Dennis Hey Hwee Weng
Clinical Director, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Email: doshhwd@nus.edu.sg

What are your present research interests?

For clinical research: adult spinal deformity alignment targets and outcomes, endoscopic spine surgery techniques and outcomes, spinal disc arthroplasty techniques and outcomes. For basic science research: intervertebral disc regeneration, hypertrophic ligamentum flavum therapies, sarcopenic spinal changes and treatment.

Do you have a distinctive viewpoint to your research?

Research should strive towards preserving physiology and disease prevention.

What do you see as your future research directions?

Ability to understand, design and administer a wide variety of treatment on adult and degenerative spinal conditions.

Does your laboratory have a particularly strong research expertise?

Our laboratory have strong expertise in animal, radiographic and biomechanical work. We have close collaboration with researches that are highly capable in cell therapies and tissue engineering.

Recent Publications

1. Tan, T. H., Tan, J.-H., & Hey, H. W. D. (2023). Changes in Spinopelvic Parameters Between Standing and Sitting Postures: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Clin Spine Surg. doi:10.1097/BSD.0000000000001501

2. Crombie, E. M., Kim, S., Adamson, S., Dong, H., Lu, T. C., Wu, Y., Wu, Y., Levy, Y., Stimple, N., Lam, W.M.R., Hey, H.W.D., Withers, D.J., Hsu, A.L., Bay, B.H., Ochala, J., Tsai, S. Y. (2023). Activation of eIF4E-binding-protein-1 rescues mTORC1-induced sarcopenia by expanding lysosomal degradation capacity. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 14(1), 198-213. doi:10.1002/jcsm.13121

3. Teo, K. Y. W., Tan, R., Wong, K. L., Hey, D. H. W., Hui, J. H. P., & Toh, W. S. (2023). Small extracellular vesicles from mesenchymal stromal cells: the next therapeutic paradigm for musculoskeletal disorders. CYTOTHERAPY, 25(8), 837-846. doi: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2023.04.011

4. Hey, H. W. D., Lam, W. M. R., Chan, C. X., Zhuo, W.-H., Crombie, E. M., Tan, T. C., Chen, W.C., Cool, S., Tsai, S. Y. (2022). Paraspinal myopathy-induced intervertebral disc degeneration and thoracolumbar kyphosis in TSC1mKO mice model-a preliminary study. SPINE JOURNAL, 22(3), 483-494. doi:10.1016/j.spinee.2021.09.003

5. Hey, H. W. D., Tan, K. -A., Chin, B. Z., Liu, G., & Wong, H. -K. (2019). Comparison of whole body sagittal alignment during directed vs natural, relaxed standing postures in young, healthy adults. SPINE JOURNAL, 19(11), 1832-1839. doi:10.1016/j.spinee.2019.06.017