How a chance meeting sparked a winning solution | MEDICUS 2025 Issue 1

How a chance meeting sparked a winning solution
By Holly Tan, Writer

(L-R): Dr Zyneelia Husain, with Duke-NUS Dean Prof Thomas Coffman, Dr Chitsanupong Ratarat, Ms Oranich Vera-Archakul and Dr Bayarbaatar Bold at the Hackathon // Credit: SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute (SDGHI)

A notification lit up Dr Zyneelia Husain’s screen. It was a message she hadn’t expected–but one that would change everything. Her team had been accepted into the inaugural Asia Pacific Global Health Innovation Hackathon.

It was an exciting moment, but also a daunting one. As an emergency medicine specialist from Sarawak, Malaysia, Husain knew that the next few weeks would be an all-out sprint. With her ‘LungGuardian’ teammates spread across Thailand and Mongolia, juggling time zones, clinical shifts and preparing their winning project proposal would be no easy feat.

Six weeks later, they landed in Singapore. And two days after that, their team was crowned one of three winners at the Hackathon.

“We all had a common passion: Leveraging innovation to improve healthcare systems.”
Dr Zyneelia Husain

Their idea? LungGuardian, a smart biosensor app designed to track children’s real-time exposure to air pollution, offering a personalised approach to respiratory health in cities plagued by high levels of air pollution.

Hosted by the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medicine Innovation Institute and the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute (SDGHI), the Hackathon, which was held from 17 to 18 January 2025, brought together 16 teams from across Asia that were selected for their passion and commitment to tackling pressing health issues in the region.

Team LungGuardian introduce themselves at the welcome dinner before the start of the hackathon // Credit: SDGHI

For team LungGuardian, it was a sliding doors moment at a farewell event that led team leader Dr Chitsanupong Ratarat, a consultant paediatrician based in Bangkok, to cross paths with fellow members Husain and cardiothoracic radiologist Dr Bayarbaatar Bold, setting the wheels in motion for their collaboration.

Back then, the trio had just completed a one-year master’s degree in the UK under the Chevening Scholarship programme.

While they were not expecting to meet anytime soon after parting ways, that changed when Husain came across news of the hackathon online. Hoping to find people to team up with, she shared it in the Chevening Scholars WhatsApp group, sparking Ratarat’s and Bayarbaatar’s interest.

Joined by Ratarat’s former coursemate from University College London’s Global Business School for Health, Ms Oranich Vera-Archakul, a pharmacist from Thailand, the group formed ‘LungGuardian’.

“We all had a common passion: Leveraging innovation to improve healthcare systems,” recalled Husain.

Hard at work fine-tuning their idea on Day one of the hackathon // Credit: SDGHI

As selected teams were required to propose a project that they would continue to work on during the hackathon, team LungGuardian quickly fleshed out the health issue they wanted to tackle.

“We found a key gap in existing air quality tools—they report general pollution levels but don’t track individual exposure over time. Knowing how much pollution someone breathes per hour is crucial for assessing health risks and predicting asthma attacks, yet this data isn’t readily available,” said Oranich.

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She added: “We have each been concerned about air pollution for a long time, as it is a common issue across our countries—Thailand, Malaysia and Mongolia—especially with PM2.5. We face high pollution levels every year, and children are the most vulnerable—they breathe faster, spend more time outdoors, and have developing lungs, making them more susceptible to respiratory diseases like asthma.”

That was when they came up with the concept for LungGuardian—an app using biosensors to monitor real-time air pollution, tailored specifically for children.

“Knowing how much pollution someone breathes per hour is crucial for assessing health risks and predicting asthma attacks, yet this data isn’t readily available.”
Ms Oranich Vera-Archakul

Capable of continuously monitoring PM2.5 levels, LungGuardian displays hourly exposure trends and daily accumulation. If pollution levels exceed safe thresholds, an alarm is triggered, prompting users to take preventive measures before exposure worsens.

The app offers a potential breakthrough in respiratory health for countries experiencing high levels of air pollution due to climate change.

“Unlike publicly available Air Quality Index (AQI) sources, which often lack indoor readings, LungGuardian tracks an individual’s actual exposure to PM2.5 pollution, delivering a more accurate and relevant assessment of air quality risks,” explained Husain.

To bring their idea to fruition, they had to work in rapid iterations: prototyping, refining and stress-testing their idea within the intense two-day hackathon.

The team also leant on guidance from more than twenty mentors specialising in different sectors of healthcare innovation to ensure that their solution was realistic and could be implemented in the real-world healthcare setting.

Dean Prof Thomas Coffman meets the team during their hacking session // Credit: SDGHI

It helped that they had a diverse set of skills—spanning digital health, business, healthcare workflows and pharmaceutical management. “Our commitment to delivering a real user experience and respect for each other’s expertise also made decision-making smoother,” added Bayaraa.

As the second day of the hackathon drew to a close, the team eagerly awaited their turn to pitch their idea. “Delivering a compelling pitch that resonated with both the judges and attendees reinforced the importance of clear communication and strategic storytelling,” reflected Ratarat.

All smiles at the prize presentation ceremony (From L-R, second row): Assoc Prof Jonas Karlstrom, Prof Rokho Kim, Ms Lee Chen Ee, Dr Kidong Park, Mr Adam Lyle, Prof Lucien Ooi, with team LungGuardian in the first row // Credit: SDGHI

When asked about how he felt when he heard their team’s name being announced as a winning team before the hackathon concluded, Bayaraa said: “It was an absolute rush of excitement. We couldn’t believe it at first, but then the reality set in—we’d be able to develop our keychain sensor and user interface with expert guidance and top resources.”

Winning the hackathon is just the beginning for LungGuardian.

As one of the three winning teams, they were awarded a six-month incubation programme, valued at S$25,000, to further develop their concept into fundable a solution. The programme also includes mentorship from dedicated experts in health, sustainability and innovation.

LungGuardian will return to Singapore to take part in a two-week, in-person incubation session. The rest of the programme will be conducted virtually by their mentors.

With this support offered by SDGHI and the SingHealth International Collaboration Office, the team is eager to execute their idea and bring it beyond the walls of the hackathon and out into the real world.

They hope that LungGuardian can be extended to other illnesses impacted by air pollution and ultimately play a role in public health research and policy advocacy.

Beyond the teamwork, the group is thrilled to have had the opportunity to get to know each other on a personal level.

“It’s amazing how shared passion and purpose can turn connections into lasting friendships,” said Husain.

Besides team LungGuardian’s app to tackle health problems caused by air pollution, a spectrum of innovative solutions was proposed by the 16 participating teams, including the use of application programming interface to provide real-time risk predictions for cardiovascular diseases as well as a platform for identifying areas at high risks of rodent infestations and disease outbreaks.