The NYB Story
Timeline
2018
Moved by the healing power of medicinal plants for a family member battling cancer, Dr. Roland Ong, our founder, contributed donations and time to the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Community Herb Garden.
Jun 2021
Founding of NYB and setting up of the NYB–NTU Joint Lab for Drug Discovery and Therapeutics.
Master Research Collaboration Agreement signed with NTU to expand drug discovery efforts.
Apr 2022
Filed patents for five novel compounds as drug candidates.
Feb 2023
Filed patents for herbal formulations, setting the stage for nutraceutical growth.
Aug 2024
Drug-Target Interaction Graph Neural Network (DTIGN) paper published in IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics and the founding of NYB.AI, a dedicated AI-powered drug discovery company.
Mar 2025
NYB.AI was selected for the Ignition AI Accelerator Program by NVIDIA, Tribe, and Digital Industry Singapore.
Joined Johnson & Johnson Innovation JLABS ecosystem.
Jun 2025
Awarded First Prize at SuperAI Genesis 2025.
Aug 2025
Strategic partnerships formed with NVIDIA, Equinix, and HPE to build Vecura, an AI-first compound discovery platform.
Oct 2025
Announced the application for a NASDAQ listing under the ticker “NYB”.
Dec 2025
Presented LigoSPACE (DTIGN 2.0) at NeurIPS (Neural Information Processing Systems Conference).
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NYB assigned the full ownership of Singapore provisional patents for drug candidates and herbal formulations. Patents pending in key markets such as the U.S., EU, China and Japan.
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Apr 2026
Presented BIND or Bioactivity-driven Interaction Discovery (LigoSPACE 2.0) at ICLR (International Conference on Learning Representations).
NYB Group Leadership Team
Roland Ong is a technology entrepreneur, investor, and innovator whose career spans the evolution of the internet, digital entertainment, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology industries across Asia.
Widely recognized as one of the early pioneers of the internet industry in Singapore, Roland was a founding member, President, and Chief Technology Officer of Horizon.com, regarded as one of Singapore’s earliest internet technology companies. During the formative years of Asia’s digital economy, his work focused on internet infrastructure, telecommunications systems, networking technologies, and emerging online platforms.
During his college years, Roland participated in sponsored research initiatives involving artificial intelligence, robotics, image processing, and advanced communications systems. He worked on a research collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company focused on AI-assisted laboratory imaging and robotics for identifying infected cells, achieving approximately 95% detection accuracy. The project was selected for presentation at an Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) event, where it received recognition for its research contribution. In 1993, Roland also received an AT&T research award to participate in advanced networking research involving ATM switching over fiber optic communications infrastructure at the Center for Information and Communication Sciences in Indiana, United States. These early experiences helped shape his long-standing interest in computational systems, artificial intelligence, networking infrastructure, and biomedical technologies.
Roland later founded and led Infocomm Asia Holdings and its gaming division, IAHGames, which became one of Southeast Asia’s prominent online games publishers and digital entertainment platforms. Under his leadership, the company played a key role in expanding large-scale online gaming ecosystems across the region, including collaborations involving globally recognized franchises such as World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, Counter-Strike, and FIFA Online.
Today, Roland is the Founder and Chairman of NYB, an AI-first biotechnology company focused on computational drug discovery and natural-product-derived therapeutics targeting oncology and chronic diseases. Building on his long-standing interest in the convergence of artificial intelligence and biomedical sciences, Roland initiated a joint development collaboration with Nanyang Technological University (NTU), which later evolved into NYB. NTU has since become a significant shareholder of the company. Under his leadership, the company is developing integrated approaches combining artificial intelligence, molecular science, natural compound research, and high-performance computing infrastructure to accelerate next-generation therapeutic discovery.
Roland has also been involved in multiple technology ventures and advisory roles spanning AI, Web3 ecosystems, digital transformation initiatives, and emerging technology investments across Asia. His entrepreneurial journey reflects a rare cross-disciplinary evolution from internet infrastructure and digital ecosystems into AI-enabled biomedical innovation.
Executive Leadership & Platform Scaling
Dr. Charlie Foo is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of QUDA Capital Partners, bringing over 35 years of executive experience across Asia Pacific and Japan, building and scaling global artificial intelligence and enterprise infrastructure platforms. Most recently, as Vice President & General Manager (APAC) at NVIDIA, Charlie spearheaded regional expansion during a transformative era for accelerated computing and AI.
