•  Digital Health

Digital Health (DH) as a research focus area entails development of novel digital tools to support health outcomes both in the clinical and the community settings. Our multidisciplinary team works in the space of DH in its multifaceted realizations – as a technology that directly interfaces with the patients/healthy participants: monitoring, diagnostic or intervention tool (e.g., digital biomarkers and electronic patient outcome measures, digital therapeutics), or as a technology that interfaces with the healthcare professionals (HCPs) to support their decision making and workload management in the clinical practice (e.g., clinical decision support system). Installing behavioural change for health requires an in-depth understanding of the user’s sentiments towards digital technologies and the effects the technology may have on clinical workflows in order to maximize the user’s adherence and adoption within the healthcare system. From the technical standpoint, we explore both big and small data approaches. The big data approaches, e.g. image classifier, support correct classification and removal of recall bias when supporting patient in their self-monitoring. The small data technologies, support decision making through a robust and-data lean paradigm suitable for treatment personalization and rapid decision making when extensive knowledge is not available, e.g. at the time of pandemic emergence, or in the treatment of rare diseases. Additionally, we approach DH from the socioeconomic perspective, including payers and deployment channels into consideration at the time of the tool design. The multidisciplinary team behind our DH research encompasses biomedical engineers, behavioural researchers, computer scientists, human performance optimization specialists, medical doctors and reimbursement specialists. These varied expertise areas are brought together with engineering to develop technologies that are scalable and capable of providing positive impact on patients’ lives.

• Biomaterials/Regenerative Medicine

This focus area aims to regenerate natural tissues and create physiological in vitro tissue
models via the integration of cells, biomaterials, biotechnology, and clinical medicine. We are working towards the application of the principles and methods of engineering and life sciences toward fundamental understanding of structure-function relationships in normal and pathological mammalian tissues, and the development of biological substitutes for regenerative medicine or in vitro disease modelling and drug testing applications. Target tissues for applications in regenerative medicine include bone, cartilage and interfacial tissues such as tendons and the physis. Naturally derived or synthetic biomaterials are processed via advanced biomanufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing, supramolecular self-assembly processes, and other nano/microscale fabrication techniques, to form templates for cells to remodel into new soft and hard tissues. New ‘smart’ biomaterials are also being developed with advanced functionalities to sense the cellular microenvironment as well as deliver various biological payloads (e.g. nucleic acid) into cells. Finally, tissue engineered constructs are being integrated with scalable miniaturised platforms, utilising microfluidics and microarrays, to create organs-on-chips for high throughput quantitative screening and modelling of various human diseases including neurodevelopmental syndromes, cancer and metabolic diseases.

• Mechanobiology

This focus area aims to elucidate the role of mechanical forces in cell biology across numerous length scales. On the molecular scale, the application of piconewton levels of force is sufficient to unfold proteins and subsequently initiate signalling pathways that govern mechanosensitive cellular responses (recently highlighted by the awarding of the Nobel Prize for the discovery of ion channels as mechanosensors). On the cell scale, the generation of actomyosin contractile force results in mechanical deformation of the extracellular matrix, underlying the dynamic reciprocity between individual cells and their mechanical microenvironment. On the tissue scale, polymer physics dictates the deformability of the fibrous extracellular matrix, which in turn influences cell behaviour. On the organ and organism scale, the precise spatiotemporal emergence of force during development plays a crucial role in dictating overall form. Beyond these fundamental principles of mechanobiology, the use of physical and mechanical principles in understanding biological phenomena has played a major role in developing new approaches to treating disease and aging. A myriad of disorders (e.g. cancer, fibrosis, inflammation, etc) are accompanied by dysregulation of matrix mechanics and cellular response to force. As this mechanical component of disease has received far less attention than the biological underpinnings of disease, bioengineers pursuing clinical mechanobiology solutions are at the forefront of a rapidly-developing mechanomedicine field poised to receive major investment from pharmaceutical companies in the near future.

