Congratulations to our YRP Winners of the Singapore Science and Engineering Fair 2010

IBN's YRP students have clinched 2 Singapore Science and Engineering Fair (SSEF) Awards, which were announced at the Singapore Science Center on March 11, 2010. We are pleased to congratulate Amelia Tan Li Min and Jervis Xu Yiteng, both from Victoria Junior College (Year 1) for winning the SSEF Gold Award and Merit Award, respectively.

The winner of the SSEF Gold Award, Amelia Tan, was attached to IBN from November 9, 2009 to January 8, 2010 under the mentorship of IBN Research Scientist, Dr Majad Khan. Amelia conducted research on "Cationic Based Liposomes for Gene Delivery - The Effect of Amphoteric Behaviour on In Vitro Transfection". Jervis Xu, who won the SSEF Merit Award, did his YRP research attachment from November 16, 2009 to January 8, 2010. Jervis was mentored by Dr Andrew Wan, IBN Team Leader and Principal Research Scientist, and Dr Meng Fatt Leong, IBN Postdoctoral Fellow. They guided him on his project, "Incorporation of Biological Components into Electrospun Scaffold".

The Singapore Science and Engineering Fair (SSEF) is an annual national competition organized by the Ministry of Education, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the Science Centre Singapore. Outstanding entries from each year's SSEF are selected to represent Singapore in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) held each May. Since 2003, 31 YRP attachment students have won 26 SSEF awards with the research projects they conducted at IBN.

Download the YRP Chronicles 2003-2009 (in pdf) to find out about IBN's past SSEF Winners.

Read more at http://yrp.ibn.a-star.edu.sg/

International Conference on Bioengineering and Nanotechnology to Boost Interdisciplinary Research
Over 300 delegates attended the 5^th SBE International Conference on Bioengineering and Nanotechnology organized by IBN in Singapore

The 5^th SBE International Conference on Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (ICBN 2010) was held at the Biopolis in Singapore from August 2-4, 2010. Over 300 delegates from around the world convened at this multidisciplinary conference organized by the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), the world's first bioengineering and nanotechnology research institute, to showcase the latest cutting-edge research advances.

The ICBN conference series was launched in 2004 by IBN, the Society for Biological Engineering (SBE) and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), to foster greater knowledge exchange and collaboration in the areas of bioengineering and nanotechnology - two interdisciplinary fields that cut across and integrate different areas in science, engineering and medicine to create breakthroughs in biomedical research. ICBN 2010 marked the third time that IBN organized the event in Singapore.

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Nano Today Ranked Second Most Influential Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Journal Internationally

Nano Today: An International Rapid Reviews Journal (Nano Today) continues to establish itself as an influential resource for the international research community since it moved to a journal format in 2009. According to the latest Journal Citation Reports® published by Thomson Reuters, Nano Today received a 2009 Impact Factor of 13.237.

This new Impact Factor is not only higher than its second Impact Factor of 8.795 in 2008, but also catapults the journal to the second position among all 59 titles in the ISI Nanoscience and Nanotechnology category. In addition, Nano Today now ranks 4^th out of 212 journals in the Materials Science, Multidisciplinary category, and 4^th out of 138 journals in the Chemistry, Multidisciplinary category.

The Journal Citation Reports® are the recognized authority for evaluating journals, presenting quantitative data that supports a systematic and objective review of the world's leading journals, as well as their impact and influence in the global research community.

Nano Today is an international journal for researchers with interests across the whole spectrum of nanoscience and technology. It provides a peer-reviewed forum for the rapid publication of authoritative review articles, short communications, news and opinions to shape and define the frontiers of nanoscience and nanotechnology through their multidisciplinary applications.

"Due to their interdisciplinary nature, nanoscience and nanotechnology have tremendous potential to make a strong impact in areas such as biomedicine, chemical synthesis, energy generation and photonics. The latest Journal Citation Reports® reflect a strong interest from the research community for the latest advancements in these important areas. We are delighted with our new Impact Factor and we will continue to serve our rapidly growing scientific community by keeping them abreast of the latest breakthroughs," shared Professor Jackie Y. Ying, Editor-in-Chief of Nano Today, who is also the Executive Director of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Singapore, the world's first bioengineering and nanotechnology research institute.

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IBN Executive Director Professor Jackie Y. Ying Wins First National Award for Materials Chemistry

IBN’s Executive Director, Professor Jackie Y. Ying, has been honored by the Singapore National Institute of Chemistry (SNIC) with the first BASF-SNIC Award in Materials Chemistry at the 2010 SNIC Annual General Meeting Dinner on March 19, 2010. The award was presented to Professor Ying in recognition of her achievements, research excellence and vision of providing unique innovations to improve the quality of life.