Prior to NVIDIA, Charlie held senior executive roles at Brocade (Broadcom) and SanDisk, and Mellanox Technologies as Corporate Vice President & General Manager (APJ) prior to its acquisition by NVIDIA.
Strategic Advisory & Ecosystem Influence
Beyond his operational career, Charlie is a respected voice in the global artificial intelligence landscape. He focuses on board-level governance and long-term technology investments, helping companies navigate complex platform transitions and digital infrastructure build-outs. As a mentor and judge for the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition, Charlie remains deeply embedded in the startup ecosystem. His work emphasizes disciplined growth and ecosystem alignment, ensuring that emerging startups can achieve operational credibility within global markets.
Academic Foundation & Systems Thinking
Charlie’s strategic approach is underpinned by a rigorous academic background, enabling a systems-level perspective on platform-aligned AI companies. He holds a Doctorate in Computer Science, European Institute of Management and Technology (EIMT), an MBA from the University of Dubuque, Iowa, and has completed executive education at Harvard Business School.
Dr. Yau has served as our Chief Scientific Officer (Nutraceuticals) and Chief Executive Officer of NYB.Nutraceuticals Pte Ltd since April 2024, responsible for the Group’s research strategy, product formulation, and scientific validation.
From September 2021 to March 2024, she was Principal Research Scientist at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, conducting translational biomedical research in protein engineering and therapeutic discovery. Between January 2014 and September 2021, she served as Research Fellow at Duke-NUS Medical School, managing laboratory programs in molecular and cellular biology and supervising graduate researchers.
Dr. Yau holds a Doctor of Philosophy (2006), Master of Philosophy (2001), and Bachelor of Science (1999) in Biochemistry from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Intellectual Property Law from the National University of Singapore (2013).
Mr Giang has served as our Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder and CEO of NYB.AI Pte Ltd since November 2024, responsible for the Group’s technology architecture, software development, and deployment of artificial-intelligence systems.
Mr. Giang has worked in software engineering and AI development since 2019 and has brought extensive experience in AI infrastructure, data systems, and software architecture across enterprise technology and applied AI sectors. He has led multidisciplinary teams in designing and scaling AI platforms, developing machine-learning applications, and integrating advanced analytics into research and commercial operations. In his current role, Mr. Giang is responsible for productizing and commercializing NYB.AI, the Group’s proprietary AI-driven drug discovery platform, and for overseeing the deployment of AI technologies across the Company’s operations.
Mr. Giang obtained a bachelor’s degree in Materials Engineering from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Dr. Lim has served as our Chief Scientific Officer (Therapeutics) since January 2023, where he spearheads the Group’s scientific research, innovation, and the development of next-generation therapeutics. Under his leadership, the company’s R&D framework integrates translational science with precision medicine to accelerate the discovery of impactful treatments.
Before assuming this role in January 2022, Dr. Lim served as a Senior Fellow at the Danish Cancer Society, Denmark, where he led a multidisciplinary research team advancing clinically oriented studies in cancer metabolism, and therapeutic resistance. His pioneering work in genome stability (DNA damage response) and solid tumor biology has earned him international recognition and invitations to serve as an Associate Editor for leading scientific journals and as a Scientific Advisor for clinical trials in Australia.
Dr. Lim’s achievements in translational medicine have been recognized through multiple accolades, including the Clinical Research Collaboration Award (2017) and the Young Investigator Award (2016) in Australia. He is a frequently invited speaker at international conferences, most recently delivering a keynote lecture in 2023.
Dr. Lim earned his Ph.D. in Medicine (2012) and B.Sc. in Biochemistry (2007) from the University of Queensland, Australia.
NYB-NTU Joint Laboratory Research Team
The Inaugural Team Members
A distinguished expert in cellular biochemistry and molecular biology, Prof Li Hoi Yeung holds a Ph.D. from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and completed an intensive postdoctoral fellowship at the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Carnegie Institution of Washington. He is currently Associate Professor at NTU’s School of Biological Sciences.
- Khong, N. Z. J., Zeng, Y., Lai, S. K., Koh, C. G., Liang, Z. X., Chiam, K. H., & Li, H. Y. (2021). Dynamic swimming pattern of Pseudomonas aeruginosa near a vertical wall during initial attachment stages of biofilm formation. Scientific reports, 11(1), 1-11.
- Gunalan, K., Gao, X., Yap, S. S. L., Lai, S. K., Ravasio, A., Ganesan, S., ... & Preiser, P. R. (2020). A processing product of the Plasmodium falciparum reticulocyte binding protein RH1 shows a close association with AMA1 during junction formation. Cellular Microbiology, 22(9), e13232.
