For Immediate Release August 2, 2010 MEDIA RELEASE

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1 For Immediate Release August 2, 2010 MEDIA RELEASE International Conference on Bioengineering and Nanotechnology to Boost Interdisciplinary Research Over 300 delegates expected at the 5 th SBE International Conference on Bioengineering and Nanotechnology organized by IBN in Singapore Singapore, August 2, 2010 The 5 th SBE International Conference on Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (ICBN 2010) kicks off today at the Biopolis in Singapore from August 2-4, Over 300 delegates from around the world will convene at this multidisciplinary conference organized by the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), the world's first bioengineering and nanotechnology research institute, to showcase the latest cutting-edge research advances. The ICBN conference series was launched in 2004 by IBN, the Society for Biological Engineering (SBE) and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), to foster greater knowledge exchange and collaboration in the areas of bioengineering and nanotechnology two interdisciplinary fields that cut across and integrate different areas in science, engineering and medicine to create breakthroughs in biomedical research. ICBN 2010 marks the third time that IBN is holding the event in Singapore. Chaired by IBN Executive Director, Professor Jackie Y. Ying, ICBN 2010 features an impressive line-up of 23 invited talks by renowned international experts, including 3 plenary lectures, 26 contributed oral presentations and 61 posters by researchers from 15 countries. The comprehensive range of topics that will be covered during this three-day conference include Drug, Protein and Gene Delivery Systems, Cell and Tissue Engineering, Biodevices and Biosensors, Pharmaceuticals Synthesis and Green Chemistry, as well as Nanoparticles, Nanocomposites and Nanoporous Materials for Bio-Applications. IBN is delighted to organize the ICBN conference again this year to offer an on-going platform for bioengineering and nanotechnology researchers from all over the world to discuss their latest scientific discoveries. To develop innovative solutions to global challenges, it is important to promote interdisciplinary research. We are honored to have leading experts in various fields attending this conference, and look forward to stimulating presentations and discussions, said Professor Jackie Y. Ying. The first Keynote Lecture (August 2, Monday) on Supramolecular Structures of Block Copolymers as Smart Nanocarriers for Gene and Drug Delivery will be delivered by Professor Kazunori Kataoka from The University of Tokyo, Japan. Professor Kataoka received the National Institute of Materials Science (NIMS) Award in 2009 for his outstanding research achievements and contributions to developing functional

2 nanodevices for drug and gene delivery. His talk will focus on the development of new polymeric carrier systems, especially block copolymer micelles for drug targeting. The second Keynote Lecture (August 3, Tuesday) on Multimeric sirna Conjugates for Highly Efficient Gene Silencing will be presented by Professor Tae Gwan Park from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Korea. Professor Park has successfully commercialized PLGA scaffolds (Innopol-DÒ) for soft tissue engineering and licensed out several protein and gene delivery technologies. His talk will focus on how cleavable multi-sirna can be applied as potential gene silencing therapeutics for the treatment of genetic diseases and cancers. The third Keynote Lecture (August 4, Wednesday) on Healing a Heart: Harnessing the Macrophage and Stem Cells for Cardiac Reconstruction will be presented by Professor Buddy R. Ratner. Professor Ratner is the Director of University of Washington Engineered Biomaterials Engineering Research Center. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering (2002) and received the Founders Award of the Society for Biomaterials (2004). His talk will explore the feasibility of developing a tissue engineered heart muscle. ICBN 2010 s line-up of invited speakers come from leading institutions around the world, including Cornell University, Fudan University, Imperial College London, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Nanyang Technological University, National Tsing Hua University, National University of Singapore, Rice University, Rutgers University, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zürich), The University of Tokyo, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, San Diego, University of Rostock and University of Texas at Austin. To nurture the future generation of researchers, 15 outstanding students from 7 countries received the ICBN 2010 Student Travel Awards to present their research findings and engage with scientific leaders at the conference. The award recipients received travel funding and conference registration fee waiver. The conference started yesterday with a cocktail reception and the scientific sessions commence today until Wednesday. Please refer to the annexes for the speakers biographical sketches and talk abstracts. More information about the event and the speakers are available at For media queries and interview requests, please contact: Elena Tan Phone : elenatan@ibn.a-star.edu.sg Nidyah Sani Phone: nidyah@ibn.a-star.edu.sg

