Education
- PhD. University of Cambridge, UK.
- BEng (First Class Hon). NUS.
Research Interest
- Human disease mechanobiology
- Microfluidic biomedical technologies
- 2D materials for biomedical applications
- Soft wearable technologies
Technopreneurship & Startups
- Co-founder, Microtube Technologies
- Co-founder, Flexosense
- Co-founder, Clearbridge mFluidics
- Co-founder, Clearbridge NanoMedics
- Co-founder, Biolidics Ltd (previously known as Clearbridge BioMedics)
- Co-founder and Affiliated Partner, Clearbridge Accelerator
- Co-founder, Robust Dynamics
Selected Awards & Honours
- Elected Fellow, Royal Society, UK
- Elected Fellow, Institution of Engineers Singapore
- Nature Award for Mentoring in Science (Lifetime Achievement) 2022
- IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award 2022
- Elected Fellow, International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine 2022
- IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award 2021
- Asia’s Most Influential Scientist, Fortune Times, 2021
- Highly Cited Researcher 2021
- Elected Fellow, ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology 2021
- Highly Cited Author, Royal Society of Chemistry journals, 2020
- Finalist, “Science Breakthroughs of the Year” Falling Walls Remote, Berlin, 2020
- Elected Fellow, US National Academy of Inventors
- Elected Fellow, Singapore National Academy of Science 2020
- IP Champion, IPOS-WIPO IP Awards 2019
- HFSP Award 2018
- Most Innovative Award, Engineering Medical Innovation Global Competition, 2017
- Winner, IDTechEx Launchpad, Berlin, Germany, 2017
- NUSS Professor, 2017 to present
- International Precision Medicine Conference (IPMC) Prize 2017
- Winner, Modern Aging Singapore 2016
- ASEAN Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award 2016
- 14 Inspiring Innovators From Asia, Asian Scientist, 2016
- Elected Fellow, International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering
- IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award 2016
- JT Award, TechPlanter Singapore, 2016
- Seven Singaporean Scientists to Watch, Asian Scientist, 2016
- Asian Scientist Top 100 List 2016
- Elected Fellow, American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering,2015
- Elected Fellow, Academy of Engineering, Singapore, 2015
- Vladimir K. Zworykin Award, International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering 2015
- Provost’s Chair Professorship, 2014 – 2017
- Outstanding Researcher Award, NUS University Awards 2014
- Outstanding Innovator Award, NUS Innovation & Enterprise Awards 2014
- TIE50 Award, TIEcon 2014
- Credit Suisse Technopreneur of the Year Award 2012
- Wall Street Journal Asian Innovation Audience Choice Awards 2012
- Gold, Wall Street Journal Asian Innovation Awards 2012
- TechVenture Most Disruptive Technology Award 2012
- First Prize, Asian Entrepreneurship Award 2012
- InnovFest Promising Start-Up Award 2012
- HFSP Award 2012
- NGS Excellent Mentoring Award 2011/2012.
- Rising Star Innovator Award, TechVenture 2011
- President’s Technology Award 2011
- Faculty Research Award 2011
- Elected Council Member, World Council of Biomechanics 2010 – present
- Most Cited Article, Acta Biomaterialia, 2006 – 2010
- IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award 2010
- Most Cited Author 2005-2008, Acta Biomaterialia
- Cited in MIT Technology Review: 10 Emerging Technologies and their impact, 2006
- 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
- Chen, S W, et al, Wearable flexible microfluidic sensing technologies, Nature Reviews Bioengineering, 2023. (in press)
- 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.
- Glentis, A, et al, The Emergence of Spontaneous Coordinated Epithelial Rotation on Cylindrical Curved Surfaces, Science Advances, 8, 37, eabn5406, 2022.
- Saw, T B, et al, Transepithelial potential difference governs epithelial fate by electromechanics, Nature Physics, 18, 1122–1128, 2022.
- Hong, J H, et al, Point-of-care diagnostic tests for active tuberculosis, Science Translational Medicine, 639, eabj4124, 2022.
- Chakraborty S, et al, Agrin-Matrix Metalloproteinase-12 axis confers a mechanically competent microenvironment in skin wound healing, Nature Communications, 12, 6349, 2021.
