Our Highly Cited Researchers of 2020

"My lab focuses on precision immunology using cutting edge single-cell multi-omics and spatial transcriptomics in conjunction with novel AI methods. Single cell multi-omics, Method of the Year 2019, is a powerful tool that simultaneously measures multiple-omes of a cell including its genome, transcriptome, epigenome, methylome, and proteome. It represents a new frontier for the discovery and characterisation of cell states and holds unprecedented potential for dissecting cellular heterogeneity. We are developing multi-modal AI methods to jointly project multi-omics to one shared latent space, identify and quantify cell subsets with greater accuracy and higher resolution, discover new cell types and their associated functions, and uncover relationships across-omics.

Using integrative single-cell analysis, we study crosstalk between tumour, immune cells, and pathogens in human cancers, aiming to improve diagnosis and cancer immunotherapy. Meanwhile, we collaborate closely with biologists and clinicians, who are actively involved in data analysis.”

Dr Chen Jinmiao obtained a PhD in machine learning and artificial intelligence from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore in 2007. In 2009, as a postdoctoral research fellow, she joined the Bioinformatics core of SIgN. She became a Project Leader in 2014 and established her own research lab. She is now a Principal Investigator and her lab focuses on single-cell computational/system immunology.

“Dendritic cells (DCs), monocytes and macrophages play crucial and distinct roles in tissue homeostasis and immunity, but also contribute to a broad spectrum of pathologies and are thus attractive therapeutic targets. Potential intervention strategies aiming at manipulation of these cells will require in-depth insights of their origins and the mechanisms that govern their homeostasis.

The focus of our laboratory is to understand the ontogeny of DCs, monocytes and macrophages, their differentiation pathways and how their unique ontogeny dictates their immune functions. Our approach encompasses the integration of high dimensional platforms such as RNAseq, single cell transcriptome analysis using microfluidic RNA sequencing and deep immunophenotypic assessment using state of the art 18 parameters flow cytometry or Cytometry by Time-Of-Flight mass spectrometry (CyTOF) (In collaboration with Dr Evan Newell, SIgN). Such high-density molecular profiling at the single level and at unprecedented dimensionality and complexity will provide new insights in the biology of DC, monocyte and macrophage cell populations.”

Dr Florent Ginhoux joined SIgN in 2009 and is currently a Senior Principal Investigator. He joined the EMBO Young Investigator program in 2013 and has been a Highly Cited Researcher since 2016. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Shanghai Immunology Institute, Jiao Tong University, in Shanghai, China, the Translational Immunology Institute, SingHealth, and Duke NUS, Singapore. His laboratories focus on the ontogeny and differentiation of macrophages and dendritic cells.

"As human ages, vitreous, a gel-like substance in our eyes, becomes less effective leading to potential retinal detachment. In such cases, patients undergo a surgery to replace the vitreous. However, the current replacement material may result in several side effects including poor vision and additional surgeries to remove these substitutes.

My work at A*STAR focuses on the development of a new biodegradable thermogel, which will transform retinal detachment surgeries. This thermogel has similar characteristics to our eyes' natural vitreous. It could serve as a long-term substitute to vitreous, helping to improve post-surgery comfort and reducing future complications for patients."

Prof Loh Xian Jun is the Executive Director at IMRE. He is concurrently an Adjunct Professor in Nanyang Technological University, and the current Vice President and member of the Executive Committee of the Singapore National Institute of Chemistry. His scientific contributions have earned him the position of Fellowship in both Fitzwiliam College in the University of Cambridge as well as in the Royal Society of Chemistry. With his extensive experience in authoring over 250 journal papers, 38 patents and know-hows, 30 book chapters and 7 books, he currently sits on several editorial boards of international journals as an expert in his area.

“Our work at A*STAR combines human neuroscience with novel bioinformatic approaches to examine the genetic and environmental influences that shape individual differences in brain development in children. Our analyses focus on the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) cohort as well as large, publicly available data sets.