3 About ICBN The International Conference on Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (ICBN) was launched in 2004 by the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), Society for Biological Engineering (SBE) and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), to foster greater international knowledge exchange and collaboration in the area of bioengineering and nanotechnology two interdisciplinary fields that cut across and integrate different areas in science, engineering and medicine to create breakthroughs in biomedical research. The inaugural conference was hosted by IBN from September 26-29, 2004 in Biopolis, Singapore. The three-day conference was attended by 200 international delegates from around the world, and featured 23 invited talks by leading international experts, as well as 29 contributed presentations and more than 80 scientific posters. SBE hosted the second ICBN from September 5-7, 2006 at the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA. In line with its aim of establishing a platform for multidisciplinary collaboration, this event was cosponsored by the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Forum of AIChE, the California NanoSystems Institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara, the Bindley Bio-Science Center at Purdue University, the Birck Nanotechnology Center and Discovery Park, the National Science Foundation, the American Electrophoresis Society, the American Vacuum Society, as well as the Materials Research Society. ICBN 2006 featured 17 invited lectures, 52 contributed presentations and 64 scientific posters. 183 delegates from 12 countries attended this conference. Due to the success of ICBN 2004 and ICBN 2006, as indicated by the tremendous interest and support from the international research community and industry, the conference has been established as an on-going conference series organized by IBN and SBE. ICBN 2007 was hosted by IBN at the Biopolis, Singapore from August 12-15, 2007 and ICBN 2008 by SBE in Dublin, Ireland from July 22-24, ICBN 2010 takes place from August 1-4, 2010 in Singapore. Hosted by IBN, this conference will feature 23 distinguished invited speakers, including 3 plenary lectures, as well as 26 contributed oral presentations and 61 poster presentations. About IBN The Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) was established in 2003 and is spearheaded by its Executive Director, Professor Jackie Yi-Ru Ying, who has been on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology s Chemical Engineering faculty since 1992, and was among the youngest to be promoted to Professor in In 2008, Professor Ying was recognized as one of One Hundred Engineers of the Modern Era by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers for her groundbreaking work on nanostructured systems, nanoporous materials and host matrices for quantum dots and wires.

4 Under her direction, IBN conducts research at the cutting-edge of bioengineering and nanotechnology. Its programs are geared towards linking multiple disciplines across all fields in engineering, science and medicine to produce research breakthroughs that will improve healthcare and our quality of life. IBN s research activities are focused in the following areas: Drug and Gene Delivery, where the controlled release of therapeutics involve the use of functionalized polymers, hydrogels and biologics for targeting diseased cells and organs, and for responding to specific biological stimuli. Cell and Tissue Engineering, where biomimicking materials, stem cell technology, microfluidic systems and bioimaging tools are combined to develop novel approaches to regenerative medicine and artificial organs. Biosensors and Biodevices, which involve nanotechnology and microfabricated platforms for highthroughput biomarkers screening, automated biologics synthesis, and rapid disease diagnosis. Pharmaceuticals Synthesis and Green Chemistry, which encompasses the efficient catalytic synthesis of chiral pharmaceuticals, and new nanocomposite materials for sustainable technology and alternative energy generation. IBN's innovative research is aimed at creating new knowledge and intellectual properties in the emerging fields of bioengineering and nanotechnology to attract top-notch researchers and business partners to Singapore. Since 2003, IBN researchers have published over 580 papers in leading journals. IBN also plays an active role in technology transfer and spinning off companies, linking the research institute and industrial partners to other global institutions. The Institute has filed over 880 patent applications on its inventions and is currently looking for partners for collaboration and commercialization of its portfolio of technologies. IBN's current staff strength stands at over 180 scientists, engineers and medical doctors. With its multinational and multidisciplinary research staff, the institute is geared towards generating new biomaterials, devices, systems, equipment and processes to boost Singapore s economy in the fast-growing biomedical sector. IBN is also committed to nurturing young minds, and the institute acts as a training ground for PhD students and undergraduates. In October 2003, IBN initiated a Youth Research Program to open its doors to university students, as well as students and teachers from various secondary schools and junior colleges. It has since reached out to more than 39,640 students and teachers from 232 local and overseas schools and institutions. For more information, please visit

5 About SBE Established in 2004, the Society for Biological Engineering (SBE) is a technological community for engineers and applied scientists integrating biology and engineering. Members of SBE come from a broad spectrum of industries and disciplines and share in SBE s mission of realizing the benefits of bioprocessing, biomedical and biomolecular applications. More information is available at

