A*Star team creates smallest workable gear

The Straits Times

SCIENTISTS in Singapore have earned a place in the record books after creating the world's smallest workable gear.

The molecule-size device is up to 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair and could pave the way for new technologies. The invention will receive a mention in Guinness World Records' next edition.

It is developed by a seven-man team from the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, which is part of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star).

The scientists used a machine called a scanning tunnelling microscope, more commonly used to view materials at an atomic level. They took advantage of an electrical connection between the molecules and the tip of the microscope to manipulate the gear.

Their research was first published in science journal Nature Materials in 2009. Project leader Christian Joachim, an A*Star visiting investigator from French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, had said then: 'Making a gear the size of a few atoms is one thing, but being able to deliberately control its motions and actions is something else altogether.'

So far, the device has not been used to develop any products as the next largest gear is too big for it. Research is ongoing to create intermediate gears.

The scientists believe their discovery has the potential to be used in supercomputers. One of the most advanced now is the size of a refrigerator.

The team is also part of a group trying to create a computer chip 1,000 times smaller than a grain of sand. This project, worth €10 million (S$17 million), is a collaboration between the institute and scientists from the European Union.

Computer chips are currently made by using optical beams to etch grooves on their parts. Experts say the chips can shrink for only another 10 to 15 years before the width of the beam prevents any further miniaturisation.

To solve this problem, the group aims to build a chip from the atom up instead. They hope to create a prototype by 2015.

Scientists here crack bile duct cancer puzzle

SCIENTISTS here have discovered a genetic clue that could prevent the growth and spread of bile duct cancer.

Led by Professor Teh Bin Tean, the team from the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) and the Van Andel Research Institute (Vari) in the United States found the level of the enzyme MAPK13 (p38delta mitogen-activated protein kinase) is higher in cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) than in other forms of liver cancer or in normal tissue.

It was also found that MAPK13 plays a role in allowing the tumour cells to move and invade normal organ tissues.

The discovery means the enzyme could complement the current biomarkers used to diagnose bile duct cancer.

'This is significant as it is now possible to deactivate the gene through treatment to slow down the cancerous growth,' Prof Teh, who is also the director of the NCCS-Vari team, told The Straits Times.

Bile duct cancer is particularly prevalent in South-east Asia, but cases of the disease are rising in the US, Britain and Australia.

The cancer strikes about 3,000 new patients each year here - the same number as in the US.

It is most commonly found in patients in their 60s and 70s, and the outcome of the disease is generally poor, with a five-year survival rate of less than 5 per cent.

The current treatment of the disease is surgery to remove the bile duct or the bile duct and part of the liver, but with most patients, the cancer is too advanced when diagnosed to operate.

'Understanding the genetics of bile duct cancer means a focused drug targeting it could be developed to improve the long-term survival rate of patients,' said Prof Teh, whose laboratory published its findings in the International Journal Of Cancer last month.

NTU team maps Malaria parasite's behaviour

The secrets of the most deadly malaria parasite, Plasmodium facliparum, have been unravelled by scientists at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), raising hopes that stagnation in drug development for the disease can end.

The team at NTU has mapped the behaviour of the 5,300 genes of the parasite. Previously, only half the genes were understood. The discovery was reported in January 2010's edition of the journal Nature Biotechnology.

EADS to conduct research in Singapore

Singapore's aerospace research capabilities climbed up a notch on 4/2/10 when European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) committed to work with three Singapore institutions on "green" aircraft solutions.

EADS, parent company of aircraft manufacturer Airbus, is working with A*Star's Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences on converting algae oil to kerosene for use as jet fuel.

It also signed a research agreement with Nanyang Technological University, where it is involved in developing an energy efficient radio system.

The National University of Singapore and EADS already have two projects in mind. One of these looks at solar powered aircraft, while the other is on improving the aerodynamic qualities of aircraft.

Scientists find flower power

Scientists have found a long-sought-after gene which controls when plants flower. The discovery, reported in Molecular Cell journal, could lead to a greater yield of crops such as rice and to faster-growing flowers such as orchids.

PhD student Wang Yu, who was at the National University of Singapore (NUS) but is currently at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star), started out studying how a similar gene in humans affects cancer and Alzheimer's.

Singapore is the world's second largest exporter of orchids, which can take anything from three to five years to bloom. But through the discovery of this gene, Prof Yu, 38, has managed to speed up the process.

And NUS Assistant Professor Liou Yih-Cherng, who was in charge of the original work on the gene in mammals, said: "Knowing how this gene functions in plants helps us understand it better in humans and could lead to drug development for diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's."

The Straits Times (Jan 16, 2010)

New study links gene markers to heart disease

A Singaporean-led team of scientists from Cambridge University has achieved a breakthrough in linking a set of DNA markets found in humans to a person's increased propensity for heart disease.

By comparing tissues from a set of patients with healthy and disease-stricken hearts, the team led by Singaporean Roger Foo found that a specific region of the human DNA in people with sick hearts contained certain "marks", whereas the healthy hearts did not.

The finding could potentially lead to new ways of treating heart disease, as well as identify its links to factors such as diet and the environment, said Dr Foo.

The findings were published in the journal PLoS ONE this week.

The Straits Times (Jan 16, 2010)

Braces that are almost invisible

A local start-up, BioMers, developed translucent braces and retainers in late 2008.

Nanotechnology was used to create a polymer composite wire that works as well as metal wires currently used in braces. Its latest products come coloured, as these are more popular with teens around the world.

Some local dentists are already carrying the products, which are only slightly more expensive than current aesthetic braces.

Breakthrough work on plants by Singapore duo

Two Singaporean researchers, along with a host of other international scientists, have made a discovery which could help crops survive harsh conditions such as drought and heat.

The two PhD students from the National University of Singapore Graduate School for Integrated Sciences and Engineering - Ms Ng Ley Moy and Ms Soon Fen Fen - went to the Van Andel Research Institute in Michigan in June to work on this topic with a team of 19 other researchers from around the world.

NUS team makes cloning breakthrough

Scientists at National University of Singapore took 5 years and $1.5million to develop new cloning capabilities.

They have become the first to clone an animal by fertilising an egg with an embryonic stem cell that mimics sperm.

Their research has the potential to allow scientists to study and treat genes that cause diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

The molecular biologists behind the project are Associate Professor Hong Yunhan, Dr Yi Meisheng and Ms Hong Ni.