​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CAPABILITY - APPLIED BIOSCIENCES

We collaborate closely with enterprises, biotech startups, hospitals, and universities to develop innovations into next-generation biomedical and biotech products. There are two main focus area: Biomedical Science and Industrial Biotechnology.

The Biomedical Science team partners with local hospital and universities to develop diagnostics for Parkinson’s disease and infectious diseases. Our scientists also investigate the microbiome using state-of-the-art sequencing technologies and develop health supplements to improve quality of life of patients and healthy individuals.

The Industry Biotechnology team comprise of experts in advanced metabolic engineering and synthetic biology tools such as CRISPR-cas9 gene editing, DNA assembly, genome shuffling, directed evolution and strain evolutionary engineering. The team conducts research and consultancy projects on industrial enzymes, biofuels, biodegradable plastic supplement, and cosmetics products. We also develop engineered microbes and advanced fermentation processes for industrial applications.

​Our research, consultancy and technology focus:

Biomedical Science

• Diagnostics for neurodegenerative and infectious diseases
• Lateral flow and nanoparticle-based diagnostics devices
• Microbial detection and microbiome analysis
• Health supplement development
  

Industrial Biotechnology

• Valuable functional proteins
• Protein and microbes engineering
• Fermentation process development and scale-up
• Pharmaceutical and cosmetic ingredients
  

Our Facilities

• General microbiology and molecular biology lab
• Dedicated research lab including BSL2 lab
• Laminar flow and biohazard hoods
• Conventional and real-time PCR
• Confocal Microscope
• Flow cytometer
• 2-D gel electrophoresis
• Benchtop and 100L bioreactors
• Preparative chromatography
• HPLC and GC systems
• LC-MS and GC-MS
• Nanometer osmometer
• Climatic chamber with controlled humidity and temperature
  

Environment and water-related issues arouse growing concerns with increasing population and over-consumption of reachable resources. Scientists are trying to understand how biodiversity, climate change and global warming, air pollution, energy security, water pollution and fresh water accessibility put stress on the environment, society and resources. More economic and efficient environmental and water technologies are urgently in need to address, to alleviate and to completely settle these issues.

Our scientists with diversified background and expertise are dedicated to create a sustainable model for air quality monitoring and air pollution control, indoor air humidity control, water pollution detection and monitoring, wastewater treatment and seawater desalination.  Furthermore, we are also committed to create a more livable urban environment by innovating skyrise greenery and other forms of urban living architectures.

Our vision is to develop innovative technologies and products to support local MNCs and SMEs.​​

Our research, consultancy and technology focus: ​

Membrane product development

• Flat sheet membranes for gas separation
  
• Hollow fiber membranes for liquid purification
• Composite membranes for water reuses and seawater desalination
• Design and fabrication of membranes for niche applications
  

Water quality management and water treatment

• Water quality monitoring and management
• Microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, and forward osmosis processes for water treatment
• Coagulation and flocculation
• Membrane distillation for seawater desalination

Advanced oxidation technologies​

Membrane processes for chemicals, pharmaceutical and food & beverage industries

• Membrane pervaporation process for biofuel separation and alcohol solvent dehydration
• Nanofiltration process for pharmaceutical purification
• Hybrid processes for pharmaceutical and food & beverage purification
  
• Membrane integrity detection and monitoring
  

Air quality monitoring and control

• Indoor and outdoor air quality monitoring and assessment
• Removal of particulate matter from air
• Indoor air humidity control
• Oxygen enrichment
  

Waste management

• Process design to convert waste to energy
• Life cycle ana​lysis
• Solid waste management
• Industrial ecology
• Bioremediation
• Soil remediation
  

Plant Science

• Skyrise green roof/wall
• Growth media formulation
• Biodiversity studies ​
  

• Education and outreach
• Integrated Design Process
• Management, Operations, Maintenance

• Atomic absorption spectroscopy
  
• Ion exchange apparatus
• Automated protein analysis
• High temperature furnace
• Rotating evaporator
• Membrane filtration system
• Ion chromatography
• Karl Fisher titrator
  
• Gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GCMS)
• High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
• Photonics plant lab
• Hydroponics greenhouse
• Nursery shade house
• Design studios

A focus area of technology development is the food and sustainable resources. We are actively involved in different aspects of the “Farm to Fork”. Experts in urban farming at LSCT develop research programmes for urban agriculture and provide consultancy services on test-bedding, developing proof of concept or conducting pilot scale studies on agricultural systems.

The aquaculture team is developing new feed formulation and working closely with the aquaculture industry to jointly develop solutions for problems that hinder fish cultivation at their own establishments. Furthermore, our team is a member of the Aquaculture Innovation Centre (AIC) which is a consortium of institutes of higher learning and government agencies. We collaborate with the member institutes to enhance productivity and technology transfer in both local and regional aquaculture industry.

Finally, the food science experts are researching on improving shelf-live and shorten the turn-around time in the development of functional foods, value-added foods, troubleshooting of reformulations, food sanitation and food safety.