6 ANNEX 1: ICBN 2010 Plenary Lecturers Plenary Lecture I Kazunori Kataoka Professor, Department of Materials Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Japan Monday, August 2, :45am to 9.30am Breakthrough Theatrette, Level 4 The Matrix, Biopolis Abstract Supramolecular Structures of Block Copolymers as Smart Nanocarriers for Gene and Drug Delivery Polymeric micelles, self-assembled supramolecular structures of block copolymers, are promising nanocarrier systems for drug and gene delivery. Several micellar formulations of antitumor drugs have been intensively studied in preclinical and clinical trials, and their utility has been demonstrated. Critical features of the polymeric micelles as drug carriers, including particle size, stability, and loading capacity and release kinetics of drugs, can be modulated by the structures and physicochemical properties of the constituent block copolymers. The development of smart polymeric micelles that dynamically change their properties due to sensitivity to chemical or physical stimuli is the most promising trend, directing to the targeting therapy with high efficacy and ensured safety. Smart polymeric micelles can respond to pathological or physiological endogenous stimuli already present in the body or to externally applied stimuli such as temperature, light or ultrasound. For example, ph-triggered system has a great promise in the treatment of intractable cancers. Here, the therapeutic agent should be stably associated with the hydrophobic core, and the release of the drug will be expected to occur along with the destabilization of the micelle structure responding to acidic ph of tumor tissue as well as intracellular compartment such as endosome and lysosome.

7 The success in gene and nucleic acid delivery indeed relies on the development of the safe and effective carriers. In this regard, polyion complex (PIC) micelles, which are formed between nucleic acid and PEGpolycation block copolymers have received much attention due to their small size (~ 100 nm) and excellent biocompatibility. Indeed, gene therapy by polymeric micelles was recently demonstrated for the intractable cardiovascular disease, pulmonary hypertension, by intratracheal transfer of therapeutic gene. The presentation will also be focused on the relevant properties of PIC micelles for systemic delivery of pdna as well as oligonucleotides. About the Speaker Kazunori Kataoka is Professor of Biomaterials at the Graduate School of Engineering of The University of Tokyo, Japan. Since 2004, he has been appointed Professor at the Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo and Chair of the Division of Clinical Biotechnology at the Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine. He also serves as Director of the Center for NanoBio Integration at The University of Tokyo, an interdisciplinary initiative sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan. He received his B.Eng. (1974) in Organic Chemistry, his M.Eng. (1976) and Ph.D. (1979) in Polymer Chemistry from The University of Tokyo. He has held positions at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Tokyo Women s Medical College ( ) and the Department of Materials Engineering, Tokyo University of Science ( ) before joining the faculty of The University of Tokyo in He was a Visiting Professor at the University of Paris XIII, France (1992, 1996), Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan (2007), and Ludwig-Maximillians University, Munich, Germany (2008). He served as the Adjunct Director of the Biomaterials Center at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Japan from Kataoka is past president of the Japanese Society for Biomaterials ( ), President of the Japanese Society of Gene Design and Delivery (since 2004), Vice President of the Society of Polymer Science, Japan (since 2008), Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) (since 1999) and Fellow of Biomaterials Science and Engineering (FBSE) (since 2004). He has received several awards, including an award from the Japanese Society for Biomaterials (1993), the Outstanding Paper Award from the Controlled Release Society (1995), an award from the Society of Polymer Science, Japan (2000), the Clemson Award in Basic Research from the Society for Biomaterials, USA (2005), the Barré Award from the University of Montreal (2006), the Founder s Award from the Controlled Release Society (2008) and the National Institute of Materials Science Award, Japan (2009). He has more than 400 publications and is on the editorial board of 12 international journals. He is Editor of the Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition and Associate Editor of Biomacromolecules (American Chemical Society). His current major research interests include supramolecular materials for nanobiotechnology, focusing on gene and drug delivery.

8 Plenary Lecture II Tae Gwan Park Professor, Department of Biological Sciences Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Korea Tuesday, August 3, :30am to 9.15am Breakthrough Theatrette, Level 4 The Matrix, Biopolis Abstract Multimeric sirna Conjugates for Highly Efficient Gene Silencing sirnas (19-21 base pairs) have been recently attracted as potential therapeutics by inhibiting diseaserelated genes in a sequence specific manner. For the clinical application of sirna, development of safe and efficient delivery system is essential. sirna has extremely low charge density and stiff structure about 5.67 nm, compared to plasmid DNA, which limits formation of nanosized complexes of sirna with cationic carriers. To facilitate formation of nano-sized polyelectrolyte complexes with sirna, highly charged cationic polymers, lipids, and peptides with high molecular weight were used for its intracellular delivery. However, highly charged cations usually exhibit severe cytotoxicity which might restrict clinical trial of sirna therapeutics. Recently, sirna dually terminated with sticky overhang ends was reported for the enhanced in vitro and in vivo gene silencing efficiencies by increased stability of sirna polyelectrolyte complexes. In this study, we prepared biologically active sirna structure based on self-crosslinked and multimerized sirna (multi-sirna) via chemical linkages such as cleavable disulfide and noncleavable ether bond. The multisirnas can form stable and compact polyelectrolyte complexes with linear PEI (LPEI) due to significantly increased charge densities and the presence of flexible chemical linkers. The multi-sirna complexes with LPEI via disulfide linkages exhibits greatly enhanced gene silencing efficiencies through a target mrnaspecific RNAi processing without significantly eliciting immune induction, compared to those with naked sirna. This study demonstrates that cleavable multi-sirna can be applied as potential gene silencing therapeutics for the treatment of genetic diseases and cancers.