By defining the conditions that lead to poor academic achievement and mental health, as well as those that enhance resilience, we aim to identify modifiable targets for intervention in early life to improve brain health across the lifespan.”

Prof Michael Meaney is the Director of the Translational Neuroscience programme at SICS. He is also Professor of Paediatrics at the National University of Singapore and a James McGill Professor of Medicine at Douglas Mental Health University Institute of McGill University. His awards include a Distinguished Scientist Award from the National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders, The Klerman Award (Cornell University), The Salomon Medal (New York Academy of Medicine), the IPSEN Prize in Synapric Plasticity, the Jacobs Research Prize, the Wilder Penfield Prize, the Cevalier de l’Order Nationale du Québec and the Order of Canada.

“The availability of robust cell-surface markers for identifying and isolating epithelial stem cells is essential for studying both their normal in-vivo function during tissue renewal and for evaluating their contribution to cancer. Such markers are also invaluable for facilitating purification of these stem cell populations for therapeutic applications.

Our Epithelial Stem Cells group will employ genetic mouse models and ex-vivo organoid culture methods to dissect the role of Lgr5 stem cells in epithelial self-renewal and cancer of various organs, including the stomach and ovary. The ultimate goal is to harness the regenerative capacity of these adult stem cells for therapeutic use, as well as developing ways of blocking the cancer-promoting activities of mutated Lgr5 stem cells.”

Prof Nick Barker joined A*STAR’s Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) in 2010 as a Senior Principal Investigator. He now holds the position of Research Director. Prof Barker and his Epithelial Stem Cell Group transferred to IMCB in 2020, where they continue to focus on the role of Lgr5 adult stem cells in epithelial renewal and cancer in organs. In 2017, he received the National Research Foundation Investigatorship and was recognised as a Highly Cited Researcher. Prof Barker also holds a visiting professorship at the Center for Regenerative Medicine at Edinburgh University and is an Associate Principal Investigator with EuroSyStem.

“My research focuses on the study of myeloid cell dynamics and their heterogeneity, with a specific focus on neutrophils. In particular, we employ the use of advanced microscopy techniques such as multi-photon microscopy and light-sheet microscopy, to examine the cellular dynamics and spatial behaviour of immune cells.

Our imaging data has provided important clues about the functional heterogeneity of myeloid cells as they were observed to have different cellular behaviour depending on the tissue micro-environment. These findings have since driven my interest towards the study of heterogeneity among myeloid cells by concurrently examining their developmental pathway and tissue origin, as I believe that these two factors confer their heterogeneity.”

Dr Ng Lai Guan is a Principal Investigator at SIgN. Following his postdoctoral training, he joined SIgN in 2009 to establish his own laboratory. He is now Adjunct Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University. Dr Ng has also been appointed as an Adjunct Investigator at the National Cancer Centre Singapore, and more recently he has taken up an Adjunct Investigator position at the Key State Laboratory of Experimental Hematology Tianjin, China.

“My current work involves understanding the role of brain tissue-resident macrophages in homeostasis and inflammation. Understanding how these tissue-resident macrophages develop and function can help us better understand how certain neurodegeneration diseases occur, as well as discover new ways to treat them.”

Dr Pete See did his PhD in Immunology with Dr Florent Ginhoux’s guidance at SIgN under the A*STAR Graduate Scholarship, where he studied the development and ontogeny of dendritic cells and macrophages. Dr See joined the Molecular Engineering Laboratory (MEL) at IMCB in 2018 to continue his research on tissue-resident macrophages in the brain as an independent scientist, while tapping on the multidisciplinary expertise and technology development capabilities in MEL.

“Lithium-ion batteries today are reaching their theoretical energy limits. To overcome these limits, my team works on next-generation sodium- and magnesium-ion batteries, which can offer higher energy density and/or lower cost due to the different material chemistries. Recently, we developed the world’s best-performing sodium-sulfur battery operating over 1000 cycles at room temperature, with high energy density of 500 Wh/kg (about twice that of lithium-ion batteries today).