- Khong, Z. J., Lai, S. K., Koh, C. G., Geifman-Shochat, S., & Li, H. Y. (2020). A novel function of AAA-ATPase p97/VCP in the regulation of cell motility. Oncotarget, 11(1), 74.
- Xin, L., Zeng, Y., Sheng, S., Chea, R. A., Liu, Q., Li, H. Y., ... & Liang, Z. X. (2019). Regulation of flagellar motor switching by c-di-GMP phosphodiesterases in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 294(37), 13789-13799.
- Sheng, S., Xin, L., Yam, J. K. H., Salido, M. M., Khong, N. Z. J., Liu, Q., ... & Xu, L. (2019). The MapZ-mediated methylation of chemoreceptors contributes to pathogenicity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Frontiers in microbiology, 10, 67.
Dr. Koh Cheng Gee obtained her BSc(Hons) from the National University of Singapore and her PhD from the University of Cambridge, UK. She joined the School of Biological Sciences (NTU) in 2004 as Assistant Professor. She is currently Associate Professor and Associate Chair (Faculty) at NTU’s School of Biological Sciences.
- Sathe, S. R., Jain, D., Koh, C. G., & Yim, E. K. (2021). POPX2 phosphatase enhances topographical contact guidance for cell morphology and migration. Biomedical Materials, 16(2), 025020.
- Khong, N. Z. J., Zeng, Y., Lai, S. K., Koh, C. G., Liang, Z. X., Chiam, K. H., & Li, H. Y. (2021). Dynamic swimming pattern of Pseudomonas aeruginosa near a vertical wall during initial attachment stages of biofilm formation. Scientific reports, 11(1), 1-11.
- Kim, P. R., Zhang, S., Rahmat, M. B., & Koh, C. G. (2020). Partners in crime: POPX2 phosphatase and its interacting proteins in cancer. Cell death & disease, 11(10), 1-12.
- Xing, Q. R., El Farran, C. A., Zeng, Y. Y., Yi, Y., Warrier, T., Gautam, P., ... & Loh, Y. H. (2020). Parallel bimodal single-cell sequencing of transcriptome and chromatin accessibility. Genome research, 30(7), 1027-1039.
- Kim, P. R., Koon, Y. L., Lee, R. T. C., Azizan, F., Koh, D. H. Z., Chiam, K. H., & Koh, C. G. (2020). Phosphatase POPX2 interferes with cell cycle by interacting with Chk1. Cell Cycle, 19(4), 405-418.
A scientist with expertise in metabolic biology and mechanism-driven nutraceutical formulation, Dr. Yau Wing Yiu Winifred holds a Ph.D. from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and has conducted research at Duke-NUS Medical School and Nanyang Technological University. Her work focuses on metabolic regulation, mitochondrial function, and adipose biology, with applications in the design of functional nutraceutical systems. She is currently Chief Scientific Officer (Nutraceuticals) at NYB Group and Chief Executive Officer at NYB Nutraceuticals, where she leads the design, development, and commercialization of mechanism-driven nutraceutical products.
- Yau, W. W., Singh, B. K., Lesmana, R., Zhou, J., Sinha, R. A., Wong, K. A., Wu, Y., Bay, B. H., Sugii, S., Sun, L., & Yen, P. M. (2018). Thyroid hormone (T3) stimulates brown adipose tissue activation via mitochondrial biogenesis and mTOR-mediated mitophagy. Autophagy, 14(12), 1-20.
- Yau, W. W., Chen, G. B., Zhou, J., Francisco, J. C., Thimmukonda, N. K., Li, S., Singh, B. K., & Yen, P. M. (2023). Nicotinamide riboside rescues dysregulated glycolysis and fatty acid β-oxidation in a human hepatic cell model of Citrin Deficiency. Human Molecular Genetics.
- Yau, W. W., Wong, K. A., Zhou, J., Thimmukonda, N. K., Wu, Y., Bay, B. H., Singh, B. K., & Yen, P. M. (2021). Chronic cold exposure induces autophagy to promote fatty acid oxidation, mitochondrial turnover, and thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue. iScience, 24(5), 102434.
- Bruinstroop, E., Zhou, J., Tripathi, M., Yau, W. W., Boelen, A., Singh, B. K., & Yen, P. M. (2021). Early induction of hepatic deiodinase type 1 inhibits hepatosteatosis during NAFLD progression. Molecular Metabolism, 53, 101266.
