A team of researchers from NUS, led by Asst Prof Shao Huilin from the Dept of Biomedical Engineering at NUS Faculty of Engineering and the Institute for Health Innovation & Technology at NUS, has developed a new technology that promises to make biopsies more informative and less invasive for cancer patients. The Sequence-Topology Assembly for Multiplexed Profiling (STAMP) technology can detect and classify cancer cells, as well as determine the disease’s aggressiveness. Patients and doctors can also receive comprehensive reports earlier to facilitate timely treatment.

Prof Zheng Yongnian from the East Asian Institute at NUS opined that the internet era is an unprecedented ideal era, as it allows easy interpersonal interactions without any costs.

A survey by the Duke-NUS Medical School showed that 14.5 per cent of 1,499 elderly respondents aged above 66 were at risk of polypharmacy. Polypharmacy was twice as prevalent among males aged over 85, as compared to females aged 66 to 69.

Ms Ooi Yu Lin, Senior Research Associate and Dr Han Ling, Research Fellow, both from the Asia Centre for Social Entrepreneurship & Philanthropy (ACSEP) at NUS Business School, shared on how the exhibition “For Love Shines: An Ode to 200 Years" came about and discussed philanthropy then and now.

Asst Prof Mary Chong from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at NUS noted that despite societies around the world getting more affluent, problems related to lack of essential nutrients in our diet are creeping back.

Food tech start-up Hoow Foods, incorporated by four NUS engineers and scientists in 2018, has raised $1.7 million in seed funding led by local food and beverage heritage brand Killiney Group. Hoow Foods has successfully reformulated common food products like coffee and baked goods into healthier versions while retaining their taste and texture.

Assoc Prof Nitin Pangarkar from the Dept of Strategy & Policy at NUS Business School observed that many popular apps harbour the ambition to be a regional Superapp, to offer a multitude of services under one umbrella with the aim of generating higher revenues and profits. He opined that an aspiring regional Superapp must carefully consider strategies and strong execution such as context and an anchor service to be successful.

Assoc Prof Gerard Sasges from the Dept of Southeast Asian Studies at NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and Ng Shi Wen, founder of Photo Rikiki co-authored a book Hard At Work – Life In Singapore based on interviews with hundreds of working people. The authors worked with a group of NUS students who invited them to tell their stories in their own words, to create a narrative of their working lives.

A study by researchers from the NUS Faculty of Dentistry has found that if bacteria in the mouth, especially on the tongue, when not cleaned, they might be inhaled into the lungs and cause pneumonia, with patients with intubation of the nose and throat at higher risk. The year-long study found that out of the 33 elderly patients with a nasogastric tube, up to 45.5 per cent had contracted pneumonia. In contrast, only 7.7 per cent of patients who did not have a nasogastric tube contracted pneumonia.

Dr Zhang Weina and Dr Ruth Tan, Senior Lecturer and Assoc Prof respectively from the Dept of Finance at NUS Business School explained that an inverted yield curve refers to a yield curve that has lower interest rates in the long end of the curve than in the short end. The most frequently quoted yield curves are based on government bonds and they are useful for benchmarking and for inferring the future state of the economy.