Our Mission
To understand the mechanical aspects of cells and tissues that create organism form and function.
To define a fundamental set of mechanobiological operations from which these complex biological functions are built.
To establish this as a world-wide standard to unify the description and understanding of normal and diseased functions.
To develop a robust multidisciplinary approach to mechanobiology, embracing an open research platform to achieve synergism and to train a new generation of researchers and students.
The Centre will, therefore, serve as the nucleus for cutting-edge research and workforce training in order to develop a stronger and sustainable knowledge-based economy in Singapore, through the 3 main objectives defined as follows:
Attract, support and retain world-class investigators to conduct high quality and high impact research in Singapore
Enhance postgraduate research training and education
Create new knowledge in selected areas of focus, which are of academic significance and strategic relevance to Singapore.
About the RCE in Mechanobiology
Our Vision: to create the world's leading centre in Mechanobiology with a strong and cohesive interdisciplinary team
Our goal is to develop a new paradigm of biomedical research by focusing on the quantitative and systematic understanding of dynamic functional processes. Instead of purely based on molecular networks of interactions, we will understand the processes at both a biophysical and biochemical level through systematic decomposition of the biomechanical processes into smaller functional steps.
We will create a common international standard for defining these steps and develop powerful new computational models, experimental reagents, and tools for studying diseases of cells and tissues; and transfer our basic discoveries to the clinic through a world-class Research Centre of Excellence in Mechanobiology.
With a systems-level perspective, we will create a "Manual of Cellular and Molecular Function", a step-by-step, modular understanding of cell mechanics across molecular, cellular and tissue levels. By studying functions in normal and diseased tissues, the RCE will facilitate transfer of our discoveries to the clinic through a Tissue Repair Manual.
The deliverable of this integrated Manual of Cellular and Molecular Function will be accomplished through interdisciplinary teams drawn from Singapore and International researchers in medicine, biology, chemistry, physics, engineering and computing.
The Centre will provide an Open Platform to bring outstanding scientists and their projects to Singapore while providing high-quality training for students and scientists (local and foreign) in quantitative systems approaches to understand biomechanical functions.