Dr. LIM Chwee Teck

Director, Institute for Health Innovation & Technology (iHealthtech)

NUS Society Professor

Education

  • PhD. University of Cambridge, UK.
  • BEng (First Class Hon). NUS.

Research Interest

  1. Human disease mechanobiology
  2. Microfluidic biomedical technologies
  3. 2D materials for biomedical applications
  4. Soft wearable technologies

Technopreneurship & Startups

  1. Co-founder, Microtube Technologies
  2. Co-founder, Flexosense
  3. Co-founder, Clearbridge mFluidics
  4. Co-founder, Clearbridge NanoMedics
  5. Co-founder, Biolidics Ltd (previously known as Clearbridge BioMedics)
  6. Co-founder and Affiliated Partner, Clearbridge Accelerator
  7. Co-founder, Robust Dynamics

Selected Awards & Honours

  1. Elected Fellow, Royal Society, UK
  2. Elected Fellow, Institution of Engineers Singapore
  3. Nature Award for Mentoring in Science (Lifetime Achievement) 2022
  4. IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award 2022
  5. Elected Fellow, International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine 2022
  6. IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award 2021
  7. Asia’s Most Influential Scientist, Fortune Times, 2021
  8. Highly Cited Researcher 2021
  9. Elected Fellow, ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology 2021
  10. Highly Cited Author, Royal Society of Chemistry journals, 2020
  11. Finalist, “Science Breakthroughs of the Year” Falling Walls Remote, Berlin, 2020
  12. Elected Fellow, US National Academy of Inventors
  13. Elected Fellow, Singapore National Academy of Science 2020
  14. IP Champion, IPOS-WIPO IP Awards 2019
  15. HFSP Award 2018
  16. Most Innovative Award, Engineering Medical Innovation Global Competition, 2017
  17. Winner, IDTechEx Launchpad, Berlin, Germany, 2017
  18. NUSS Professor, 2017 to present
  19. International Precision Medicine Conference (IPMC) Prize 2017
  20. Winner, Modern Aging Singapore 2016
  21. ASEAN Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award 2016
  22. 14 Inspiring Innovators From Asia, Asian Scientist, 2016
  23. Elected Fellow, International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering
  24. IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award 2016
  25. JT Award, TechPlanter Singapore, 2016
  26. Seven Singaporean Scientists to Watch, Asian Scientist, 2016
  27. Asian Scientist Top 100 List 2016
  28. Elected Fellow, American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering,2015
  29. Elected Fellow, Academy of Engineering, Singapore, 2015
  30. Vladimir K. Zworykin Award, International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering 2015
  31. Provost’s Chair Professorship, 2014 – 2017
  32. Outstanding Researcher Award, NUS University Awards 2014
  33. Outstanding Innovator Award, NUS Innovation & Enterprise Awards 2014
  34. TIE50 Award, TIEcon 2014
  35. Credit Suisse Technopreneur of the Year Award 2012
  36. Wall Street Journal Asian Innovation Audience Choice Awards 2012
  37. Gold, Wall Street Journal Asian Innovation Awards 2012
  38. TechVenture Most Disruptive Technology Award 2012
  39. First Prize, Asian Entrepreneurship Award 2012
  40. InnovFest Promising Start-Up Award 2012
  41. HFSP Award 2012
  42. NGS Excellent Mentoring Award 2011/2012.
  43. Rising Star Innovator Award, TechVenture 2011
  44. President’s Technology Award 2011
  45. Faculty Research Award 2011
  46. Elected Council Member, World Council of Biomechanics 2010 – present
  47. Most Cited Article, Acta Biomaterialia, 2006 – 2010
  48. IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award 2010
  49. Most Cited Author 2005-2008, Acta Biomaterialia
  50. Cited in MIT Technology Review: 10 Emerging Technologies and their impact, 2006
  51. MRS Outstanding Paper Award, MRS Fall Meeting 2004

Refer to my website for more details.

Membership in Scientific/Professional Organization

  • Fellow, Royal Society, UK
  • Fellow, Institution of Engineers Singapore
  • Fellow, International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine
  • Fellow, ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology
  • Fellow, US National Academy of Inventors
  • Fellow, Singapore National Academy of Science
  • Fellow, American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering
  • Fellow, International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering
  • Fellow, Academy of Engineering, Singapore
  • Council Member, World Council of Biomechanics
  • Council Board Member, World Association for Chinese Biomedical Engineers
  • Executive Member, Biomedical Engineering Society, Singapore
  • Executive Committee Member, Global Enterprise on Micro Mechanics & Molecular Medicine (GEM4)
  • Associate Editor and Editorial Board Member of 20 international journals

