Health and Well-Being

Timely and adequate rehabilitation is critical in facilitating post-stroke recovery. However, the organisation and delivery of rehabilitation are resource-demanding, and are only available in ~25% of stroke survivors in low-middle-income countries. Therefore, innovative solutions are urgently required to improve access to stroke rehabilitation services. Our team developed a platform to assist remote dissemination of physio- and occupational therapy services. Our platform enables post-stroke rehabilitation services to be delivered using consumer-grade devices (e.g., smartphones and tablet devices) and artificial intelligence technology, thereby breaking many physical and resource barriers to rehabilitation service access. Our platform is designed for hospitals, rehabilitation centres and post-stroke service providers. The system consists of two interfaces – the therapist portal and patient application. Portal system enables remote prescription of exercises and monitor exercise performance and progress, whereas the patient application acts as a “smart therapist” in providing real-time instructions and feedback. The system addresses limitations faced by the conventional phone interview- and video conference style of telemedicine, which mainly relies on self-reporting and subjective recall. Using devices’ built-in camera and relevant Internet of Things (IoTs), we automated the evaluation process using algorithms with key features identified by professional therapists for providing “supervision” through real-time feedback.

The latest Singapore National Population Health Survey has reported a concerning diabetes trend. From 2019-2020, 9.5% of the adults had diabetes, slightly dropping to 8.5% from 2021-2022. About 1 in 12 (8.5%) of residents aged 18 to 74 were diagnosed, with an age-standardised prevalence of 6.8% after accounting for population ageing. Among the diabetes patients, close to 1 in every 5 (18.8%) had undiagnosed diabetes, and 61.3% did not meet glucose control targets. Prediabetes is also prevalent, with 35% progressing to type 2 diabetes within eight years without lifestyle changes. Untreated Type 2 diabetes can lead to severe health issues. Tackling this challenge requires a holistic approach, focusing on awareness, early diagnosis, and lifestyle adjustments for diabetes and prediabetes. Recognising the need for innovation to address this, the technology owner develops a cost-effective and non-invasive AI-powered solution, Blood Glucose Evaluation And Monitoring (BGEM), that detects glucose dysregulation in individuals to monitor and evaluate diabetic risks. BGEM allows users to track their blood glucose levels regularly, identify any adverse trends and patterns, and adopt early intervention and lifestyle changes to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes. Clinically validated in 2022, with a research paper published in October 2023, the technology is open for licensing to senior care/home care providers, telehealth platforms, health wearables companies, and more.

Conventional diagnostic imaging of the skin involves the use of dermatoscopes. Dermatoscopes use skin surface microscopy to examine dermal and sub-dermal tissues to diagnose skin problems. However, these devices can be costly and provide a limited view of the immediate skin surface. This limitation meant that dermatoscopes have to be used in direct contact with the patient's skin. Because of this, they can only be used to image patients in the same physical location as the clinician conducting the examination. The overall result is that only a tiny portion of the global dermatology patient-base can be reached cost-effectively and efficiently. Telemedicine and telehealth network operations are rapidly developing ways to address patients broadly and at lower costs for them and their care providers. Yet, such tools neither deliver desmatoscope-like functionality nor improved it in way that it allows patients' skins to be examined and analysed during an online medical consultation with a general practitioner. In order to facilitate remote skin disease diagnosis, the use of software is required to acquire and share images in real-time and ideally, by the patients themselves. This software enables patients to take their medical sub-skin images with their mobile, tablet or laptop cameras, and securely share it with doctors. Crucially, dermatoscopy images can also be used with the technology to improve diagnostic accuracy. This technology is intended to position itself as a technology which when scaled-up, could allow for products that can enable optical biopsy and phototherapy. 

There are 30,000 occupational drivers in Singapore, out of which 13,500 are 45 years old and above. The risk of acquiring cardiovascular disease increases with age and is potentially exacerbated by low physical activity and high emotional stress levels, which are two typical characteristics of occupational drivers arising from their work environment. Low level of physical activity and high stress levels have been shown to have significant relationship with heart rate variability, one of the indicators of cardiovascular disease. This technology is developed to help drivers to monitor their stress level, provide them with instantaneous feedback and the necessary alerts for a timely intervention. This technology offer presents a cross-platform AI system that estimates the stress levels continuously in real time, and can be easily integrated with commercially available photoplethysmography (PPG) wearables, e.g., a PPG wristwatch. In addition, this technology can be adapted for the monitoring of workplace stress with the aim of improving overall mental well-being.

The cause of caries (tooth decay) is a formation of biofilm lying on the teeth and subsequently becoming mature. The acid created by specific bacteria (S. mutans) dissolves the hard tissues of the teeth (enamel), which can result in pain and difficulty with eating or even tooth loss and infection.  Severe dental caries can impair quality of life but is preventable by maintaining good oral hygiene such as using fluoride toothpaste with brush and dental floss or toothpick to clean between the teeth. However, small children, older adults or people with severe disabilities may find it hard to apply.  Besides, Fluorosis may be resulted if there is overexposure to fluoride. People with Fluorosis will develop white opaques on their tooth surface, which affect the appearance. In addition, some mouthwash products contain chemicals like alcohol and chlorhexidine to help kill bacteria. The use of these chemicals has some potential drawbacks like altered taste sensation and staining of teeth. Our new compounds, dihydro-resveratrol or its derivatives can be used for preventing the formation of biofilm and inhibit the growth of bacteria which are cost-effective and very safe to use as they are herbal extracts, which have fewer harmful effects in comparison with those chemical‐based products.