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A team of scientists led by Research Associate Professor Motomi Osato and Professor Yoshiaki Ito from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) found that a drug originally designed for killing a limited type of cancer cells with DNA repair defects could potentially be used to treat leukaemia and other cancers.

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The National University of Singapore (NUS) has been placed 111th among the world’s universities in the latest Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) by the Centre for World-Class Universities (CWCU) at Shanghai Jiaotong University in China. NUS is also among the top 50 in the field of Engineering/Technology and Computer Sciences, as well as in the subject of Computer Science.

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A team of international researchers led by Professor Lim Chwee Teck, Principal Investigator, and Dr Hiroaki Hirata, Research Fellow, at the Mechanobiology Institute at the National University of Singapore (NUS), together with Professor Masahiro Sokabe from Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, has recently discovered that living cell migration is regulated by the engagement of a force transmitter composed of vinculin and talin, two types of cytoskeletal protein. The researchers showed that force-dependent vinculin binding to talin plays a critical role in mechanically connecting the actin cytoskeleton to the extracellular substrate to contribute towards cell migration.

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Contrary to popular belief, not all meditation techniques produce similar effects of body and mind. Indeed, a recent study by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has demonstrated for the first time that different types of Buddhist meditation – namely the Vajrayana and Theravada styles of meditation - elicit qualitatively different influences on human physiology and behaviour, producing arousal and relaxation responses respectively.

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Associate Professor Fred Wong from the Department of Pharmacology at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine led a team to discover that artesunate, a common herbal-based anti-malarial drug, can be used to control asthma, with better treatment outcomes than other drugs currently available.

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By ‘drawing’ micropatterns on nanomaterials using a focused laser beam, scientists could modify properties of nanomaterials for effective applications in photonic and optoelectric applications

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For close to 180 years, Charles Darwin’s library aboard HMS Beagle during his expedition around the world in the 1830s remained lost. The library was dispersed at the end of the voyage. Today, the library has been electronically re-constructed in its entirety and made freely available online.

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Into its fourth year, the Vertical Cities Asia International Design Competition aims to inspire new models of sustainable urban living.

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A team of scientists from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) discovered that a protein named IL23A is part of our stomach’s defence against bacterial infection which leads to gastric cancer. This finding could potentially be used to combat the deadly disease.

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A team of scientists from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore, National University Cancer Institute Singapore (NCIS) and National University Hospital Singapore (NUH), discovered a distinct mutational signature and nine significantly mutated genes associated with nasopharyngeal cancer, paving the way to developing novel therapies for this deadly disease.

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Singapore, 19 June 2014 - The National University of Singapore (NUS) maintained its position as one of Asia’s top two universities in the latest Asia University Rankings published by the Times Higher Education (THE) magazine.

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National University of Singapore (NUS), University of California, Berkeley, and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) researchers have teamed up to show that when we make strategic decisions in a competitive betting game, at least in the laboratory, genes that modulate dopamine information signaling in the brain partially trigger how we take risks.

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A team of international scientists led by Professor Jagadese J Vittal of the Department of Chemistry at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Faculty of Science has successfully unraveled the chemical reaction responsible for propelling microscopic crystals to leap distances up to hundreds of times their own size when they are exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light.

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Researchers from the Department of Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Science have discovered that a Southeast Asian species of treefrog practices parental care to increase the likelihood of survival of its offspring. Chiromantis hansenae (C. hansenae), is currently the only species in the treefrog family in Southeast Asia that is known to exhibit such behaviour.

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A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Faculty of Engineering has developed a cost-effective solution for the control of indoor air pollution, especially from the haze. The new system is easy to use and ideal for use in a range of indoor environments.

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A team of scientists led by a researcher from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore has identified the cancer specific stem cell which causes gastric cancer. This discovery opens up the possibility of developing new drugs for the treatment of this disease and other types of cancers.

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A team of scientists, led by Assistant Professor Andrivo Rusydi from the Department of Physics at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Faculty of Science, has successfully developed a technique to study the interface between materials, shedding light on the new properties that arise when two materials are put together.

