Team | TTELab

Research Staff

Zhao Zixuan

During my Ph.D., I focused on the development of in vitro

non-alcoholic fatty liver disease models for drug screening and pathogenesis studies. I joined the TTE lab as a Research Fellow to work on the development of

head and neck cancer niches

to understand macrophage heterogeneity.

I am a Research Fellow at the Translational Tumor Engineering (TTE) Laboratory at the National University of Singapore (NUS), where I focus on developing advanced ex vivo tumor models to better understand the mechanisms of action of immuno-oncology drugs. I completed my Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at NUS, with a specialization in tumor modeling and translational cancer research. My academic journey began with a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering with Management from the University of Liverpool, where I graduated with First-Class Honours. I then pursued a Master of Science in Biomaterials at the University of Manchester, graduating at the top of my class.

Prior to entering academia, I gained several years of industry experience working on healthcare innovations and the commercialization of medical technologies. My work aims to bridge the gap between fundamental research and clinical application, with the goal of driving impactful advances in cancer therapeutics.

Kanishka Fernando

I completed my Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences with First Class Honors from Northumbria University in 2019. In my undergraduate studies, I investigated the expression of different markers in the progression of colorectal cancer. I subsequently worked as a Research Assistant in Duke-NUS for three years where I investigated how IL11 affects fibrosis. I joined the TTE lab at the start of May 2023 as a Research Assistant. Currently, I work on areas related to developing personalized tumor models for head and neck cancer patients.

Fathima Farzana Kuthubudeen

I obtained my Ph.D. from the Department of Chemistry at ENS-PSL in France. Then, I focused on the development of ovarian cancer-on-a-chip models for the study of cancer cell migration and invasion.

I joined the TTE lab as a Research Fellow to work at the interface between microfluidic systems and tumor explant cultures for the evaluation of immunotherapies.

Chen Changchong

Graduate Students

I completed my Bachelor of Engineering from South China University of Technology (SCUT) in 2016 and Master of Engineering from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in 2018. I specialized in nanomaterials and macromolecular materials for biological applications where I developed an advanced encapsulation system that comprises a polymeric capsule capable of sustained release of Vitamin E and an amino acid-guided therapy that works well against mammary carcinoma.

I am currently a doctoral student with a primary research focus on developing tumor microenvironment - mimetic hydrogels/microfluidics for in vitro tumor slice culture and high-throughput drug testing.

Wu Zhuoran Kenny

I graduated from SWJTU with a Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering in 2020. My previous research experiences were related to development of multifunctional cardiovascular stents and using 3D bioprinting for cardiac tissue repair.

I am currently a NUS Research Scholar focused on constructing in vitro models to recapitulate the heterogeneity of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs).

Wang Yunyun

I joined the TTE lab at the end of 2022 as an ISEP student, after graduating from Imperial College London with a BSc in

Medical Biosciences.

My project focuses on generating heterogeneous tumor-associated macrophages in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Josephine Yap

I obtained my BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Engineering from the National University of Singapore in 2023. In my free time, I engage in rock climbing and jogging.

Currently, I am a Ph.D. student in the TTE lab, working on developing immune-competent head and neck tumor models.

Seah Dong Hua

I obtained my BSc (Hons) with Honours in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Greenwich in 2020. Prior to joining the TTE lab, I was a medical laboratory technologist primarily in the area of microbiology.

I am currently a Ph.D. student in the TTE lab, working on developing biomaterials-based platforms for preserving patient-derived tumor explants ex vivo.