This inaugural national chemical sciences award also marks the significance of the trilateral relationship between research, industry and academia. SNIC President and Head of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Professor Andy Hor said, "The awards program is inaugurated to mark 80 years of growth in chemistry in Singapore. Today, the chemical industry has surged to become Singapore's number one manufacturing industry in terms of output. It is timely that the national chemistry body, SNIC, works with our major industries and fellow professions to launch an award to recognize our high achievers. "

Professor Ying will present the first BASF-SNIC Award in Materials Chemistry Lecture at the inaugural International Conference on Molecular and Functional Catalysis in Singapore on July 11-15, 2010. "Research and innovation in chemical sciences have the potential to benefit humanity through advances in pharmaceuticals synthesis, nanostructured materials, and green chemistry. At IBN, our goals are to pursue research breakthroughs that will translate into effective solutions to biomedical, energy and environmental challenges. It is an honor to receive the BASF-SNIC Award in Materials Chemistry award, which underscores the importance of closer links between industry and research in bringing the latest scientific discoveries to society, " said Professor Ying.

Triple Honors for IBN at 2010 A*STAR Award Ceremony

IBN received the Patent Power, The Outstanding Publications and A*STAR Scientist-Entrepreneur Awards at the 2010 A*STAR Award Ceremony.

IBN received three awards at the 2010 A*STAR Award Ceremony held in Biopolis on April 14.

For the second consecutive year, IBN received The Outstanding Publications Award for being the most prolific A*STAR biomedical research institute in terms of the number of publications in high impact factor journals per scientist. Since 2003, the Institute has published 583 articles. In FY2009, IBN scientists published 91 articles in archival journals, of which 51 were in journals of impact factor greater than 5, including 3 papers in Nature Publishing Group journals - Nature Chemistry¹, Nature Materials² and Nature Nanotechnology³.

IBN also won the Patent Power Award for the second year running. This award recognizes the A*STAR research institute with the most patent applications filed per budget dollar. IBN has filed over 880 patent applications since it was established in 2003, and the Institute's extensive patent portfolio reflects its commitment towards creating intellectual property for potential commercial applications.

The A*STAR Scientist-Entrepreneur Award was presented to the IBN team responsible for the spin-off, Curiox Biosystems Pte Ltd (Curiox), which has successfully commercialized the Institute’s DropArray™ technology. Dr Namyong Kim, Professor Jackie Y. Ying, Dr Kwong Joo Leck, Yong Yeow Lee and Li Li were recognized for their efforts in developing the new miniaturized assay platform, called DropArray™, which greatly reduces the time and costs of drug screening assays by up to 60%, as compared to the conventional microtiter plates. Curiox has recently been recognized as Emerging Company of the Year 2010 in Asia Pacific by BioSpectrum Asia, and with the 2010 Innovation AveNEW Award from LabAutomation.

Sharing his delight, Dr Kim, who is now the CEO of Curiox, said, "This win was made possible by the strong support from IBN and its collaborative research culture. The Institute’s unique interdisciplinary approach towards problem-solving enabled our team to create a revolutionary technology with great commercial potential, as seen by the industry recognition we have received for Curiox. We look forward to increasing our international market share in the future."

Commenting on IBN's achievements, IBN Executive Director Professor Jackie Y. Ying shared, "We are very excited to win the three A*STAR awards this year. The Outstanding Publication Award and the Patent Power Award recognize the tremendous efforts and dedication of all our research staff and students. IBN will strive further towards conducting strategic research at the interface of science, engineering and medicine. We also hope to commercialize more of our technologies via spin-offs and partnership with companies to make a technological impact on healthcare and alternative energy challenges."

^1. Y. Han, D. Zhang, L. L. Chng, J. Sun, L. Zhao, X. Zou and J. Y. Ying, "A Tri-Continuous Mesoporous Material, IBN-9, With a Silica Pore Wall Following a Hexagonal Minimal Surface," Nature Chemistry, 1 (2009) 123-127. Read More

^2. L. Liu, K. Xu, H. Wang, J. P. K. Tan, W. Fan, S. S. Venkatraman, L. Li and Y. Y. Yang, "Self-Assembled Cationic Peptide Nanoparticles as an Efficient Antimicrobial Agent," Nature Nanotechnology, 4 (2009) 457-463. Read More

^3. J. Yang and J. Y. Ying, "A General Phase-Transfer Protocol for Metal Ions and Its Application in Nanocrystal Synthesis," Nature Materials, 8 (2009) 683-689. Read More