- Yau, W. W., Yen, P. M. (2020). Thermogenesis in adipose tissue activated by thyroid hormone. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(8).
A scientist specializing in cancer biology and therapeutic development, Dr. Lim Yi Chieh holds a Ph.D. in Medicine from The University of Queensland and has conducted research at leading international institutions, including QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and the Danish Cancer Society. His work focuses on genome instability, DNA damage response, and therapeutic resistance, aiming to identify molecular vulnerabilities for targeted cancer treatment. He is currently Chief Scientific Officer (Therapeutics) at NYB Group, where he leads drug discovery programs and the advancement of oncology-focused therapeutic pipelines.
- Lim, Y. C., Jensen, K., Aguilar-Morante, D., Vardouli, L., Vitting-Seerup, K., Gimple, R., Wu, Q., Pedersen, H., Elbaek, K., Gromova, I., Ihnatko, R., Kristensen, B., Petersen, J., Skjoth-Rasmussen, J., Flavahan, W., Rich, J., & Hamerlik, P. (2023). Non-metabolic functions of phosphofructokinase-1 orchestrate tumor cellular invasion and genome maintenance under bevacizumab therapy. Neuro-Oncology, 25(2), 248–260.
- Obara, E., Aguilar-Morante, D., Rasmussen, R., Frias, A., Vitting-Seerup, K., Lim, Y. C., Elbæk, K., Pedersen, H., Vardouli, L., Jensen, K., Skjøth-Rasmussen, J., Brennum, J., Tuckova, L., Strauss, R., Dinant, C., Bartek, J., & Hamerlik, P. (2020). SPT6-driven error-free DNA repair safeguards genomic stability of glioblastoma cancer stem-like cells. Nature Communications, 11, 4709.
- Lim, Y. C., Ensbey, K., Offenhäuser, C., D’Souza, R., Cullen, J., Stringer, B., Quek, H., Bruce, Z., Kijas, A., Cianfanelli, V., Mahboubi, M., Smith, F., Jeffree, R., Wiesmüller, L., Wiegmans, A., Bain, A., Lombard, F., Roberts, T., Khanna, K., Hamerlik, P., Johns, T., Coster, M., Boyd, A., & Day, B. (2020). Simultaneous targeting of DNA replication and homologous recombination in glioblastoma with a polyether ionophore. Neuro-Oncology, 22(2), 216–228.
- Day, B., Stringer, B., Al-Ejeh, F., Ting, M., Wilson, J., Ensbey, K., Jamieson, P., Bruce, Z., Lim, Y. C., Offenhäuser, C., Charmsaz, S., Cooper, L., Ellacott, J., Harding, A., Leveque, L., Inglis, P., Allan, S., Walker, D., Lackmann, M., Osborne, G., Khanna, K., Reynolds, B., Lickliter, J., & Boyd, A. (2013). EphA3 maintains tumorigenicity and is a therapeutic target in glioblastoma multiforme. Cancer Cell, 23, 238–248.
- Cullen, J., Yap, P., Ferguson, B., Bruce, Z., Koyama, M., Handoko, H., Hendrawan, K., Simmons, J., Brooks, K., Johns, J., Wilson, E., Souza, M., Broit, N., Stewart, P., Shelley, D., McMahon, T., Ogbourne, S., Nguyen, T., Lim, Y. C., Pagani, A., Appendino, G., Gordon, V., Reddell, P., Boyle, G., & Parsons, P. (2024). Tigilanol tiglate is an oncolytic small molecule that induces immunogenic cell death and enhances the response of both target and non-injected tumors to immune checkpoint blockade. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, 12(4), e006602.
A translational research leader with over 15 years of experience in aging biology, cardiometabolic disease, and healthy longevity innovation, Dr Ho Chin Yee specializes in bridging scientific discovery with functional health applications. She obtained her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and completed postdoctoral training at Cornell University and King’s College London. Dr Ho currently serves as Head of Longevity Research at NYB Group.
- Ho CY, Wu MY, Draganova L, Ho JCS, Anderson G, Jonnalagadda USJ, Hayward R, Ahmad S, Shroff, S, Tan WLW, Foo RSY and Shanahan CM. Mineral Stress Drives Loss of Heterochromatin; an Early Harbinger of Vascular Inflammaging and Calcification. Circ Res. 2025 Feb 14; 136(4)379-399.