Selected Journal Publications

  1. Chen, S W, et al, Wearable flexible microfluidic sensing technologies, Nature Reviews Bioengineering, 2023. (in press)
  2. Chen, S W, et al , Ultrahigh Strain-insensitive Integrated Hybrid Electronics Using Highly Stretchable Bilayer Liquid Metal based Conductor, Advanced Materials, 35, 5, e2208569, 2023.
  3. Glentis, A, et al, The Emergence of Spontaneous Coordinated Epithelial Rotation on Cylindrical Curved Surfaces, Science Advances, 8, 37, eabn5406, 2022.
  4. Saw, T B, et al, Transepithelial potential difference governs epithelial fate by electromechanics, Nature Physics, 18, 1122–1128 2022.
  5. Hong, J H, et al, Point-of-care diagnostic tests for active tuberculosis, Science Translational Medicine, 639, eabj4124, 2022.
  6. Chakraborty S, et al, Agrin-Matrix Metalloproteinase-12 axis confers a mechanically competent microenvironment in skin wound healing, Nature Communications, 12, 6349, 2021.
  7. Xiong, Z, et al, A wireless and battery-free wound infection sensor based on DNA hydrogel, Science Advances, 7, 47, eabj1617, 2021.
  8. Gao, Y J, et al, A wearable multifunctional immunosensor for the monitoring of chronic wounds, Science Advances, 7, 21, eabg9614, 2021.
  9. Gaston, C,  et al, EpCAM promotes endosomal modulation of the cortical RhoA zone for epithelial organization, Nature Communications, 12 1, 1-22, 2021
  10. Phuong Le, et al, Adhesion-mediated heterogeneous actin organization governs apoptotic cell extrusion, Nature Communications, 12,397,2021
  11. Doss, B L et al, Cell response to substrate rigidity is regulated by active and passive cytoskeletal stress, PNAS, 117, 23, 12817-12825 2020.
  12. Jain, S et al, The role of single cell mechanical behavior and polarity in driving collective cell migration, Nature Physics, 1-8, 2020.
  13. Sun, A X Y, et al,  Potassium channel dysfunction in human neuronal models of Angelman syndrome, Science, 366, 6472, 1486-1492, 2019.
  14. Lim, S B et al, Addressing cellular heterogeneity in tumor and circulation for refined prognostication, PNAS, 116, 36, 17957-17962, 2019.
  15. Xi, W et al, Material Approaches to Active Tissue Mechanics, Nature Reviews Materials, 4, 23–44, 2019.
  16. Ding, X G et al, Defect Engineered Bioactive Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Quantum Dots, Nature Communications, 10, 41, 2019.
  17. Saw, T B, W Xi, B Ladoux, C T Lim, Biological tissues as active nematic liquid crystals, Advanced Materials, 30, 47, 2018.
  18. Chaudhuri, P K et al, Mechanobiology of Tumor Growth, Chemical Reviews, 118, 14, 6499-6515, 2018. (F1000 recommended as being of special significance)
  19. Sun, S Y et al, Flagellum couples cell shape to motility in Trypanosoma brucei, PNAS, 201722618, 2018.
  20. Sreekanth, K V et al, Biosensing with the singular phase of an ultrathin metal-dielectric nanophotonic cavity, Nature Communications, 9, 369, 2018.
  21. Khoo, B L et al, Expansion of patient-derived circulating tumor cells from liquid biopsies using a CTC microfluidic culture device, Nature Protocols, 13, 34-58, 2018.
  22. Kenry et al, When stem cells meet graphene: Opportunities and challenges in regenerative medicine, Biomaterials, 155, 236-250, 2018.
  23. Lim, S B et al, An extracellular matrix-related prognostic and predictive indicator for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer, Nature Communications, 8, 1734, 2017.
  24. Xi, W et al., Soft tubular microfluidics for 2D and 3D applications, PNAS, 114, 40, 10590–10595, 2017.
  25. Saw, T B et al, Topological defects in epithelia govern cell death and extrusion, Nature, 544, 212-216, 2017.
  26. Khoo, B L et al, Liquid biopsy and therapeutic response: Circulating tumor cell cultures for evaluation of anticancer treatment. Science Advances, 2, 7, e1600274, 2016.
  27. Yeo, J C et al, Flexible and stretchable strain sensing actuator for wearable soft robotics application, Advanced Materials Technologies, 1, 3, 2016.
  28. Yeo, T et al, Microfluidic enrichment for the single cell analysis of circulating tumor cells, Scientific Reports, 6, 22076, 2016.
  29. Warkiani, M E, et al, Ultra-fast, label-free isolation of circulating tumor cells from blood using spiral microfluidics, Nature Protocols, 14, 1, 128-37, 2016.
  30. Wang, J et al, Haem-activated promiscuous targeting of artemisinin in Plasmodium falciparum, Nature Communications, 6, 10111, 2015.
  31. Gupta, M et al, Adaptive rheology and ordering of cell cytoskeleton govern matrix rigidity sensing, Nature Communications, 6, 7525, 2015.
  32. Vedula, S R K et al, Mechanics of epithelial closure over non-adherent environments, Nature Communications, 6, 6111, 2015.
  33. Lee, W C et al, Multivariate biophysical markers predictive of mesenchymal stromal cell multi potency, PNAS, 111, 42, E4409-18, 2014.
  34. Yao, M et al, Force-dependent conformational switch of a-catenin controls vinculin binding, Nature Communications, 5, 4525, 2014.
  35. Vedula, S R K et al, Epithelial bridges maintain tissue integrity during collective cell migration, Nature Materials, 13, 87-96, 2014.
  36. Hou H W et al, Isolation and retrieval of circulating tumor cells using centrifugal forces, Scientific Reports, 3, 1259, 2013.
  37. Thiery, J P, C T Lim, Tumor dissemination: An EMT affair, Cancer Cell, 23, 3, 272-273, 2013.
  38. Vedula, S R K et al, Emerging modes of collective cell migration induced by geometrical constraints, PNAS, 109, 32, 12974-12979, 2012. (F1000 recommended as being of special significance)
  39. Lee, W C et al, The origin of enhanced stem cell growth and differentiation on graphene and graphene oxide, ACS Nano, 5, 9, 7334-7341, 2011.