Dear Colleagues,
Vol 3 No 4 of Innovation Magazine is out. Articles and contents are
available online from http://www.innovationmagazine.com
Cover Story
Infectious Diseases
14 Singapore's Relentless War
Against Infectious Diseases Researchers rise to the challenge of
developing diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics against infectious
diseases.
16 SARS Special
Singapore Joins the SARS War
Scientists and clinicians pool their expertise and resources to fight
SARS.
26 A Defensive Approach to Diagnostics for Infectious Diseases
Singapore's defence institute works to enhance the speed and
sensitivity of diagnostics for various infectious diseases of national
interest.
28 Busting Drug-Resistant Bugs
Advances and measures to knock out resistant pathogens.
30 Flushing out Hidden TB Bugs
Singapore researchers pursue drug-resistant tuberculosis bacteria,
which kill two billion people worldwide.
32 Toxins as Educational Agents
By studying the specific actions of deadly toxins, scientists may
acquire knowledge that saves lives.
35 Blocking Fungal Proliferation in the Body
One way to arrest candidiasis, an infection deadly to AIDS patients,
is to knock out the fungus' iron-grabbing gene.
36 The Inside Story of the Malaria Parasite
Unravelling the mysteries of the malaria-causing parasite within the
cell may lead to the discovery of the elusive ultimate vaccine.
38 Sleeping with the Enemy: Understanding Sleeping Sickness and
Malaria
Biologists identify the genes that allow the parasites responsible for
sleeping
sickness and malaria to evade the host immune system.
42 Bioinformatics Speeds up Search for Cures
Researchers teach computers to do large-scale immunology, which is
emerging as
the next wave in a traditional field.
44 Developing Vaccines Against Viruses
Johns Hopkins looks for ways to develop vaccines that will target
infectious
diseases endemic to Southeast Asia.
46 Combating Singapore's Dengue Resurgence
Public health research in Singapore could counter the re-emergence of
dengue, which has affected thousands of young adults.
48 Tracking West Nile Virus Replication
52 Ticking Time Bombs in the Body:Cancer-Causing Viruses
A microbiologist who has found a receptor presenting a viral peptide
probably responsible for activating nasopharyngeal carcinoma is using
the knowledge to design a detection test.
54 Lilly-NUS Centre Tests Hepatitis B Drug
Clinical trials in Singapore have produced encouraging results on a
promising
hepatitis B drug.
55 Clinical Trials: The Key to Safe Drugs
56 Drug Discovery the Natural Way
More than half of today's approved drugs are either natural products
or substances related to them.
58 The Pharmaceutical Industry in Singapore
Features
62 New Hope for a Very Personal Matter
Current advances in erectile dysfunction research.
65 Nanotechnology in Tissue Engineering
Harnessing the regenerative power innate in cells to replace tissues
and organs.
68 Nano-Wafer-Level Packaging to Revolutionise Semiconductors
Singapore may well be the seedbed for a new generation of chips
produced with nanopackaging in wafer fabrication.
72 DARPA Expert Looks Beyond MEMS
A former DARPA programme manager shares intelligence on cutting-edge
research in the defence arena.
Departments
1 Editorial
Battling infectious diseases on multiple fronts.
4 In Brief
Innovation highlights in various fields.
10 Industry Updates
Significant industry developments worldwide.
60 Viewpoint
A psychologist looks at some of the measures Singapore adopted in its
fight
against SARS that can help the nation maintain its preparedness for
possible
subsequent outbreaks.
74 Spotlight
Sir Paul Nurse, 2001 Nobel laureate in medicine, talks about the
potential rewards of working in basic research.
78 Calendar
80 Advertiser
This issue is available at http://www.innovationmagazine.com
Previous issues are also available online.
