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JULY 2020
Monitoring COVID-19 through wastewater
A Calendar
s the number of COVID-19 patients from migrant worker dormitories
in Singapore continue to climb each day - currently standing at
over 48,0001, inputs from SCELSE to a pilot wastewater screening
programme by the National Environment Agency (NEA) is helping in the Conferences
local monitoring and early detection of SARS-CoV-2 in these areas.
The information stated here is accurate
Since February this year, SCELSE A/Prof Janelle Thompson and her team, at time of publishing and is subject to
including research fellows Dr Cheng Dan, Dr Mats Leifels, Dr Ezequiel change. Check with the organiser’s
Santillan and research assistant Mr Larry Liew have been working on a NEA website for further updates.
Environmental Health Institute-led programme to determine the presence
and abundance of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA material in wastewater from 1-3 Sept 2020: IWA Nutrient Recovery
local water reclamation plants and workers’ dormitories. & Removal Conference. Early bird
tickets deadline: 31 Jul 2020. https://
The project also involves scientists from Singapore-Massachusetts iwa-nrr.org/registration/
Institute of Technology Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) and
the National University of Singapore, and is supported by the National 29 Sept-1 Oct 2020: Biofilms 9. Online.
Water Agency PUB and Home Team Science and Technology Agency Registration deadline: 31 Aug 2020.
(HTC). http://www.biofilms9.kit.edu/
To support the monitoring of infections within the dormitories, samples 28-31 Oct 2020: FEMS Online
are taken from manholes of 20 large dormitories. Although detection of Conference on Microbiology. Early bird
viral material in the samples does not necessarily indicate the presence of online registration deadline: 31 Aug
a viable or infectious virus, trial results have shown a correlation between 2020. https://fems2020belgrade.com/
the level of SARS-CoV-2 viral ribonucleic (RNA) material detected in the
samples and the increase in cases from the dormitories. Postponed
While the programme is still in its early stages and set to expand, it has 21-26 Aug 2022: ISME18 (postponed
also already lent its hand to early detection and curbing the spread of the again from Aug 2021). Cape Town,
South Africa. Abstract submission period
disease. Viral material detected in the wastewater of several dormitories
will be reinitiated in early 2021.
have led to targeted swab tests and COVID-19 diagnoses among workers
from these dormitories, including asymptomatic patients. 19-23 Sept 2021: Extremophiles2021
Congress. Early bird registration
(cont. on next page) deadline: 23 May 2021.
1 https://www.moh.gov.sg/docs/librariesprovider5/2019-ncov/situation-report---29-jul-2020.pdf
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(cont. from previous page)
Additionally, the absence of viral material in the wastewater samples
is an assuring indicator of a virus-free dormitory, which paves the way
for the resumption of the residents’ daily lives.
This wastewater-based surveillance for COVID-19 also complements
the large-scale active clinical testing that the health authorities have
been conducting for migrant workers staying in these dormitories.
According to a Ministry of Health projection, 80-percent of workers
living in dormitories would have recovered or cleared through testing
by end-July.1
This expansion of our capacity to detect and test for SARS-CoV-2 will
also help to keep a cap on possible new waves of infections.
Wastewater-based surveillance may alert health authorities to any rising
community spread, and enable rapid mitigating actions such as
individual testing and early isolation to stem transmission.
Going further, the trending of SARS-CoV-2 viral concentration over
Dr Mats Leifels in personal protective equipment
time is also critical information in determining the efficacy of infection (Credit: Cheng Dan)
control and future pandemic control plans.
A/Prof Thompson and co-authors, including SCELSE Prof Stefan Wuertz and Asst Prof Monamie Haines from
NTU School of Social Sciences have communicated these ideas in a perspectives piece, “Making Waves:
Wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 for population-based health management”, available online in Water
Research journal.
This inter-agency project has garnered the attention of the country’s Minister of the Environment and Water
Resources (MEWR), Mr Masagos Zulkifli who wrote on his Facebook page that “there is good potential in
wastewater surveillance to detect the spread of COVID-19” and that “we’re making wastewater work for us against
COVID-19!”2
1 https://www.gov.sg/article/expanded-testing-in-phase-2-steady-progress-in-dormitory-clearance
2 https://www.facebook.com/masagos/posts/1532701626890849
SCELSE HAPPENINGS
SCELSE on the small screen
W
ith health authorities warning of a second wave of COVID-19
Icons by by phatplus from www.flaticon.com
infections, online presentations and meetings from home
stay penciled in on everyone’s calendar. While some may
rejoice in their pajama bottoms, others may have some extra work cut
out for them when it comes to their time to taking and tailoring their
presentations for an online audience.