Our research, consultancy and technology focus:

​Urban agriculture

• Testing and development of various indoor farming systems
• Roof-top hydroponic greenhouse
• Evaluation of the use of chicken manure in hydroponics
• Evaluation of plant species for hydroponics and sky-rise greenery
• Cultivation of new Japanese lettuce varieties in roof-top hydroponic greenhouse
• Effects of bacterial extracts on yield and growth of leafy vegetables and radish
• Development of new method of nutrient delivery system for hydroponics
  

​Aquaculture

• Optimised species-specific formulated aquafeed
• Sustainable protein sources for aquafeed
• Microbial-based aquatic animal health supplements
• Disease surveillance strategies
• Water quality management in RAS
  

Food science and technology

• Food composition and analysis
• Developing value added and functional foods
• Food microbiological analysis
• Rapid analytical techniques
• HACCP and food sanitation
• Sugar substitutes
  

Our facilities:

• Photonics lab and indoor hydroponic systems
• ​Plant tissue culture facility
• Green house and outdoor hydroponic systems
• Shade-house
• Modular indoor recirculating aquaculture systems
• Seawater and freshwater supply system
• Moisture, ash, fiber and crude lipid analysers
• Microbiology and molecular biology laboratories
• Water quality monitoring devices
• Food water content analyser
• Food texture analyser
• Freeze-dryer
• Shelf life chamber
• Multi sampler moisture analyzer
• Microbiology and molecular biology laboratories
• Gas chromatographic systems with various detectors
• Liquid chromatographic systems with various detectors

The Issue

Majority of cancer patients suffer from cancer-related fatigue that affects their daily activities and recovery.

Our Impact

• Identification of potential probiotics and nutraceuticals for reduction of fatigue in patients with major cancers (e.g. breast cancer).
  
• Improvement of patients’ quality of life.

Our Collaborators

NUH, NUS, SGH, National Cancer Centre​

The Issue

As clinical symptoms of Chikungunya (a virus transmitted by mosquitoes) are similar to Zika and Dengue, misdiagnosis and delayed treatment can occur.

Our Impact

Development of a diagnostic method to detect Chikungunya:

• using lateral flow technology.
  
• to reduce misdiagnosis.
  
• to complement diagnostic tools for Zika and Dengue.

Our Collaborators

NUS, MP Biomedicals, EHI (NEA)

The Issue

As clinical symptoms of Chikungunya (a virus transmitted by mosquitoes) are similar to Zika and Dengue, misdiagnosis and delayed treatment can occur.

Our Impact

Development of a diagnostic method to detect Chikungunya:

• using lateral flow technology.
  
• to reduce misdiagnosis.
  
• to complement diagnostic tools for Zika and Dengue.

Our Collaborators

NUS, MP Biomedicals, EHI (NEA)

The Issue

Diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease (on the rise in our aging population) is often expensive, unreliable and done only at late-stage.

Our Impact

• using DNA chips for quicker detection.
  
• to significantly reduce cost of diagnosis and allow for earlier treatment (8 - 10 years earlier).

Our Collaborators

SGH, NNI, NUS, Sciencewerke, MP Biomedicals

The Issue

S​u​stainable cultivation practices can be developed to enhance Singapore’s food security.

Our Impact

Successful selection, growth and evaluation of new Japanese lettuce varieties for intensive roof-top cultivation in the tropics.

Our Collaborator

Sumitomo Chemicals​

The Issue

With the war against diabetes, there is an increasing demand to develop low glycemic index (GI) food.

Our Impact

Development of low GI chocolates using sugar replacement that has acceptable sensory & quality profiles.

Our Collaborators

Tatgu

The Issue

Good-quality aquaculture feed is highly dependent on omega-3 fatty acids from non-sustainable sources, such as fishmeal.

Our Impact

• Development of fishmeal-free feed that has increased EPA and DHA levels by:
  • 130% in jade perch fillets.
    
  • 140% in tilapia fillets.
• Comparable growth performance of fish as compared to controls.
  

The Issue

Development of sustainable raw materials for fuels and chemicals.

Our Impact

Development of a genetically stable and robust xylose-fermenting yeast for achieving 50% improvement in ethanol production from oil palm biomass.

​The Issue

Developing sustainable intensive indoor cultivation system.​

Our Impact

Testing and development of various indoor farming systems to grow leafy crops.

Our Collaborators

TUV-SUD, OSRAM OS, AVA

The Issue

Currently, Assimilable Organic Carbon (AOC) testing of drinking water is tedious and time-consuming.

Our Impact​

Development of a new flow cytometry method that reduces testing time from 10 days to 3 days.

Our Collaborators

PUB

The Issue

More efficient methods in liquid purification are necessary for sustainable processes.

Our Impact

• Use of membrane technology for purification of liquid product (e.g. water, food & beverage or pharmaceuticals).
  
• Reduction in denitrification of aquaculture wastewater by 30-50%.
  

Our Collaborators

iFarm