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Assistant Professor Christian A. Nijhuis of the Department of Chemistry at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Faculty of Science, in collaboration with researchers from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), namely Dr Bai Ping of the Institute of High Performance Computing and Dr Michel Bosman of the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, has successfully designed and fabricated electrical circuits that can operate at hundreds of terahertz frequencies, which is tens of thousands times faster than today’s state-of-the-art microprocessors.

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Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, President of the National University of Singapore (NUS), has been given this year’s Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah International Energy Award for lifetime achievement in the advancement of educating future energy leaders. Prof Tan received the award in Doha, Qatar, from His Excellency Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, President of the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority in Qatar.

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Professor Kishore Mahbubani, Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore has been selected by leading British current affairs magazine Prospect as one of the top 50 world thinkers for 2014.

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A team of scientists from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore and National University Cancer Institute Singapore (NCIS), and their collaborators from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, UCLA School of Medicine, demonstrated that a number of novel genetic defects are able to induce oesophageal cancer.

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The National University of Singapore jumped to 46th place in the Nature Publishing Index 2013, up 28 places from 74th in 2012. The University is also placed 6th in the Asia-Pacific, up 3 spots from 9th place in 2012. NUS was the first institution in Singapore to break into the Global Top 100 in the 2012 rankings, and continues to move up the 2013 rankings.

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An article in Nature reviewing developments in quantum cryptography describes how we can keep our secrets secret even when faced with the double challenge of mistrust and manipulation

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A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has developed the world’s first fluorescent sensor to identify the presence of a drug known as GHB that is commonly used to spike beverages. When the sensor is mixed with a sample of a beverage containing GHB, the mixture changes colour in less than 30 seconds, making detection of the drug fast and easy.

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The National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Science will be enhancing the curriculum of its undergraduate Pharmacy degree programme to educate and train Pharmacy graduates to meet the needs of a changing and increasingly complex healthcare system.

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A new international research consortium, led by the National University of Singapore, aims to develop the world’s first lipid database for healthy persons of different racial and ethnic groups.

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A team from the NUS Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering led by Dr Qiu Chengwei, has successfully come out with a thermal illusion device to control thermal camouflage and invisibility using thermotic materials. Every natural object exhibits thermal signatures. However, if these signals are blocked or masked, then these objects become undetectable. The new device invented by Dr Qiu and his team can block thermal signatures (leading to invisibility) and provide illusionary camouflage at the same time. This cloaking technology is cost-effective, easily scalable, as well as applicable to even bigger objects (such as soldiers on night missions), and it has also overcome limitations like narrow bandwidth and polarisation-dependence. The technology is ready to roll out for military applications.

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The National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Science and Dow Chemical Pacific (Singapore) Pte Ltd (Dow Singapore), a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, are collaborating to groom passionate and engaging science educators in Singapore.

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A team of researchers from National University of Singapore (NUS) have created the first two-photon, small molecule fluorogenic probe that can serve as a useful tool for the rapid assessment of an individual’s potential risk for Parkinson’s disease. The highly sensitive fluorescence probe can detect with high precision the activity of Monoamine Oxidase B (MAO-B), an enzyme that is found in elevated levels in patients with Parkinson’s disease. This innovation paves the way for the development of less costly non-invasive technologies and devices to help monitor the risk and progression of Parkinson’s disease.

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Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is an aggressive type of cancer with a poor prognosis for which there is currently no effective treatment. Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered for the first time that an epithelial basement membrane protein, called laminin-5 gamma-2 (LAMC2), has the potential to be an ideal target for the treatment of ATC.

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A National University of Singapore (NUS) team led by Associate Professor Huang Zhiwei, Department of Biomedical Engineering, has developed an In-Vivo Molecular Diagnostic System that could change the way cancer diagnosis is made. Their diagnostic system is the only one in the world, so far, clinically proven to be used in human patients for diagnosing even pre-cancerous tissue in gastrointestinal tract during endoscopic examination in real time.

