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Dr Singhal Shweta

Dr Shweta Singhal

MBBS, M Med(Ophth), FRCOphth, FAMS, PhD (UCL, UK)

Research Interest:

Retinal/ optic nerve regeneration
Retinal stem cell markers
Retinal injury response

Academic Appointments

Assistant Professor SingHealth Duke-NUS Ophthalmology ＆ Visual Sciences Academic Clinical Programme

Clinical Appointments

Senior Consultant Neuro-Ophthalmology Department Singapore National Eye Centre
Senior Consultant Cataract ＆ Comprehensive Ophthalmology Department Singapore National Eye Centre

Profile

Dr Shweta Singhal is a Senior Consultant at Singapore National Eye Centre. She also holds additional research and teaching appointments including Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology with Duke-NUS Medical School and Clinical Lecturer with Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.

Dr Singhal completed her basic medical training at Christian Medical College, Vellore in India before moving to the UK to undergo research training. She obtained a PhD at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London in 2009 and subsequently moved to Singapore to undergo training as an ophthalmologist and ophthalmic surgeon. She completed ophthalmic training in 2016 with honours, including two gold medals at the FAMS exit exam and the Richard Fan Gold Medal for outstanding ophthalmic resident in 2016. In her clinical practice at SNEC, she treats patients with general ophthalmic conditions, performs cataract surgery and is currently pursuing further sub specialist training in neuro-ophthalmology. She is also involved in teaching undergraduate medical students, ophthalmic residents and allied health professionals.

Dr Singhal is a clinician scientist and concurrent to her clinical work, she is actively involved in laboratory based ophthalmic research. During her PhD she demonstrated that the adult human retina harbours stem cells with the potential to restore retinal function, a finding with key implications for retinal regeneration. In 2009, she won the Oxford Ophthalmology Congress Founders Cup for this work. She has authored multiple high quality scientific publications and has won competitive research grants from NMRC and SingHealth to continue her research. Using these grants as well as collaborations with the GIS, NDC and Duke-NUS, she has set up a Retinal Regenerative Lab at the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI). Her laboratory studies retinal stem cell markers, alternative sources of adult stem cells for retinal therapy and retinal regenerative check points that could be used to develop novel therapeutic strategies to treat blinding retinal diseases.

Professional Appointments and Committee Memberships

Clinical Lecturer, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine , National University of Singapore

Education

FRCOphth (2017)
FAMS (2016)
M Med(Ophth) (2013)
PhD (UCI, UK) (2008)
MBBS (2002)

Awards

Double gold medallist, Academy of Medicine Singapore Ophthalmology exit exam (2016)
Richard Fan Gold Medal Award for Outstanding Senior Resident, Singapore National Eye Centre (2016)
Best Registrar Award, Singapore General Hospital (2016)
Founders Cup for best research paper, Oxford Ophthalmology Congress (2009)
Arthur and Mildred Slater Award for outstanding biomedical research, UCL (2007)
Inlaks Scholarship for pursuing a PhD in the UK (2005)
ORSAS (Overseas research student award scheme), UK (2005)
Victor C Rambo prize for best undergraduate ophthalmology student (2000)
Zachariah Thomas memorial award for best student in Final MBBS part 1 (2000)

Research Studies

Evaluation of selected surface markers of early retinal progenitors as a tool to purify committed retinal progenitors from pluripotent stem cells for retinal cell therapy (2017 - present)
Investigation of LGR5 as a bona fide retinal stem cell marker (2014 – present)
Investigation into the use of Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSC) as a source of retinal cells (2014 - present)
The Epidemiology of Neuro-ophthalmic Disorders in Asians

Publications

Multi-ethnic involvement in autosomal-dominant optic atrophy in Singapore. Loo JL, Singhal S et al Eye (Lond). 2017 Mar;31(3):475-480
The Impact of Lens Vault on Visual Acuity and Refractive Error: Implications for Management of Primary Angle-Closure Glaucoma. Nongpiur ME, Singhal S et al J Glaucoma 2016 Mar; 25 (3) e236-40
Dental stem cells: a future asset of ocular cell therapy. Yam GH, Peh GS, Singhal S, et al. Expert Rev Mol Med. 2015 Nov 10;17
Muller stem cell acquisition of RGC phenotype is accompanied by up-regulation of functional nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Becker S, Singhal S, Jones MF, Eastlake K, Cottrill PB, Jayaram H, Limb GA. Mol Vis. 2013 Sep 13;19 :1925-36
Human Muller Glia with Stem Cell Characteristics Differentiate into Retinal Ganglion Cell (RGC) Precursors In Vitro and Partially Restore RGC Function In Vivo Following Transplantation. Singhal S, Bhatia B, Jayaram H, Becker S, Jones FM, Cottrill PB, Khaw PT, Salt TE & Limb GA. Stem Cells Trans Med March 2012 vol. 1 no. 3 188-199
Conventional and emerging treatments in the management of acute primary angle closure. Boey PY, Singhal S, et al. Clinical Ophthalmology, March 2012:6:417-424
Differences between the neurogenic and proliferative abilities of Müller glia with stem cell characteristics and the ciliary epithelium from the adult human eye. Bhatia B, Jayaram H, Singhal S, et al Exp Eye Research 2011, Dec: 93(6): 852-861
SOX2 is required for adult human muller stem cell survival and maintenance of progenicity in vitro. Bhatia B, Singhal S,et al IOVS 2011 Jan 5;52(1):136-45
Adult retinal stem cells revisited. Bhatia B, Singhal S, et al Open Ophthalmol J. 2010 Jul 8;4: 30-8
Triamcinolone attenuates macrophage/microglia accumulation associated with NMDA- induced RGC death and facilitates survival of Müller stem cell grafts. Singhal S, Lawrence JM, et al Experimental Eye Research, 2010 Feb; 90(2): 308-15
Distribution of Müller stem cells within the neural retina: Evidence for the existence of a ciliary margin-like zone in the adult human eye. Bhatia B, Singhal S, et al Experimental Eye Research, 2009 September 89 (3): 373-82
Chondroitin Sulphate Proteoglycans and Microglia Prevent Migration and Integration of Grafted Muller Stem Cells Into Degenerating Retina. Singhal S, Lawrence JM, et al Stem Cells. 2008 Apr:26(4) 1074-8
MIO-M1 cells and Similar Müller Glial Cell Lines Derived from Adult Human Retina Exhibit Neural Stem Cell Characteristics. JM Lawrence, S Singhal, et al. Stem Cells. 2007 Aug: 25(8) 2033-43
Primary Adult Human Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cell Cultures on Amniotic Membranes. Singhal S, Vemuganti GK. Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, 2005 Jun; 53(2) 109-13