Discovery boosting effectiveness of antibiotics 'major step forward'

Discovery boosting effectiveness of antibiotics 'major step forward': NTU scientists

The effectiveness of antibiotics could be enhanced by disrupting the cell-to-cell communication between bacteria and their ability to latch on to each other, said scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) on Wednesday (Mar 30).

The findings will be a “major step forward” in tackling the growing concern of antibiotic resistance, opening up new treatment options for doctors to help patients fight against chronic and persistent bacterial infections, they added.

Led by Assistant Professor Yang Liang from the Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences at NTU, the study found that a community of bacteria - known as biofilm - can put up a strong line of defence to resist antibiotics.

“Many types of bacteria that used to be easily killed by antibiotics have started to develop antibiotic resistance or tolerance, either through acquiring the antibiotic resistant genes or by forming biofilms,” the Asst Prof said.

He added that the US Center for Disease Control estimates that more than 60 per cent of all bacterial infections are related to biofilms.

Associate Professor Kevin Pethe, an expert in antibiotic development and infectious diseases from NTU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, said: “While the scientific community is developing new types of antibiotics and antimicrobial treatments, this discovery may help to buy time by improving the effectiveness of older drugs.”

The study, supported by the Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund, took Asst Prof Yang and his team four years to complete. Moving forward, they will seek more ways to improve the efficiency of antibiotics for persistent infections.

“What we hope to do is to develop new compounds that are able to better target biofilms," he said. "This will help existing drugs perform better at overcoming biofilm infections, which is commonly seen in cases of patients with artificial implants and chronic wounds, as they have very limited effective treatment options that are effective."

NTU said the research was published recently in academic journal Nature Communications.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

NTU partners China's central bank on Renminbi research

NTU partners China's central bank on Renminbi research

Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has partnered China's central bank, the People's Bank of China (PBOC), to launch a new research centre studying the demand and use of the Renminbi (RMB) in international markets.

In a press release, NTU said the new Centre for RMB Internationalisation Studies (CRIS) was launched at the Ritz Carlton in Beijing, China, on Tuesday (Mar 29). The centre will leverage the expertise in finance from NTU’s Nanyang Business School to train policy-makers and finance executives in RMB policies and internationalisation process, it added.

Located at NTU, the centre will be jointly managed by the PBOC’s China Centre for Financial Training and the Nanyang Business School.

Besides assessing the RMB’s impact on the world economy and trade, the new centre will also provide thought leadership on the RMB through conferences and forums for top finance leaders and policy-makers. It will share research papers and maintain a comprehensive economic and finance database for research and academic use.

"As an internationalised currency, the RMB will be able to offer a host of benefits to consumers, traders, banks, and businesses," NTU said.

"Central banks around the world will also be more willing to adopt the RMB as a reserve currency and it can be a favoured currency for international transactions, joining the league of major world currencies such as the US dollar and the Euro."

The new centre is supported by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) Singapore, United Overseas Bank and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

NTU partners Northwestern to further raise engineering's appeal

NTU partners Northwestern to further raise engineering's appeal

Results are released and top A-level science students shun engineering and pick medicine, business or computing because of high salaries in these fields.

But engineering is fighting back. Leading the charge is the elite Renaissance Engineering Programme (REP), launched in 2011 at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

In the past few years, REP was oversubscribed by seven times. This year, it aims to take in up to 70 students, up from 60 last year.

REP combines engineering with business and liberal arts, and students spend a year at one of two partner universities - University of California, Berkeley, or Imperial College London - before interning at companies abroad.

In the case of Berkeley, students intern with companies in Silicon Valley. Those heading for London work in companies such as Rolls Royce.

Now, NTU is upping REP's appeal by tying up with another leading engineering school - Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois.

Students who choose to do a year there will take the design certificate course from the renowned Segal Design Institute.

Working in team-based, cross-disciplinary settings, students focus on innovative design processes to solve real problems for real clients. The course ends with each student generating a design portfolio that is presented at a Segal Design Expo. They go on to work in start-ups and companies in the United States.

NTU provost Freddy Boey said Northwestern is known for engineering design and NTU has also set up a joint institute with it to research the areas of disease diagnostics and targeted drug-delivery methods.

He noted it is important for NTU graduates to have global exposure as it will "teach them to operate in different countries and cultures".

As the world's largest single-campus engineering facility turning out about 3,000 graduates a year, NTU, he added, is aiming to bring the excitement back to the discipline.

Prof Boey, a materials engineer known for many inventions, including the world's smallest heart pump, said: "Sadly, students and parents still think of engineers as repairmen.

"But when the students go to Silicon Valley and UK, they see for themselves that engineers are inventors and creators. A degree in engineering can lead to interesting careers."

He added that Gen Y students want courses that are interesting and expose them to different areas so they can pick and choose. They also want to travel and have varied experiences. REP has elements of all those.

Materials engineer Gan Chee Lip, who heads REP, said, with three partners, the programme offers more choices to students.

"Those interested in technopreneurship can head to Berkeley. Those interested in areas such as aerospace engineering can go to Imperial...

"Now, we have Northwestern for those interested in design," he added.

REP student Cyndi Teh, 21, a second-year mechanical engineering student, hopes to be in the first batch at Northwestern this year. She said: "I am really interested in product design - how to create products that people will love, that evoke feelings."

~News courtesy of mypaper~

邀园林景观公司投标 南大计划重新发展云南园

邀园林景观公司投标 南大计划重新发展云南园

南洋理工大学计划重新发展旧南洋大学所遗留下的云南园、华裔馆前的喷水池广场和南大湖，作为南大校园发展蓝图的一部分。

南大星期一通过政府电子商务网站（GeBIZ）上载招标意向通告，邀请园林景观设计顾问公司提供发展咨询。

根据上述招标通告的内容，重新发展云南园的目的是要更好的讲述校园的文化历史；展示现代科学与科技，例如利用人类仿生（Biomimicry）学概念来激发学习热忱；为学生和公众创造一个增进沟通的社区空间和聚会的绿色空间。

招标文告说，新发展的目的是要为华裔馆前的广场、云南园和南大湖注入新活力，让这些地方成为校园里的蓬勃绿色地带，也可成为学生和公众展开消闲活动的场所。

南洋理工大学希望通过好的设计与规划，吸引更多学生和公众去使用这些空间。

南大的招标通告说，招标活动将分成2个阶段进行，第1阶段是邀请有兴趣的园林景观设计公司表明意愿，在3月17日下午4时前呈上意愿书，表明有兴趣参与竞标。

南大会从呈上意愿书的公司中挑选出3家至5家，再邀请它们参与第2阶段的竞标活动。

南大打算在第2阶段后，买下合适的重新发展设计构思，再落实重新发展计划。

《我报》