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The Chew Lab engineers bio-functional micro- and nano-structured scaffolds to understand and direct cellular behavior. We use combinatorial approaches involving substrate topography/compliance and biochemical cues from drugs, genes and cells to mediate tissue regeneration and host-implant integration.

Our works range from fundamental science to scaffold, drug/gene/cell delivery technology development; and translational research. Currently, the Chew Lab focuses on scaffold-mediated gene-silencing approaches to understand and direct neural tissue regeneration, stem cell differentiation and host-implant integration.

The Chew Lab's main objective is to provide improved platforms for better understanding and control over cell fate for regenerative medicine.

Lab Updates

Sept 2022: Chew Lab is hiring a Senior/Postdoctoral Associate to work on Biophysical Cell Analysis and Sorting Instrumentation. More details here.

Sept 2022: Chew Lab hiring a Project Officer/ Research Associate to work on human induced pluripotent stem cells and neural stem cell derivation. More details here.

Sept 2022: 'Modulating neuroinflammation through molecular, cellular and biomaterial-based approaches to treat spinal cord injury', published in Bioengineering & Translational Medicine

Jul 2022: 'Bio-Mimicking Acellular Wet Electrospun Scaffolds Promote Accelerated Integration and Re-Epithelialization of Full-Thickness Dermal Wounds', published in Bioengineering

Apr 2022: 'Delivery of Wnt inhibitor WIF1 via engineered polymeric microspheres promotes nerve regeneration after sciatic nerve crush', published in Journal of Tissue Engineering

Nov 2021: 'Neural cell membrane-coated nanoparticles for targeted and enhanced uptake in the central nervous system cells', published in ACS AMI

May 2021: 'A 3D Fiber-hydrogel based non-viral gene delivery platform reveals that microRNAs promote axon regeneration and enhance functional recovery following spinal cord injury', published in Advanced Science

Apr 2021: 'C ell membrane-coated electrospun fibers enhance keratinocyte growth through cell-type specific interactions' published in ACS Applied Bio Materials

Apr 2021: 'Mechanotransduction assays for neural regeneration strategies: A focus on glial cells' published in APL Bioengineering (Editor's Pick)

Apr 2021: 'Injectable hydrogels in stroke and spinal cord injury treatment: a review on hydrogel materials, cell–matrix interactions and glial involvement' published in Materials Advances

Sept 2020: 'Laser microdissection-based axotomy model incorporating the use of biomimicking fiber scaffolds reveals microRNAs promote axon regeneration over long injury distance' published in Biomaterials Science

Aug 2020: 'Oriented and sustained protein expression on biomimicking electrospun fibers for evaluating functionality of cells' published in Materials Science & Engineering: C

Aug 2020: 'Biomimicking Fiber Platform with Tunable Stiffness to Study Mechanotransduction Reveals Stiffness Enhances Oligodendrocyte Differentiation but Impedes Myelination through YAP‐Dependent Regulation' published in Small

July 2020: We are hiring for our ScaNCellS project. More details here.

July 2020: 'Localized delivery of CRISPR/dCas9 via layer-by-layer self-assembling peptide coating on nanofibers for neural tissue engineering' published in Biomaterials

July 2020: 'RNA interference in glial cells for nerve injury treatment' published in Journal of Tissue Engineering

June 2020: Call for papers: Special Collection on 'Nano-Bio-Technologies for Neural Regeneration' guest edited by SY Chew and JK Hyun. Among selected topics: bioscaffolds/topographical cues/biochemical signals. Deadline: Dec 31 2020. More information here.

June 2020: New PhD projects listed on NTU Institute of Health Technologies, where scholarships are available. More details here.

June 2020: Excited that our project 'ScaNCellS' got funded. Look forward to a successful SG/Fr collaboration with Laurent David (IMP)

May 2020: 'Biofunctional scaffolds with high packing density of aligned electrospun fibers support neural regeneration' published in JBMR, Part A

Dec 2019: 'Modulating Macrophage Phenotype by Sustained MicroRNA Delivery Improves Host‐Implant Integration' published in Advanced Healthcare Materials

Sept 2019: 'Regenerative rehabilitation: Exploring the synergistic effects of rehabilitation and implantation of bio-functional scaffold in enhancing nerve regeneration' published in Biomaterials Science

Apr 2019: 'Scaffold-mediated non-viral delivery platform for CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing' published in Acta Biomaterialia

Mar 2019: 'Scaffold-mediated sequential drug/gene delivery to promote nerve regeneration and remyelination following traumatic nerve injuries', published in Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews

Feb 2019: 'Biomimicking Fiber Scaffold as an Effective In Vitro and In Vivo MicroRNA Screening Platform for Directing Tissue Regeneration', published in Advanced Science.

Feb 2019: 'Scaffold-mediated sustained, non-viral delivery of miR-219/miR-338 promotes CNS remyelination', featured on the cover of Feb issue of Molecular Therapy .

Jan 2019: 'Modulation of cell-cell interactions for neural tissue engineering: Potential therapeutic applications of cell adhesion molecules in nerve regeneration', published in Biomaterials.

Nov 2018: 'Scaffold-mediated sustained, non-viral delivery of miR-219/miR-338 promotes CNS remyelination', published in Molecular Therapy .

Oct 2018: 'Scaffold mediated gene knockdown for neuronal differentiation of human neural progenitor cells', published in Biomaterials Science.

Mar 2018: Congratulations to Jiah Shin for winning the 'Young Scientist Travel Fellowship Prize' for scientific excellence at the 3rd Singapore International Conference on Skin Research & 9th Pan Asian Pacific Skin Barrier Research Symposium.

Jul 2016: Media coverage of our works on spinal cord injury treatment: Phys.Org; Health News Digest; Canada Free Press.

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Biologically-inspired materials for regenerative medicine

Lab Updates