9 About the Speaker Professor Tae Gwan Park received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the Seoul National University, Korea in 1980, his M.S. in Biological Sciences from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Korea in 1983, and his Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Washington, USA in 1990 under the direction of Professor Allan S. Hoffman. Following his postdoctoral research associate experience ( ) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA in Professor Robert Langer s laboratory, he joined Temple University, School of Pharmacy, USA as an Assistant Professor. In 1995, he returned to Korea and became a Professor at KAIST. He has received numerous awards including the New Faculty Development Award from the Parenteral Drug Association, USA (1992), the New Faculty Award from the Whitaker Foundation, USA (1993), the Seoam Scholar Award, Korea (2002), the Soodang Award, Korea (2002), the Nanotechnology Innovative Research Award, Korea (2006), the KAIST Research Award, Korea (2007) and the Clemson Award for Contributions to Literature from the Society for Biomaterials, USA (2009). His research interests include nanobiomaterial-based drug delivery systems, gene therapy and tissue engineering. He has published over 221 papers in peer-reviewed Science Citation Index journals, 30 domestic and foreign patents, and several book chapters. He commercialized PLGA scaffolds (Innopol-DÒ) for soft tissue engineering and licensed out several protein and gene delivery technologies. He currently serves as an editorial board member of Bioconjugate Chemistry, Journal of Controlled Release, Pharmaceutical Research, Macromolecular Bioscience, Journal of Bioactive and Compatible Polymers, Biomacromolecules, and Nano Today.

10 Plenary Lecture III Buddy D. Ratner Professor, Departments of Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering University of Washington, USA Wednesday, August 4, :30am to 9.15am Breakthrough Theatrette, Level 4 The Matrix, Biopolis Abstract Healing a Heart: Harnessing the Macrophage and Stem Cells for Cardiac Reconstruction An NIH-funded Bioengineering Research Partnership (BRP) grant to the University of Washington has embraced a challenging goal: to tissue engineer (or regenerate) heart muscle that is useful for reparative procedures. In adult humans, the unique muscle cells populating the heart, cardiomyocytes, have lost the ability to replicate. The heart muscle itself is highly vascularized. Muscle tissue is also aligned, organized with a mechanically appropriate extracellular matrix and innervated. Surgical considerations must be addressed. An interdisciplinary team funded through the BRP is exploring the feasibility of engineering heart muscle by addressing many of these challenges in a coordinated research effort. The project has been active for 8 years. We have concluded that two pressing challenges must be addressed: (1) source of cells (how can we generate cardiomyocytes and other heart cells?) and (2) quickly providing the oxygen and nutrients for keeping these cells alive (angiogenesis). Efforts in this program have led to techniques for enhancing the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (HESC) to a cardiac lineage, purifying ventricular-like cardiomyocytes from other differentiated cell types, enhancing the survival of these cells and stimulating proliferation. In addition, pacemaker cells, also derived from HESC, can now generated in with good cell purity. The angiogenesis aspect of this project driven by novel biomaterials will be the focus of this talk. We have discovered that polymers with uniformly sized pores of 35 microns prepared by microsphere templating stimulate angiogenesis in vivo. The rapid angiogenesis seems to be triggered by enriched populations of macrophages in the pores and these macrophages have a mixed M1/M2 phenotype, in contrast to large

