Lee Eng Hin
Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
Programme Leader, NUS Tissue Engineering Programme
Tel: 6772 4321
Email: dosleeeh@nus.edu.sg

What are your present research interests?

My main interest is in the repair and regeneration of articular and physeal cartilage. The thrust in our lab is to find ways to optimise chondrogenesis by manipulation of the biochemical, physical, electrical and mechanical micro-microenvironmental cues of chondrocytes and stem cells. The eventual aim is to improve upon the current clinical outcomes of cartilage repair.

Do you have a distinctive viewpoint to your research?

Cartilage is a very complex tissue that does not heal when injured. The challenge in cartilage repair is to be able to recapitulate the zonal architecture in the cartilage tissue that has the same phenotype and function as normal cartilage and is able to withstand the mechanical demands of constant motion and weight bearing.

What do you see as your future research directions?

Our efforts will be directed at finding novel ways to repair and regenerate articular and physeal cartilage that will restore the function of the joint and enable normal growth in long bones in children.

Does your laboratory have a particularly strong research expertise?

Our key strength is in the multi-disciplinary nature of our research teams with the expertise to translate our findings from the benchtop to the bedside.

Recent Publications

1. Wu Y, Yang Z, Law JBK, He AY, Abbas AA, Denslin V, Kamarul T, Hui JHP and Lee EH.
The Combined Effect of Substrate Stiffness and Surface Topography on Chondrogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells.
Tissue Eng Part A. 2017 Jan;23(1-2):43-54.
doi:10.1089/ten.tea.

2. Lu Y, Wu YN, Yang Z, Tee CA, Denslin V, Lai Z, Lim CT, Lee EH, Han J
Microfluidic label-free selection of mesenchymal stem cell subpopulation during culture expansion extends the chondrogenic potential in vitro
Lab on a Chip, 2018 Mar 13;18(6):878-889.
doi: 10.1039/C7LC01005B

3. Lu Y, Yang Z, Wu Y, Denslin V, Ren X, Tee C, Lai Z, Lim CT, Han J, Lee EH.
Characterization and application of size-sorted zonal chondrocytes for articular cartilage regeneration.
Biomaterials, 2018, May; 165:66-78.
doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.02.050.

4. Teo AQN, Wong KL, Shen L, Lim JY, Toh WS, Lee EH, Hui JHP.
Equivalent 10-Year Outcomes After Implantation of Autologous Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Versus Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation for Chondral Defects of the Knee.
American Journal of Sports Medicine, (2019, October); 47(12): 2881-2887.
https//doi.org/10.1177/0262546519867933

5. Tee CA, Yang Z, Lu Y, Wu Y, Han J, Lee EH.
Improved zonal chondrocyte production protocol integrating size-based inertial spiral microchannel separation and dynamic microcarrier culture for clinical application.
Biomaterials (2019, November); 220: 119409.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2019.119409

6. Lu Y, Yang Z, Wu Y, Denslin V, Yu CC, Tee CA, Lim CT, Han J, Lee EH.
Label-free separation of mesenchymal stem cell subpopulations with distinct
differentiation potencies and paracrine effects.
Biomaterials (2020, February); 240:119881.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2020.119881

7. Wu Y, Yang Z, Denslin V, Ren X, Lee CS, Yap FL, Lee EH
Repair of Osteochondral Defects With Predifferentiated Mesenchymal Stem Cells of Distinct Phenotypic Character Derived From a Nanotopographic Platform
American Journal of Sports Medicine (2020, Jun); 48(7):1735-1747.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546520907137

8. Wong KL, Zhang S, Wang M, Ren FS, Afizah H, Lai RC, Lim SK, Lee EH, Hui JHP, Toh WS.
Intra-Articular Injections of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Exosomes and Hyaluronic Acid Improve Structural and Mechanical Properties of Repaired Cartilage in a Rabbit Model.
Arthroscopy (2020 August); 36 (8): 2215-2228.e2; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arthro.2020.03.031

9. Celik C, Franco-Obregón A, Lee EH, Hui JHP, Yang Z
Directionalities of magnetic fields and topographic scaffolds synergise to enhance MSC chondrogenesis.
Acta Biomaterialia; (2021 Jan); 119: 169–183.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2020.10.039

10. Kadir ND, Yang Z, Hassan A, Denslin V, Lee EH.
Electrospun fibers enhanced the paracrine signaling of mesenchymal stem cells for cartilage regeneration.
Stem Cell Res & Ther. (2021 Feb); 12(1):100.