The Neurobiology Programme consists of a broad-based group of investigators who conduct inter-disciplinary research that includes developmental and molecular neurobiology, the neurobiology of perception and cognition, age-related neurodegenerative diseases (especially Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease) and stroke are increasingly consuming larger amounts of Singapore’s healthcare budget and the social burden weighs on the community. NUS has therefore made ageing and age-related diseases, especially neurodegenerative diseases, a major focus area. The Neurobiology Programme consists of a broad-based group of investigators who conduct inter-disciplinary research in neurobiology. Members are drawn from a range of departments within and outside NUS.

Key Objectives

• To develop NUS as a world-class hub in Neurobiology and Ageing Research
• To act as a focus for the recruitment of talented academic staff members, researchers and postgraduates
• To pay special attention to neurological problems of relevance to Singapore and Asia

Research Areas

• Assessment of neurodegeneration (Combining cognitive, chemical, and imaging approaches)
• Origins of vascular dysfunction in Singapore
• Predictors of stroke and dementia
• Diet, environmental toxins, and neurodegenerative disease
• Cell adhesion, cell migration and axonal guidance
• Neuronal stem cells
• Neuronal lipidomics
• Proteasomal dysfunction, mitochondrial defects and oxidative damage in neurodegeneration
• Neuroprotective strategies
• Protein phosphorylation, protein folding and neurodegeneration
• Nematode and murine models for human ageing
• Cognitive neuroscience

Research Highlights

• Formulation of a unifying hypothesis of neurodegeneration
• Discovery of foetal cells in the mother’s brain
• Discovery of new risk factors for stroke and prediction of stroke outcome
• Elucidation of the role of H2S in neurodegeneration
• Discovery of a mechanism by which hypercholesterolaemia can cause neurodegeneration
• Cloning and expression of a novel nerve growth factor from the spitting cobra
• Establishment of an animal model for researching diabetic neuropathy
• Identification of novel agents that increase longevity in nematodes
• Discovery of novel physiological locations and functions of amyloid precursor protein (APP) (patent filed)
• RNomics and Genomics of stroke
• Neuroprotectants against focal ischemia (patents filed)
• Determination of the first NMR structure of Nogo-60 and design of a structured and buffer-soluble Nogo-54
• Structural characterization of all three Nogo proteins