We check in with several SCELSE staff and students on their differing
experiences speaking on and also organising events for the small screen:
Research fellow Dr Stephen Summers
The fact that the presentations were virtual had no impact on my
preparations for my SingJAMS presentation in May. I rarely concentrate
on the audience when I speak as I find it distracting, so all I needed were
my slides and my memory (which is failing). What was even better for
me was that I did not have to worry about my slides not working on the
(top) PhD student Soheil Neshat and chairperson of the
host institution’s PC, so even less work to consider!
session A/Prof Cao Bin waiting for the student
qualifying exam to take place over Zoom. Graduate
studies executive Priscilla Lefort and other student I have done several virtual conferences in the past and find them to be a
attendees of the session await online as well. great way forward. It also saves on countless hours in an airport lounge!
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PhD student, Casandra Tan
I gave a presentation on behalf of the Kline Lab for the June SG BUG meeting, a regular
monthly meeting with two presentations from different labs. A huge difference between “A tip for PhD
presenting live and virtually is that I can’t see my audience because their cameras are students: if no one is
switched off to decrease the bandwidth usage. Since I can’t see their faces, I am unable
to gauge from their expressions if they understand me or if I have lost their attention at going to be there for
any point. So I changed the way I presented – I placed more attention to the animation, you and if the presence
added more arrows in the slides to guide the online audience better so it would be of someone else in the
easier for them to follow the content of my speech. room is important for
My advice to those preparing for online presentations is to try your whole presentation
you, try practising with
routine at least once on whichever platform you are using, so you can be certain that and using a stuffed
the slides are showing properly and you also learn how to navigate around the platform animal.”
when any hiccups happen. You don’t want to be panicking during the presentation!”
PhD student Soheil Neshat:
I was not nervous doing this Qualifying Exam
(QE) over Zoom because I had some practice
presenting online a few times with my lab group
and for my thesis advisor committee meetings. But
I still prefer presenting in person because you can
convey meaning or create emphasis just by looking
at people and getting their reaction. Their body
language also gives useful feedback and indicates
whether they are following me or if I need to slow
down my talk.
One funny thing did happen when I went to sit
outside and wait while the post-QE confidential
closed door discussion between the examiners
started. Since they had to discuss it online, I could
initially still hear what was going on in the room, so
Priscilla sent me upstairs!
A tip for PhD students: if no one is going to be there
for you and if the presence of someone else in the PhD student Soheil preparing for his qualifying exam on Zoom; others present
room is important, try practising with and using a include his supervisor Prof Stefan Wuertz, examiner A/Prof Janelle Thompson,
stuffed animal. I saw a video of a professor in the graduate affairs officer Prriscilla Lefort, and supportive audience members
US who used a teddy bear as an attendee when he and fellow students Norazean Zaiden and Woo Yissue
was recording a lecture for students.
SCELSE Deputy Research Director (Microbial Biofilms) and joint organiser of JAMS (Joint Academic Microbiology
Seminars) Singapore (SingJAMS) A/Prof Scott Rice:
We ran SingJAMS via Zoom for April and May and virtual experience was definitely different. A key part of the JAMS
experience is the personal interactions, meeting folks and getting to know each other, which just does not happen as easily
online. It is also harder to just go up to the speaker to ask questions or make comments.
So we shortened the format for presentations – from three live speakers to two
virtual speakers as we wanted to keep the time shorter as it is harder to stay focused
Overall, I think there for long periods online. We tried to have breakout rooms for the speakers to chat
is a roll for virtual with the audience members and a general chat room for everyone else but the
meetings, but science breakout rooms really did not work well and we have stopped doing that.
needs real interaction We managed questions by having them posted to the ‘chat’ section. The session
for discussion and the chair then picked those and read them to the speaker. That worked well and we
exchange of ideas. got more questions from people who are normally too shy. We also changed our
meeting time from 7 to 5pm to be more family friendly and cater to people who
need to think about feeding their kids and allow for private time at home.
