Michael Raghunath

Michael Raghunath is a physician scientist and joined NUS in August 03 to hold a joint position as Associate Professor of Bioengineering (Faculty of Engineering) and Biochemistry (Faculty of Medicine). He has strong academic, clinical and industrial background. Dr. Raghunath´s academic basic research experience currently spans more than 17 yrs during which he became an internationally distinguished scientist in the field of matrix biology (pathobiochemistry of collagens and elastic fibers) and skin biology (wound repair and cornification disorders). He was invited speaker at numerous occasions including prestigious international events such as the Gordon Research Conferences on Elastin and Elastic Fibres 1997 ; Autumn Meeting of the British Connective Tissue Society 1997; 5th Internatl. Symposium on the Marfan Syndrome, Helsinki , 1998; Launchsymposium of the Swiss Tissue Repair Society, 1999; XIth International Congress of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry, York , 2000. He has cochaired the 4th International Symposium on the Marfan Syndrome. Centennial Event, Davos , Switzerland , 1996.

Dr. Raghunath has been trained in immunology (1988-1990; University of Heidelberg ), matrix biology and wound healing (post doctoral fellow, University of Zurich, Switzerland, 1990-1995). His independent career started 1995 with a professorial qualification grant of the German National Science Foundation (DFG) at the University of Muenster where he completed his Habilitation in 1996 with work on elastic microfibrils of connective tissue and was appointed in 1997 private docent (lecturer) for Physiological Chemistry & Pathobiochemistry at the University of Muenster . After clinical training in dermatology from 1997-2000 in Muenster, he joined Dr. Suwelack Skin& Health Care AG, one of the biggest manufacturers of freeze-dried collagen matrices, as director of R&D. There he formed a R&D team that was able position the company in the biotechnology sector for medical devices for the wound care market. In 2002 Dr. Raghunath returned to the Dept. of Dermatology, University Hospital Muenster, to continue with research on skin biology.

Funding: up to now 10 research grants with a accumulated funding of € 2,324,293 (=4'351'369 S$). The greatest single funding was a joint project between academia and industry from from the German Ministry of Education and Science in 2001 (ending in April 2004) and comprised » 2.7 Mio S$). Awards and Honours: Dr. Raghunath has received several awards for his work on matrix and skin biology: Promotion Prize of the University of Muenster 1998, Marfan Research Prize 1998 of the Marfan Foundation Germany; Poster Prize 1997 of the Eur. Academy of Dermatology and Venereology; 1 st European Club for Paediatric Burns Prize1996, Marfan-Passage of the Swiss Marfan Foundation Stiftung in 1995; Nestlé-Prize for Paediatric Research 1992. Membership in Professional Societies: European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR), Arbeitsgemeinschaft Dermatologische Forschung (ADF), European Tissue Engineering Society (ETES) and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the German Marfan Foundation.

Service as Peer reviewer: (1) scientific journals (Hum Genet, Lab Invest, J Invest Dermatol, Arch Dermatol Res, Exp Dermatol, J Cell Biol, Eur J Cell Biol, Adv Drug Deliver Rev) (2) academic institutions (University of Manchester,UK, University of Aachen, Germany) (3) funding bodies (The Wellcome Trust, UK).