations of nanomaterials that are inkjet printable were also tailored to address energy efficiency such as supercapacitors, low power piezoelectric pumps and solution processible electrochromic or thermochromic nanomaterials for smart windows.
Thrust II: Water Sensing and Remediation using smart tailored materials
Various optical sensor and chemosensor devices based on nanomaterials were developed to target toxic compounds in water with high selectivity and sensitivity. They include surface plasmon resonance sensors, living microorganism reporters, colorimetric sensor, and electrochemical sensor based on nanostructured surfaces with enhanced signal output. In addition, various nanomaterials and functionalized surfaces were explored for water remediation, selective adsorption and antifouling processes. Furthermore, complex systems combining smart nanomaterials with remediating bacteria for water remediation as well as, surface antifouling were equally developed.
Researchers
A total of 69 researchers are working in this programme. They consist of post-doctoral fellows, research associates, project officers and PhD students. In the research teams, there are a total of 10 Principal Investigators (PIs) from the three universities. All HUJ and BGU PIs hold a joint appointment with NTU.
Highlights
The programme innovations brought scientific impact with over 200 papers published in scientific journals including Nature Chemistry, Nature Communications, Nature Materials, Advanced Functional Materials, etc. The joint research also generated over 40 patents, which the team hopes will lead to licensing and spin-offs. Currently the program has initiated 1 spin-off company.
Two Joint PhD programmes were created between NTU-BGU and NTU-HUJ, with 3 enrolled candidates. Intense cultural and scientific research exchanges have occurred between Israel and Singapore.
Learn more about NEW-CREATE2 Researchers (hyperlink)