Overall, I think there is a roll for virtual meetings, but science needs real interaction for discussion and the exchange
of ideas. Events more than one or two hours long are unlikely to be as successful as live conferences since it is hard to
maintain focus that long in front of the computer.
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SCELSE HAPPENINGS
npj Biofilms and Microbiomes journal increases impact factor
T
he npj Biofilms and Microbiomes journal, published in partnership with SCELSE, has increased its impact factor
from 6.3 in 2018 to 7.1 according to 2019 journal metrics. With that, it is setting its sights on brighter horizons.
The journal’s status has risen from its initial impact factor of 4.1 in 2017, indicating its success in terms of visibility
and recognition, says editor-in-chief Prof Alain Filloux, Chair in Molecular Microbiology at Imperial College London and
visiting faculty at SCELSE.
The number of submissions also reflects the journal’s recognition since it was launched in 2015, with more than 15
submissions each month this year - more than double compared to the same period last year.
“The fact that we moved above seven is a fantastic achievement,” says Prof Filloux. “The prediction for next year
already looks promising and we hope that the ascent of the journal will continue.” With this new impact factor, the
journal is now ranked 16th out of 134 places among the journals in the microbiology category.1
Prof Filloux attributes this increased recognition to the quality of the editorial team, which currently includes fellow
Editor-in-Chief A/Prof Catherine Lozupone from University of Colorado and associate editors Prof Tom Battin, Prof
Jean-Marc Ghigo, Dr Omry Komren, Prof Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, Prof Sandra L. McLellan. The team has also been
encouraged to take a proactive approach in commissioning high quality papers and reviews for the journal in the coming
year. With the increased number of submissions, the editors are considering appointing more associate editors with
expertise on specific areas of biofilm research.
“We will also be in most of the conferences that are specific to biofilms and make sure we reach out to all in the
biofilm community,” says Prof Filloux.
New initiatives for npj Biofilms and Microbiomes in 2020 include the launch of a special issue covering translational
research on biofilms; the call for papers is still open, with the submission deadline in September.
“There are many journals on biofilms and even more numerous microbiology journals, so the competition is certain but
our increasing visibility as a journal is clear,” sums up Prof Filloux.
1 https://jcr.clarivate.com/JCRJournalHomeAction.action?pg=JRNLHOME&categoryName=MICROBIOLOGY&categories=QU
RESEARCH FEATURE
The missing factor in wastewater treatment
I
n 2008, Wu Yichao was taking his first dive into the field of wastewater treatment. As an undergraduate student in the
civil engineering department of Southeast University in Nanjing, China, Wu was spending his school days learning
design calculation of wastewater treatment plants. But the undergraduate lacked the fundamentals, or so he says
today, in retrospect.
“I was designing the treatment processes, but I didn’t know what the reactions
inside were or how bacteria functioned in these processes,” Wu says. “I only knew “Wastewater treatment
that there are bacteria in there, which are very small and are doing their jobs to clean is an interesting
up the water.”
research area where
The undergraduate wanted to delve deeper. In 2013, Wu took on a PhD at SCELSE bacteria are engineered
in A/Prof Cao Bin’s lab, with a mind towards studying the fundamental mechanisms of and utilised for the
the wastewater treatment process. Six years later, Dr Wu Yichao published his findings goodness of mankind
investigating one such potential mechanism. and the environment,
and it is also one of the
The chemical complexity of real wastewater has been attributed as a critical factor
in inducing distinct effects on microbial community development as compared to
most active but least
the chemically defined media of synthetic wastewater prepared in the lab. Wu’s understood processes
postgraduate work at SCELSE, published in Environmental Science & Technology at via changes in the RNA
the end of April this year, sought to address other potential and hitherto neglected structure.”
factors in real wastewater that could contribute to different biofilm processes too.
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(Graphic provided by: Wu Yichao)
Picking apart the mechanism
To pick out potential factors, the team at SCELSE compared the influence of real wastewater and synthetic wastewater
on a model wastewater bacterium Comamonas testosteroni added to the bioreactors. A target pollutant was also included
in the wastewater mixes.