11 populations of M1 macrophages seen where there is pronounced fibrotic healing. Rod-shaped heart muscle implants have been constructed of these porous polymers. They heal into heart muscle with little fibrosis and significant angiogenesis. When parallel channels intended to orient myocytes to functional muscle bundles are incorporated into the rod-shaped, microsphere-templated polymers, parallel blood vessels are noted. This parallel blood vessel phenomenon is mirrored in in vitro studies with seeded endothelial cells. A new elastomeric, biodegradable polymer based on poly(hema), with degradation kinetics timed to heart muscle development, will also be described. About the Speaker Buddy D. Ratner is the Director of the University of Washington Engineered Biomaterials (UWEB) Engineering Research Center and the Michael L. and Myrna Darland Endowed Chair in Technology Commercialization in USA. He is also Professor of Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering at the University of Washington, USA. Ratner received his Ph.D. (1972) in Polymer Chemistry from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, USA. From , he directed the National Institutes of Health-Funded National ESCA and Surface Analysis Center for Biomedical Problems. In 1996, he assumed the directorship of UWEB. He is Editor of the Journal of Undergraduate Research in BioEngineering, on the advisory board of Biointerphases and serves on the editorial boards of 10 other journals. He is a past president of the Society for Biomaterials. He has authored over 400 scholarly works and has 18 issued patents. Ratner is a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), American Vacuum Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) and the International College of Fellows Biomaterials Science and Engineering. He served as President of AIMBE in In 2002, Ratner was elected a Member of the National Academy of Engineering, USA. In 2003 he was elected President of the Tissue Engineering Society of North America. He is now on the council of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society. He has participated in the launch of six companies based on technologies from his laboratory. He has won numerous awards including the Medard W. Welch Award of the American Vacuum Society (2002), Founders Award of the Society for Biomaterials (2004), C. William Hall Award from the Society for Biomaterials (2006), the BMES Pritzker Distinguished Lecturer Award (2008) and the Acta Biomaterialia Gold Medal (2009). His research interests include biomaterials, tissue engineering, polymers, biocompatibility, surface analysis of organic materials, self assembly, nanobiotechnology and RF-plasma thin film deposition.

12 ANNEX 2: ICBN 2010 Invited Speakers Dan Luo, Cornell University, USA Topic: P-Gel: A Cell-Free Protein Producing Hydrogel Dongyuan Zhao, Fudan University, China Topic: Ordered Mesoporous Materials and Their Applications Horst Vogel, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland Topic: Cellular Signaling at the Nanometer and Attoliter Scale Hsian-Rong Tseng, University of California, Los Angeles, USA Topic: Programmable Supramolecular Nanoparticles for Molecular Diagnostics and Therapeutics Hsing-Wen Sung, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan Topic: Self-Assembled ph-sensitive Nanoparticles: A Platform for Oral Delivery of Peptide/ Protein Drugs Ick Chan Kwon, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Korea Topic: Molecular Imaging with Polymer Nanoparticles James P. Tam, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Topic: Engineering of Orally Active Biologics Kathryn Uhrich, Rutgers University, USA Topic: Nanoscale Amphiphilic Macromolecules to Promote Biodelivery and as Polymer Therapeutics Kazuhiko Ishihara, The University of Tokyo, Japan Topic: Polymer Nanoparticles with Bioinspired Surface as Cell Analyzing Device Krishnendu Roy, University of Texas at Austin, USA Topic: A Polymer-Based Injectable Immune Priming Center: Bioengineering Cancer Immunotheraopy through Simultaneous, Single-Formulation Delivery of Chemokines, sirna and DNA Antigens Luke Lee, University of California, Berkeley, USA Topic: Molecular Optogenetics and Cellular BASICs Matthew Tirrell, University of California, Berkeley, USA Topic: Protein Analogous Micelles: Versatile, Modular Nanoparticles

13 Matthias Beller, University of Rostock, Germany Topic: Molecular-Defined and Nano-Structured Catalysts: Key Tools for Green Chemistry and for Sustainable Energy Technologies Melody Swartz, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland Topic: Exploiting Lymphatic Transport in Nanomaterials-Based Vaccines Michael P. Sheetz, National University of Singapore, Singapore Topic: Shaping Cells by Force and Rigidity through Protein Stretching Michael S. Wong, Rice University, USA Topic: Polyamine-Guided Charge Assembly Chemistry of Nano-Encapsulants Molly Stevens, Imperial College London, UK Topic: Bio-Inspired Nanomaterials for Regenerative Medicine and Sensing Shu Chien, University of California, San Diego, USA Topic: Arrayed Cellular Microenvironments for Modulation of Stem Cell Fate Suresh Valiyaveettil, National University of Singapore, Singapore Topic: Biomimetic Approaches to Synthesis of Biomaterials Viola Vogel, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zürich), Switzerland Topic: Insights into How the Interplay of Cells with Matrix Controls Cell Function * List of speakers updated as of July 30, 2010