Ph.D., Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore

Manisha is an aspiring academic and is currently a postdoctoral researcher in TTDD Lab. She is a Biomedical Engineer by training and has obtained her Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, under the supervision of Prof. Terry Steele. During her Ph.D., she exploited the chemistry of stimuli-sensitive adhesives to develop voltage curable bio-adhesives and fabricated a proof-of-concept catheter device to administer these adhesives in blood vessels and activate in situ using direct electric current. This product resulted from her interest in working at the interface of engineering and biology, and she expects that this minimally invasive device can help surgeons to seal vascular defects such as aneurysms and might replace sutures.

Her research interests stem from the excitement of applying her technical knowledge to practical biomedical products that benefit society. Her current research focuses on applying materials and mechanics technologies to (i) build anatomically accurate benchtop models to understand and study the cardiac pathophysiology and develop patient-specific solutions, (ii) augment breathing function through diaphragmatic assist in patients with end-stage respiratory failure, (iii) develop smart adhesive biomaterials to couple or integrate the medical devices with the biological tissues.

With her research, Manisha aims to democratize affordable patient-specific healthcare treatment to the masses—a vision that is currently limited by the prohibitive costs and the one-size-fits-all approach.