| Asst Prof Susanna Leong Su Jan
Assistant Professor
Division of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
College of Engineering
Email: SLEONG@ntu.edu.sg
Phone: (+65)6316 8775
Office: N1.2-B2-28 |
| Education |
- PhD University of Cambridge 2006
- MPhil Univ of Manchester Inst of Sci & Tech 2002
- BEng(Hons) Univ of Manchester Inst of Sci & Tech 2000
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| Biography |
| Susanna Leong Su Jan obtained her B.Eng. (Chemical Engineering) Class I Hons and M.Phil. (Chemical Engineering) from the University of Manchester, UK, and her Ph.D. Chemical Engineering) from Cambridge University, UK in 2006. She joined the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at NTU as an Assistant Professor in June 2006. Her research interests are in : (i) antimicrobial peptide engineering and development, (ii) synthetic biology, and (iii) streamlined bioprocessing for recovery of biomolecules. |
| Research Interests |
My research interests are:
- Bioprocess development studies for economical and simplified production of commercially relevant proteins and peptides.
Effective studies and widespread use of bio-inspired products such as recombinant proteins and peptides are often hindered by the lack of efficient manufacturing routes to produce them efficiently and cost-effectively, at large scale. My group has research interests in designing and developing efficient bioprocesses for the production of these recombinant products, which are often confounded by a vast range of combinatorial parameters available to study, understand and then optimize. New improved processes (both generic and molecule-specific for recombinant proteins/peptides) that can be readily validated and scaled-up are extremely desirable to underpin the fast-growing pharmaceutical and chemicals industries and to keep cost-of-goods low.
- Antimicrobial peptide engineering and development.
The importance of antimicrobial peptides as potential antibiotics is increasingly recognized as their use in diverse industrial applications continues to broaden. My group has research interests in the production and biomolecular engineering of new antimicrobial peptide variants, and structural studies for elucidation of their structure-function relationship for new applications. New knowledge in peptide production and processing technology generated from this work will also be invaluable to advance emerging peptide-based technologies which are sustainable.
- Synthetic biology.
Employing synthetic biology tools to address energy challenges. |
| Research Grant |
- A*STAR Biomedical Engineering Programme (BEP) (2011-2013) [by A*STAR Science & Engineering Research Council (SERC)]
- A*STAR Science and Engineering Institutes (2012-) [by A*STAR Science and Engineering Institutes (SCEI)]
- NEA Environment Technology Research Programme (2013-) [by National Environmental Agency (NEA)]
- NRF Competitive Research Program (2010-) [by National Research Foundation (NRF)]
- National Medical Research Council (2012-) [by National Medical Research Council (NMRC)]
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| Current Projects |
- Conversion of food waste to 1-butanol using a novel yeast platform
- Development of Therapeutic Microbes for Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Disease
- Development of an Infection-resistant Urinary Catheter Coated by Short Antimicrobial Peptides
- Engineering biology for valuable fuels- In-vitro conversion of Acyl-CoA to Alkanes
- Engineering human beta defensin 28 for superior salt-resistant properties and antimicrobial potency
- Functional probiotics as next-generation anticancer dietary supplements
- Investigation of a new, efficient and economical bio-production route for a sustainable and commercially valuable recombinant peptide
- Photocrosslinkable anti-microbial hydrogel and its coating on hard and soft contact lens and other related biomedical applications
- Process intensification for Protein Production and Refolding
| Selected Publications | - Basu A., Leong S.S.J. (2011). Development of an ELISA platform for refolding yield determination of Hepatitis B Virus X Protein. Analytical Biochemistry, .
- Li X. Leong S.S.J. (2011). A chromatography-focused bioprocess that eliminates soluble aggregation for bioactive production of a new antimicrobial peptide candidate. Journal of Chromatography A, 1218(23), 3654-3659.
- Tay D.K.S., Gobinath A.K.R., Li X., Chen Y., Lua L.H.L., Leong S.S.J. (2011). A New Bioproduction Route for a Novel Antimicrobial Peptide. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 108(3), 572-581.
- Onaizi S.A., Leong S.S.J. (2011). Tethering Antimicrobial Peptides: Current Status and Potential Challenges. Biotechnology Advances, 29(1), 67-74.
- Chen Y., Leong S.S.J. (2009). Adsorptive refolding of a highly disulfide-bonded inclusion body protein using anion-exchange chromatography. Journal of Chromatography A, 1216(24), 4877-4886.
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