- Xiong, Z, et al, A wireless and battery-free wound infection sensor based on DNA hydrogel, Science Advances, 7, 47, eabj1617, 2021.
- Gao, Y J, et al, A wearable multifunctional immunosensor for the monitoring of chronic wounds, Science Advances, 7, 21, eabg9614, 2021.
- Gaston, C, et al, EpCAM promotes endosomal modulation of the cortical RhoA zone for epithelial organization, Nature Communications, 12 1, 1-22, 2021
- Phuong Le, et al, Adhesion-mediated heterogeneous actin organization governs apoptotic cell extrusion, Nature Communications, 12,397,2021
- Doss, B L et al, Cell response to substrate rigidity is regulated by active and passive cytoskeletal stress, PNAS, 117, 23, 12817-12825 2020.
- Jain, S et al, The role of single cell mechanical behavior and polarity in driving collective cell migration, Nature Physics, 1-8, 2020.
- Sun, A X Y, et al, Potassium channel dysfunction in human neuronal models of Angelman syndrome, Science, 366, 6472, 1486-1492, 2019.
- Lim, S B et al, Addressing cellular heterogeneity in tumor and circulation for refined prognostication, PNAS, 116, 36, 17957-17962, 2019.
- Xi, W et al, Material Approaches to Active Tissue Mechanics, Nature Reviews Materials, 4, 23–44, 2019.
- Ding, X G et al, Defect Engineered Bioactive Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Quantum Dots, Nature Communications, 10, 41, 2019.
- Saw, T B, W Xi, B Ladoux, C T Lim, Biological tissues as active nematic liquid crystals, Advanced Materials, 30, 47, 2018.
- Chaudhuri, P K et al, Mechanobiology of Tumor Growth, Chemical Reviews, 118, 14, 6499-6515, 2018. (F1000 recommended as being of special significance)
- Sun, S Y et al, Flagellum couples cell shape to motility in Trypanosoma brucei, PNAS, 201722618, 2018.
- Sreekanth, K V et al, Biosensing with the singular phase of an ultrathin metal-dielectric nanophotonic cavity, Nature Communications, 9, 369, 2018.
- 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.
- Kenry et al, When stem cells meet graphene: Opportunities and challenges in regenerative medicine, Biomaterials, 155, 236-250, 2018.
- 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.
- Xi, W et al., Soft tubular microfluidics for 2D and 3D applications, PNAS, 114, 40, 10590–10595, 2017.
- Saw, T B et al, Topological defects in epithelia govern cell death and extrusion, Nature, 544, 212-216, 2017.
- 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.
- Yeo, J C et al, Flexible and stretchable strain sensing actuator for wearable soft robotics application, Advanced Materials Technologies, 1, 3, 2016.
- Yeo, T et al, Microfluidic enrichment for the single cell analysis of circulating tumor cells, Scientific Reports, 6, 22076, 2016.
- 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.
- Wang, J et al, Haem-activated promiscuous targeting of artemisinin in Plasmodium falciparum, Nature Communications, 6, 10111, 2015.
- Gupta, M et al, Adaptive rheology and ordering of cell cytoskeleton govern matrix rigidity sensing, Nature Communications, 6, 7525, 2015.
- Vedula, S R K et al, Mechanics of epithelial closure over non-adherent environments, Nature Communications, 6, 6111, 2015.
- Lee, W C et al, Multivariate biophysical markers predictive of mesenchymal stromal cell multi potency, PNAS, 111, 42, E4409-18, 2014.
- Yao, M et al, Force-dependent conformational switch of a-catenin controls vinculin binding, Nature Communications, 5, 4525, 2014.
- Vedula, S R K et al, Epithelial bridges maintain tissue integrity during collective cell migration, Nature Materials, 13, 87-96, 2014.
- Hou H W et al, Isolation and retrieval of circulating tumor cells using centrifugal forces, Scientific Reports, 3, 1259, 2013.
- Thiery, J P, C T Lim, Tumor dissemination: An EMT affair, Cancer Cell, 23, 3, 272-273, 2013.
- 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)
- 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.