• Biomedical Imaging

In this focus area, novel instruments and techniques for optical imaging for biomedical applications are being developed in our bioimaging labs. Imaging modalities include confocal and multiphoton microscopy, optical coherence tomography (OCT), diffused optical tomography, endoscopy and biomedical spectroscopy. Other interests include biophotonics, image science and optics. Algorithms and techniques are being developed for 3D analysis, simulation and visualisation with a variety of dental imagery, including x-rays, study models, facial shape, MR and CT images. Research work is being undertaken to develop and substantiate various signal processing techniques for linear/nonlinear analysis of different physiological signals (such as MRI, fMRI, EEG, ECG, HRV, EMG etc) for its applications in continuous neuro-monitoring, brain computer interfacing (BCI), brain fingerprinting (BFP), etc. Sensors and portable devices for brain activity monitoring are being developed. These have applications in fundamental research on the brain, neural clinic measurements and individual daily brain activity monitoring, such as sleep onset monitoring. Quantification of image features will aid clinicians in research into disease processes as well as diagnosis and treatment planning. Examples of projects being undertaken include the automated counting of malaria-infected red blood cells, image-based quantification of finger wrinkles for neurological assessment, virtual colonoscopy for polyp detection, and registration algorithms
for contrast-enhanced MRI mammography.

• Micro/Nanotechnology

Bio Nanobioengineering and Nanobiotechnology have been identified as the keys to unlocking a new generation of biomaterials and biodevices with revolutionary properties and functionalities. They derive from the potentials associated with designing structures with dimensions right down to the fundamental building blocks of all synthetic and natural materials - atoms and molecules. Above to the novel bio-materials construction, with integrations of optical sensors, functional pumps and microfluidic channels, the novel Lab on a Chip platform can be developed for precision medicine applications. In this field, several core areas have been identified. Nanofiber technology can provide a number of applications in medicine, biology and engineering, because of their large surface area to volume ratio and nanometer scale architecture. The aim is to develop the next generation polymer-based nanofibers for molecular filters and tissue engineering scaffolds. Nanobiomechanics investigates the mechanics governing biophysical interactions in cells and biomolecules. Here, one not only can obtain important information on their natural structure-property- function relationship and gain further insight into important physiological functions, but also establish possible connections to human diseases such as malaria and cancer. Cancer Nanotechnology applies nanobiotechnology to cancer diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Various novel drug delivery devices, including nanoparticles of biodegradable polymers, lipid bilayer vesicles (liposomes) and their combinations, are being developed here. Multi- functional nanocomposites have been developed to perform in-situ labeling and screening of different biological entities, ranging from cells to DNAs. These materials can bring new and unique capabilities to a variety of biomedical applications ranging from diagnosis of diseases to novel therapies. The integrative droplet based microfluidic platform was developed for high throughput single cell enzyme/gene analysis for the applications in rapid disease identification, engineering biology and personalized theraputics.

• Biomedical Robotics/Devices

This focus area involves specialized research groups in the future generation of biorobotics, biomechatronics, innovation assistive devices, new smart sensors and soft actuators, and enabling technologies for medical applications. Our multidisciplinary team of biomechanics, neuroscience, and robotics adopt a biorobotics approach with insights and inspiration for nature to develop novel technologies in actuation, sensing, and control for the next generation Rehabilitation Robotics, Surgical Robotics, soft robotics, Assistive and Service Robotics, and Bio-inspired Robotics. We aim to facilitate surgical and interventional systems by engineering approaches, which are also known as Computer-Integrated Surgical (CIS) and Computer-Integrated Interventional Systems (CIIS), with extended capability of planning and carrying out surgical interventions more accurately, safely, efficiently, effectively and less invasively, based on the advances of technologies in mechatronics, medical imaging, signal processing, surgical navigation, computer vision, robotic control, sensing and biomechanical analysis. Particular biorobotics research includes compliant robotic system development, continuum robot modelling & control, flexible sensing, cooperative human-robot interaction and intelligent navigation, tackling fundamental and technical challenges mostly in the content of medical applications. We also study the nature mechanisms of biological organism and biomimetic actuation, biomechanics and robotics with soft and smart materials, and to develop medical technology that target important clinical unmet needs. The ultimate aim is to translate these technologies into commercialized products that fulfil real-world medical.

 

Updated on 06/03/2023