- Tan CYR, Tan CL, Chin T, Morenc M, Ho CY, Rovito HA, Quek LS, Soon AL, Lim JSY, Dreesen O, Oblong JE, Bellanger S. Nicotinamide Prevents UVB- and Oxidative Stress‒Induced Photoaging in Human Primary Keratinocytes. J Invest Dermatol. 2022 Jun;142(6):1670-1681.e12.
- Jarrold BB, Tan CYR, Ho CY, Soon AL, Lam TT, Yang X, Nguyen C, Guo W, Chew YC, DeAngelis YM, Costello L, De Los Santos Gomez P, Przyborski S, Bellanger S, Dreesen O, Kimball AB, Oblong JE. Early onset of senescence and imbalanced epidermal homeostasis across the decades in photoexposed human skin: Fingerprints of inflammaging. Exp Dermatol. 2022 Nov;31(11):1748-1760.
- Ho CY and Dreesen O. Faces of cellular senescence in skin aging. Mech Ageing Dev. 2021 Jun 21;198:111525
- Sanchis P, Ho CY, Liu Y, Beltran LE, Jacob AP, Furmanik M, Kapustin A, Long D, Shroff R and Shanahan CM. Premature vascular ageing drives inflammation and calcification in children on dialysis. Kidney Int. 2019 Apr;95(4):958-972
Prof Shunsuke Chiba’s career spans elite academic institutions in Japan and Singapore, culminating in his current role as Professor of Chemistry at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). After earning a B.Eng. from Waseda University and both an M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo, he served as a JSPS Research Fellow and an Assistant Professor at the University of Tokyo before joining NTU in 2007.
- Zixuan Feng, Marcos San Segundo, Eugene Yew Kun Tan and Shunsuke Chiba (2025). Reductive Desulfonylation of Sulfonamides under Polysulfide Anions Photocatalysis. Org. Lett. 27(15), 4026–4031.
- Eugene Yew Kun Tan, Alireza Dehdari, Amirah S. Mat Lani, Derek A. Pratt and Shunsuke Chiba (2024). Dearomative dimerization of quinolines and their skeletal rearrangement to indoles triggered by single-electron transfer. Chem. 10(12), 3722−3734.
- Giuseppe Nocera, Iain Robb, Kenneth F. Clark, Thomas M. McGuire, Laura Evans, Shunsuke Chiba and John A. Murphy (2024). Reductive activation of arenes by potassium metal with potassium salts. Org. Chem. Front. 11, 5099−5106.
- Conghao Wang, Hiok Hian Ong, Shunsuke Chiba and Jagath C Rajapakse (2024). GLDM: hit molecule generation with constrained graph latent diffusion model. Brief. Bioinform. 25, bbae142.
- Yi Zhen Tan, Xiangyang Wu, Yunpeng Lu, Shunsuke Chiba and Edwin K. L. Yeow (2024). Towards catalytic redox–active iridium polypyridyl complex by in situ photosubstitution. Catal. Sci. Technol. 14, 66−75.
Dr. Adams Wai-Kin Kong is an Associate Professor at NTU and Director of the MSc in Artificial Intelligence program. A University of Waterloo Ph.D. graduate, he ranks in Stanford’s Top 2% Scientists’ Study. His expertise in deep learning and biometrics is recognized through spotlight papers in IEEE TPAMI and multiple Best Student Paper awards.
- Zihan Zhou, Shilin Lu, Shuli Leng, Shaocong Zhang, Zhuming Lian, Xinlei Yu and Adams Wai-Kin Kong (2026). DragFlow: Unleashing DiT Priors with Region-Based Supervision for Drag Editing. ICLR.
- Shilin Lu, Zhuming Lian, Zihan Zhou, Shaocong Zhang, Chen Zhao, and Adams Wai-Kin Kong (2026). Does FLUX Already Know How to Perform Physically Plausible Image Composition? ICLR.
- Ran Ren, Shilin Lu, and Adams Wai-Kin Kong (2026). All That Glitters Is Not Gold: Key-Secured 3D Secrets within 3D Gaussian Splatting. ICLR.
- Wei Xian Lim, Loh Sher En Jessica, Zenong Li, Thant Zin Oo, Wai Lee Chan, and Adams Wai-Kin Kong (2026). TandemFoilSet: Datasets for Flow Field Prediction of Tandem-Airfoil Through the Reuse of Single Airfoils. ICLR.
- Yiming Yang, Zhiyuan Zhou, Yueming Yin, Hoi-Yeung Li, Adams Wai-Kin Kong (2026). Test-Time Adaptation without Source Data for Out-of-Domain Bioactivity Prediction. ICLR.
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