In the first cycle after the bioreactors were fed with the wastewater, both real and synthetic wastewater systems
could degrade the target pollutant within 24 hours. This equal efficiency in degrading the pollutant suggested that
the catabolic activity of C. testosteroni was not affected by either wastewater.
However, in the second cycle, only 60-percent was removed from the synthetic wastewater system after 24
hours, while the reactors fed with real wastewater had a removal efficiency of around 100-percent. Further, only
a small number of C. testosteroni cells were found on established wastewater flocs in synthetic wastewater by the
end of the first and second cycles, while most flocs in real wastewater were covered with them.
The differences in degradation performance in synthetic wastewater
could thus be attributed to the low retention of augmented bacterial “We found that after
cells in the flocs, and also suggest underlying chemical factors in real filtration, the bacteria were
wastewater that enhance the retention rate of the exogenous
not likely to form biofilms
C. testosteroni bacteria.
or retain onto the flocs,
To look at the influence of the two wastewater matrices on bacterial floc which meant that these
formation, pure cultures of C. testosteroni were cultivated in a biofilm high molecular weight
matrix, with visible flocs forming only in real wastewater within 2 hours. biopolymers were likely to
Under continuous flow conditions, a 3D heterogenous biofilm structure be the potential factor that
was observed in real wastewater but only a thin layer of bacterial cells
contributes to the different
formed in flow cells supplied with synthetic wastewater. The results of
these subsequent flow cell experiments also suggested the presence of a fates of C. testosteroni.”
biofilm-promoting factor in the real wastewater matrix.
Picking out the missing factor
To identify the factors behind this enhanced bacterial biofilm and floc formation in real wastewater, ultrafiltration was
performed to exclude the high molecular weight fraction of the soluble extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) from real
wastewater. “We found that after filtration, the bacteria were not likely to form biofilms or retain onto the flocs, which
meant that these high molecular weight biopolymers were likely to be the potential factor that contributes to the different
fates of C. testosteroni,” explains Wu.
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Further analysis by the team also showed that cells taken from the real wastewater were more hydrophobic than those
in synthetic wastewater. This suggests that in the presence of a soluble EPS, the bacterial cell surface becomes more
hydrophobic, allowing for the attachment of planktonic cells and floc formation. This shows that soluble EPS enhances
biofilm formation and bacterial retention in bioaugmentation.
Identifying this missing factor and picking apart the mechanism that reveals the contribution of soluble EPS in
real wastewater and to higher bacterial retention could be advantageous in managing and bioaugmenting microbial
communities in wastewater treatment.
“Wastewater treatment is an interesting research area where bacteria are engineered and utilised for the goodness of
mankind and the environment, and it is also one of the most active but least understood processes,” says Dr Wu, today
an associate professor of environmental engineering at Huazhong Agricultural University in Wuhan, China. “There are
many potential factors in these biofilm processes that we don’t know about but perhaps we could manipulate the biofilm
processes after understanding these factors and control the community assembly of wastewater biofilms to benefit our
treatment of them.”
Responses of Exogenous Bacteria to Soluble Extracellular Polymeric Substances in
READ THE PAPER: Wastewater: A Mechanistic Study and Implications on Bioaugmentation
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c00015
SCELSE STAFF PROFILE
Bertrand Chan
Laboratory Operations Officer
H
e greets you with a rattle of glassware and a
thunder of trolley wheels against the floor. Rolling
down the corridors of the lab with a trolley of
dirtied glassware and back up to the lab to collect more,
there’s Bertrand clocking in his presence at SCELSE every
other morning.
Bertrand does more than his usual round of glassware
cleaning of course. As one of SCELSE’s lab operations
officers, he offers that invisible assistance to the basic
research needs of every lab user – from waste collection,
autoclaving and replenishing consumables to replacing
gas cylinders. Sometimes, a little investigation and trial-
and-error cleaning processes are required for the more
frustrating returns from lab users.
“Sometimes I get this residue in the glassware that I can’t “I was really proud of this one - an adult giant snakehead, a very
get out and since I don’t even know what it is, it’s hard to ferocious and predatory fish. I wasn’t targeting this particularly and
figure out how to remove it or scrape it off, if I’m even able was using really small stuff so this was an absolute surprise.”
to do so,” Bertrand describes of these daily tribulations.
