Water testing with lab-grown human cells among projects at NTU

A novel testing method that involves lab-grown human cells to detect the presence of new chemical compounds in drinking water is being developed, to be added to national water agency PUB’s testing arsenal and act as an early warning system for potential hazards in treated water, including both drinking water and treated used water for industrial use. 

Often, water contains a wide range of contaminants and chemical compounds, and testing each one requires significant time and resources, said Professor Shane Snyder, director of the Nanyang Technological University’s (NTU) Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute (NEWRI). Studying how these different compounds interact with human cells, such as lung and liver cells, can help scientists identify the ones that could be toxic to humans. 

This new testing method could potentially allow identification and narrow down of selected chemical compounds in water for further testing, just by observing the effects of the water samples on lab-grown human cells. PUB already conducts some 500,000 water quality tests annually using more than 300 parameters, surpassing the 100 or so parameters specified by the World Health Organisation and regulated under the Environmental Public Health Act in Singapore. 

The initiative is among a number of water research projects that will be supported by a fresh $92 million funding boost, for NEWRI to continue its water and environmental research and innovation. The additional tranche of funding will also create another $23 million in industry funding, bringing the total amount to $115 million in water research by 2026, said NTU.   

To read more, please see link to ST article 
https://www.ntu.edu.sg/news/detail/newri-receives-sgd92-million-funding-for-research-and-innovation