Translational
Tumor Engineering
Laboratory
Department of Biomedical Engineering National University of Singapore
The TTE group leverages biomaterials to engineer in vitro and ex vivo tumors for personalized drug testing
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.
Chen Changchong
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.
Fathima Farzana Kuthubudeen
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.
Madhumathi Kalaichelvan
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 Research Assistant in the TTE lab, working on reconstructing in vitro models to recapitulate the heterogeneity of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and developing models of head and neck cancers for personalized medicine.
Graduate Students
Nicholas Ho
I graduated from NUS with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Life Sciences (specialization in molecular and cell biology) in 2020. My research interests lie in developing human cell-based models that can more accurately predict patient response to drug therapies. I am currently a President's Graduate Fellowship scholar and Ph.D. student under Dr. Eliza Fong, working to develop tumour models of head and neck cancers for personalized medicine.
Elekuttige Anton Kanishka Fernando
I completed my Bachelor of Engineering with first-class honours in Mechanical Engineering with Management from the University of Liverpool. During my undergraduate studies, I developed human eye models to determine the increase in internal eye pressure caused during different tonometry techniques. I completed my Master of Science in Biomaterials from the University of Manchester where I was involved in developing novel biosensors using enzyme bioconjugates. I then worked for MAS Holdings for seven years as a technology entrepreneur to develop innovative solutions focused on addressing the needs of women’s reproductive cycle. I am currently a NUS Research Scholar focused on developing biomaterial engineering strategies to develop tumor models.
Wu Zhuoran Kenny
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.
Wang Yunyun
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).
Aleksandr Mitriashkin
I completed my masters in Biomedical Engineering at the National Research Bauman Moscow State University in 2015 and subsequently worked as a research engineer at a tissue engineering start-up focusing on 3D bioprinting. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D. in the TTE lab where I focus on recapitulating cancer-stromal interactions with organoids using hydrogels.
Josephine Yap
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.
Undergraduate Students
Ding Haiyao
I am a Year 4 undergraduate student from National University in Singapore (NUS) majoring in Biomedical Engineering (BME) with a second major in Life Sciences. I am currently working on my Final Year Project with a research focus on understanding how hydrogels can be leveraged for tumor slice culture.
Kevin Philip Fong
I am a Year 3 student from the National University of Singapore (NUS), majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a Specialization in Tissue Engineering. I am pursuing the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP) in the TTE Lab, focusing on the generation of lymph node slice cultures using biomaterials engineering.
Lab Outings
December 2019
June 2022
Dec 2022