Today, people around the world are living longer, however, healthy life expectancy increases more slowly than average life expectancy, leading to poor quality of life and a big burden on individuals and society. The current estimated gap between average and healthy life expectancy is 10 to 20 years, and it is widening year by year. Illnesses, particularly intractable diseases, threaten the well-being of not only individuals but also society.

Our laboratory is dedicated to developing safer and more effective therapeutic strategies for intractable diseases and age-related conditions, where current medical approaches face significant unmet needs. We have been developing innovative nanomedicine and biomaterials, aiming for a nanotechnology platform based on molecules derived from nature or the human body. These nanoparticles are designed to utilize the naturally occurring therapeutic functions of the materials, and thereby synergistically enhance therapeutic outcomes of the encapsulated various types of drugs such as small molecules, antibodies, genes, etc.

This research is grounded in nearly two decades of work conducted at the institute under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore. It has led to a number of publications in top-tier journals, over 90 international patent applications and registrations, and the receipt of prestigious international awards, attesting to its global recognition.

Despite remarkable advances in medicine and technology, the current pharmacotherapy has significant challenges: insufficient drug delivery to malignant tissues, adverse effects in healthy tissues, development of drug resistance, and severely invasive administration methods that burden both patients and healthcare providers. These issues hinder effective treatments and patients’ compliance and QOL.

In our laboratory, we begin by asking essential questions: “What is the unmet need of current therapies?” and “What kind of innovations are needed to improve efficacy and QOL of patients?” Based on this inquiry, we proceed to design and construct biomaterial systems tailored to address these unmet needs. Together with our students and research staff, we engage in ongoing in-depth discussions on the scientific significance of material design related to disease pathology, societal needs, and translation to real-world implementation. Our research activities emphasize rational experimental design, logical validation, and interdisciplinary approaches. Through these efforts, we aim to cultivate the ability to identify critical challenges, develop creative ideas, integrate diverse academic knowledge, think logically based on data, and carry a strong sense of responsibility and ethics in conducting research and translating technology.

Neither human beings nor the world we live in is perfect. We all live with limitations and unresolved problems. Therefore, it would be important to define the limits of ourselves and the current societies, and challenge to develop our untapped potential with envisioning the future world that we can improve through our research. This world and  life are filled with unfathomable knowledge and wisdom. To explore them, impart the knowledge you discover toward the world, and contribute to society through your work would be one of the most exciting and valuable endeavors. We would like to challenge the wonderful journey to pave a new avenue for innovative treatment with members who share the vision.