Our congratulations to the following faculty members on their promotion:

Novel, water soluble hydrogen sulfide releasing molecule (GYY4137): New insights into the biology of hydrogen sulphide

The potential biological significance of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has attracted increasing interest in recent years. Chemical compounds with the ability to release either nitric oxide (NO) or carbon monoxide (CO) over a prolonged period of time have proved very useful in our understanding of the physiological and pathophysiological roles of these gases. Until now, no such slow-releasing H2S compound has been described.

The Research Group recently prepared GYY4137 (morpholin-4-ium 4 methoxyphenyl(morpholino) phosphinodithioate) and found that it releases H2S slowly both in aqueous solution in vitro and following i.v. or i.p. administration to the anaesthetized rat in vivo (Scheme 12). GYY4137 is not toxic to rat vascular smooth muscle cells in culture and does not affect cell cycle distribution or p53 expression in these cells. [READ MORE]

Senator Edgardo Angara from the Philippines called at the University on 25 June 2009. The objective of his visit was to find out the role of NUS in pushing science and technology of Singapore and to learn strategies to promote education in science and technology. [READ MORE]

Prof Peter Little, Research Director, Office of Deputy President will take over the helm from Prof Ong with effect from 1 July 2009.

Cancer Science Institute of Singapore Seminars

Speaker 1:

“National Xenograft Therapeutic Programs (NXTP): A translational platform for pre-clinical and clinical studies in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)”

Professor Huynh The Hung
Principal Investigator, Laboratory of Molecular Endocrinology, National Cancer Centre Singapore

Speaker 2:

“An Introduction into Quantitative Laser Scanning Cytometry (LSC)”

Dr Andrea Lisa Holme
Research Scientist, National University Medical Institutes, NUS

Date : Thursday, 2 July 2009
Time : 11am – 12pm
Venue: CeLS Auditorium

Editorial Team

Lim Chwee Teck
Ellice Lim
Siti Haryanti
Aziz Salim

Bioinformatics & Computational Biology Programme

“Workshop on Computational Analysis of DNA”

LSI Seminar

“Estrogen-AKT axis in luminal type breast cancer and tamoxifen resistance”

Dr Harikrishna Nakshatri
Marian J. Morrison Professor of Breast Cancer Research
Professor of Surgery and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Indiana University School of Medicine, USA

Date : Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Time : 4pm – 5pm
Venue: CeLS Auditorium

LSI Distinguished Lecture Series

“Nanostructure Processing of Advanced Biomaterials and Biosystems”

Prof Jackie Y Ying
Executive Director
Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, A*STAR

Date : Thursday, 9 July 2009
Time : 4 – 5pm
Venue: CeLS Auditorium

“Building A Brain: A Molecular Dissection of Neural Induction”

Prof Claudio Stern
Head, Research Department of Cell and Developmental Biology;
Chair, UCL Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine University College London, UK

Date : Thursday, 15 July 2009
Time : 4 – 5pm
Venue: CeLS Auditorium

In June:
LSI Public Lecture

Prof Ong (right) presenting Prof Yager
with a plaque.

LSI held its first Public Lecture chaired by LSI Director Prof Ong Choon Nam, on 3 June 2009 at the CeLS Auditorium. LSI invited Dr Mikael Hartman, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, NUS who gave an overview on the “Trends on Breast Cancer in Singapore”. This was followed by guest speaker Prof James D Yager, Edyth H. Schoenrich, Professor in Preventive Medicine and Professor of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Health Sciences from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA.

Prof Yager delivered a lecture on “Breast Cancer: Causes and New Targets for Chemoprevention”. The public lecture attracted about 130 participants from NUS, NUH, SGH, HPB and the public. The lecture ended with a lunch reception at the CeLS foyer.

Visit by CIMIT Representatives

Dr John Collins, Chief Operations Officer and Dr Steven Schachter, Chief Academic Officer from the Centre for Integration of Medicine & Innovative Technology (CIMIT) visited CeLS on Tuesday, 9 June 2009. LSI Director Prof Ong Choon Nam gave a briefing on LSI. Accompanying the group were Ms Quek Boon Zhi from BMRC, Dr Lim Keng Hui, Head of Joint Council Office, A*STAR and Miss Airani Ramli from Industry Liaison Office.