We are currently developing magnesium-sulfur batteries with even higher energy density and improved safety. These advanced batteries can be used to power both stationary and electromobile applications for a sustainable energy future.”

Dr Seh Zhi Wei is a Senior Scientist at IMRE. Dr Seh’s research interests lie in the design of new materials for energy storage and conversion, and he is widely recognized for designing the first yolk-shell nanostructure in lithium-sulfur batteries. Dr Seh has published in many top journals such as Science, Nature Energy, Nature Materials, Nature Communications, Nature Catalysis, and Nature Machine Intelligence. For his research achievements, he also received numerous awards including Vebleo Fellow Award, Ten Outstanding Young Persons, Emerging Investigators, Singapore NRF Fellowship, Innovators under 35 Asia, MRS Graduate Student Award, and A*STAR National Science Scholarship.

“My research at A*STAR focuses on a class of cells (called Monocytes and Macrophages) that forms the first line of defence of our immune system, helps in wound healing and other key physiological activities. Any defects in these cells can contribute to diseases such as uncontrolled infection, cancer or obesity/diabetes. Through our work, we identify the mechanisms that drive these defects so as to find ways to 're-program’ these cells to check disease progression.

Typically, we use a combination of deep immunoprofiling, mechanistic studies in ex vivo human disease cohorts and in vivo in preclinical mouse models to identify dysregulated immune-signatures related to the disease (biomarkers) and discovery of potential targets thereof to modulate disease progression.”

Dr Subhra K. Biswas first joined A*STAR in 2005 as the Research Scientist (In-Charge) of the Cell Interaction group in the Bioinformatics Institute. In 2007, he moved to the SIgN as a Principal Investigator, where he still heads the Human Innate Immunity Lab. Dr Biswas has held adjunct associate professor positions at the Department of Microbiology, National University of Singapore and LKC School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and Visiting Professor at Humanitas University, Milan, Italy. He holds a joint research position at National Cancer Centre Singapore.

“My research interests are in decarbonisation processes, clean fuels (H2) production, energy and materials recovery from waste, particularly in various forms of carbon recovery from the waste stream, such as from end-of-life tires, waste rubbers and plastics.

The cross-field work which I do at A*STAR ranges from energy storage to biomass utilisation and carbon/solid waste upcycling – which plays a part in building a cleaner and healthier planet. I have been working with Singapore SMEs on technologies to turn solid waste to high-value carbons.”

Dr Zhang Lili joined ICES in 2012 and is currently Scientist II. Dr Zhang’s expertise is in green and sustainable processes, waste upcycling, carbon-based materials and their applications in energy storage and catalysis. She has been listed as a Highly Cited Researcher in 2018, 2019 and 2020, and her research has led to more than 80 publications on high-impact international peer-reviewed journals with more than 16,000 citations (H-index: 44, by Web of Science).

“My work at A*STAR employs and develops theory, modelling and simulation to investigate the structural, mechanical, electronic, thermal and chemical properties of materials, with a focus on new material design, additive manufacturing, nanoelectronics, energy conversion, and green energy.

Currently, I lead the SERC Strategy Project which studies additive manufacturing processes, the AME Programmatic Project which studies accelerated materials development for high entropy alloys, and the A*STAR Pharos Project which models the growth, structures and properties of 2D materials.”

Prof Zhang Yong-Wei is Principal Scientist II and Deputy Executive Director (Research) at IHPC. He is an Adjunct Professor at the National University of Singapore and Singapore University of Technology and Design. He has published about 500 peer reviewed international journal papers and was listed as a Highly Cited Researcher in 2018 and 2019. He is an Editorial Board Member for Advanced Theory and Simulation (Wiley), and International Journal of Applied Mechanics (World Scientific), and Acta Mechanica Sinica (Springer).