Unbeknownst to some of the students he serves, Bertrand too has a student life, albeit a part-time one outside of SCELSE
hours. For the last year and a half, the 27-year old has been shuffling between our labs and night classes at Temasek
Polytechnic, gunning for a diploma in aquaculture.
The part-time student
Bertrand’s return to studies was prompted by a relatively unfulfilling job search after graduating from NTU’s School of
Physical and Mathematical Sciences. He already had his first taste of the workforce with a job at an analytical instrument
company prior to graduation. Armed with a degree in Chemistry, he decided to ease back into employment in a similar
role.
“But as I went for these interviews, which were usually in Tuas and in quite desolate places, it dawned on me, ‘is
this what I really want to do?’” Bertrand sighs. This period of going through mindless applications and a multitude of
interviews proved stressful to the recent graduate.
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“I always thought I would graduate, get a job and…
that’s it. It didn’t occur to me to think what exactly this
work would be,” he recalls. Feelings of emptiness but
also, urgency set in, which spurred him to think harder
about his future. “At the end of the day, I realised that the
only things I enjoy are fish and marine-related things.”
With this epiphany, Bertrand started looking for
relevant study programmes. “I thought I would like to
work in a marine environment like an aquarium or even
a river safari. I even looked up aquarist roles in those
places, but they required some form of aquaculture
coursework so that prompted me to try out for the
course,” Bertrand explains. “That felt really good, like
wow, I’m finally doing something I like!”
Berc the Youtuber
A liking for everything related to fish does not
exclude Bertrand from playing favourites though. Ask A screenshot from a BERC fishing videos with nearly 16,000 views
him about his favourite fish and the fish fanatic rattles
off a list of attributes about the Atlantic tarpon, found in Florida: “When you say ‘fish’, the tarpon is what I think
of straightaway because it has everything of what you would expect from a fish – the long dorsal fins, elongated bodies,
very nice V-shaped tail, super streamlined body and very fast. Their entire mouth structure is bone and makes a hollow
sound when you knock it.”
With a liking for predatory fish such as the tarpon comes an enjoyment of watching and even taking part in the chase,
too. He may not be a widely known influencer in online popular culture but Bertrand’s activities in the fishing community
has garnered him 1,300 subscribers on YouTube. Known on YouTube as “BERC”, his catch-and-release fishing videos
ranges from 2,000 to 28,000 views.
The online BERC is a humble personality with a relaxed temperament that perks up slightly even in obvious moments
of great thrill when landing a huge catch. One of BERC’s most-viewed videos, “Checking out a longkang (canal) near my
place” lays a copyright-free chillhop track over a diaristic GoPro view of his exploration down untrodden grassy paths
sidelined by canals, mixed in with casual assessments of fishing spots and tips for viewers.
Another video “do fish/bait scents work?” that has garnered nearly 16,000 views shows a moment of modest jubilation
at his “personal best” and successful catch of a peacock bass at Lower Seletar Reservoir. As Bertrand attempts to reel
it in, the only sounds that a viewer hears are of his line being dragged, an incoming train on the tracks nearby, and an
affirmative response about the size of his catch to a neighbouring fishing enthusiast who seems more vocally excited than
Bertrand himself. As he pulls in his prized catch, the chase is concluded in his laboured breathing, his voice breaking as
he gives a tiny “woohoo!”, then “wow! Alright, that’s how we do it, folks,” before admitting, “Folks, I’m shaking now!”
(cont. on next page)
Special Shoutouts from SCELSE
Special Shoutouts to SCELSE From Sin Xin Zhi: Fishy interest! It’s rare for someone to
have such drive to pursue their “FISHY” interest these days!
To the lab team: I’m grateful for my supervisor Ley Byan for Press on with your studies, it will be over very soon!
guiding me through my duties and being ever so patient In the meantime, continue the good job of keeping
whenever I wish to clarify a doubt. I’m also equally grateful SCELSE’s glassware shining! *BLING BLING*
for the wonderful (and nonsensical)bunch in my team
whom I can count on anytime. From Noor Rehan Binte Abdul Rahman: Bertrand is an
invaluable friend. Everywhere he goes, he fills up the place
To everyone in SCELSE: And to everyone whom I’ve had the with smiles. His positive affective presence make others
privilege to speak to during my daily work in the lab – around him feel good, even when they are anxious or sad.