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The National University of Singapore (NUS) and Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. (Fuji Xerox) will collaborate on research projects in the field of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). The projects aim to explore new technologies and push the boundaries in ICT to enable businesses to improve efficiency in workflow and processes.

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Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, President of the National University of Singapore (NUS), has been appointed the Chair of the Global University Leaders Forum (GULF) by the World Economic Forum for a two-year term commencing 2014. He takes over the GULF chair from Professor Richard Levin, President Emeritus of Yale University.

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The Graphene Research Centre (GRC) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Science and the world’s leading chemical company BASF have partnered to develop the use of graphene in organic electronic devices, such as organic light emitting diodes (OLED). The goal of this collaboration is to interface graphene films with organic electronic materials for the creation of more efficient and more flexible lighting devices.

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Collaboration between the National University of Singapore (NUS) and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJ) on inflammation research may lead to a potential treatment for deadly bacterial infections

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Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ESCC), the major histological form of esophageal cancer, is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered a biomarker, called adenosine deaminase acting on RNA-1 (ADAR1), which has the potential to improve the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of this disease.

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A team of scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has successfully developed a method to chemically exfoliate molybdenum disulfide crystals into high quality monolayer flakes, with higher yield and larger flake size than current methods.

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A team of researchers from the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Engineering has developed a new Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory (MRAM) technology that will boost information storage in electronic systems. The innovative technology will drastically increase storage space and enhance memory which will ensure that fresh data stays intact, even in the case of a power failure. The team has already filed a US provisional patent for their technology.

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A recent study led by scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) opens a possible new route for treatment of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a devastating disease that is the most common genetic cause of infant death and also affects young adults. As there is currently no known cure for SMA, the new discovery gives a strong boost to the fight against SMA.

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A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered that outer skin cells are able to unite to form suspended “bridges” during wound healing. The new findings will pave the way for tissue engineering, such as the design of artificial skin, and better wound treatment.

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A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has successfully developed an innovative one-step method to grow and transfer high-quality graphene on silicon and other stiff substrates, opening up opportunities for graphene to be used in high-value applications that are currently not technologically feasible.

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In two separate studies on CEBPA mutations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) subtypes, researchers led by Professor Daniel Tenen, Director, Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore, successfully identified and validated a gene known as Sox4 as a potential therapeutic target and a class of anti-cancer drugs, histone deacetylase inhibitors, as potential candidates in the treatment of certain AML.

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The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) today announced that the National University of Singapore (NUS) has been appointed to run the secretariat of the ICZN for the next three years from 2013 to 2016, while the Commission charts its funding model and future directions. The announcement was made by ICZN President Dr Jan van Tol at the council’s first meeting held in Singapore, where one of its commissioners Professor Peter Ng of NUS, is based.

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Findings by researchers contribute towards the development and application of therapeutics for liver cancer

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A team of scientists from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and their collaborators from the Harvard Stem Cell Institute have found that a novel noncoding ribonucleic acid (RNA) offers the potential for "switching on" of tumour suppressors that have been shut off.

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Professor Tommy Koh, Ambassador-At-Large at Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Rector of Tembusu College at the National University of Singapore, has been named the recipient of the 2014 Great Negotiator Award by the Program on Negotiation (PON), an inter-university consortium of Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts University; and the Future Diplomacy Project at Harvard Kennedy School.

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Novel discovery by scientists from NUS and UCLA enhances delivery and retention of leukemia drug, paving the way for nanodiamonds to be used for chemotherapeutics.

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The National University of Singapore (NUS) has emerged as the top university in Asia in the 2013/2014 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings. The University was placed 24th in the rankings, moving up a spot from its 25th placing last year.

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Over 200 patients who completed the Singapore Heart Foundation’s Heart Wellness Programme demonstrated improvements in cardiac risk factors.

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The Quantum Shorts contest encourages readers to submit a short story that is inspired by quantum theory. Entries can be submitted now through 1 December 2013 at http://shorts.quantumlah.org.