I appreciate and am thankful for the conversations
that we have shared J I wish him a life full of many amazing adventures
and success. May he find plenty of sweet
memories to cherish forever.
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Whether Bertrand or BERC, he admittedly finds it difficult to reconcile his positions as both fan and predator of fish.
“It’s hard to say why I like fish, but I like their body structure, I like that they are in the water, I find it beautiful to see them
swimming in their natural environment. I would rather be able to swim like a fish than fly,” Bertrand lists. “I myself find it
hard to answer why I like fish and yet still go fishing and eat them, but maybe it’s to do with the fact that fishing was my
first experience in encountering the natural world,” Bertrand continues. “As a kid, my dad often brought me fishing and I
got to touch them and see them swim, so it’s been my longest hobby so far and since I was 7 years old.”
The arguments against hobbyist fishing does have an effect on BERC though. “Truthfully, to this very day, I can’t say I
can fully justify hobbyist fishing,” he admits. “There’s a constant debate about whether fish feel pain so I’ve been thinking
of techniques that hopefully cause less pain and I release them.”
His tips and techniques in handling fish surely comes in handy at his aquaculture course, but being at SCELSE works
extremely well for both Bertrand and BERC. “When I found out that researchers here do experiments on St John’s Island, I
thought that was cool and neat and related to what I’d want to do in the future!”
SOCIAL
A letter to the graduating class of 2020
Dr July Fong Dr Adeline Yong Dr Mishra Rajat Dr Brenda Tien
Supervisors: Mei Hui Supervisor: Supervisor:
Asst Prof Wu Bin, Supervisor: A/Prof Sanjay Swarup A/Prof Kimberly Kline
Prof Michael Givskov A/Prof Kimberly Kline
Dr Hu Yidan Dr Teh Wooi Keong
Dr Chen Qingyan
Supervisors: Supervisors: Dr Lee Yong Jian
Supervisors:
A/Prof Cao Bin, A/Prof Liang Supervisor:
Supervisor:
Prof Stefan Wuertz, Zhao-Xun, A/Prof Sanjay Swarup
A/Prof Kimberly Kline
A/Prof Liang Prof Michael Givskov,
Zhao-Xun Dr Rohan Williams
Dear graduates,
Congratulations! It has not been an easy journey. We trust that these postgraduate years here have been as rewarding
as they were intensive – a deep exploration into realms now familiar to you, an unsettling learning curve where your
strengths are recognised and weaknesses revealed and remedied, an odyssey of self-discovery through the science you
had yet to learn. Long this course may have felt but brief it is, considering the multitude of brighter trajectories that now
unfurl at your feet.
You are graduating during quite an unprecedented time indeed, complicated by the changes that the COVID-19
pandemic has wrought, with an impact on concerns that may affect us personally: accessibility to resources in higher
education; an uncertain funding landscape; and anxiety from lockdowns and disruptions to daily life. In research,
conferences have been cancelled or postponed and communing with the scientific community has been more difficult.
In this altered reality, many are facing situations they never expected but in spite of these challenges, you have
completed this one part of your journey and emerged a stronger scientist. In parallel, the pandemic has given higher
visibility to the importance of science and also, highlighted a surge of public interest in scientifically-backed information
that can be empowering. Scientists, in particular microbiologists, have been thrust into the spotlight, their expertise called
upon and placed at the forefront of public health policy to deal with a novel coronavirus.
Your postgraduate years gain a fresh importance. Thr strengths and ambitions as a scientist that you have identified in
yourself during these demanding years are needed more than ever. Even as we remain uncertain what else is to come, the
level of public trust in science is a comforting and prescient reminder that what we do cuts through the noise and fear of
the unknown in times of crisis.
We are regretfully unable to have our traditional mug-gifting ceremony to mark your graduation this year. Whichever
path you choose to embark on, we hope SCELSE will always remain with you in some way, mug or not, be it the scientific
skills and knowledge you take with you or the affinities forged with our small scientific community here.
We look forward to your return to SCELSE. See you again! Best wishes and good luck!
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