Dr Andri Kartasasmita Riau

​Dr Andri Kartasasmita Riau is a translational ocular bioengineer bridging materials science and clinical care for patients with corneal blindness. His research asks a single question: how do we make sight-restoring therapies safer, more accessible, and less wasteful?

Trained in biochemistry at the Minnesota State University and holding an MSc and PhD from Nanyang Technological University, Dr Riau leads four research lines at the Singapore Eye Research Institute and Duke-NUS Medical School:

• Synthetic corneal prostheses: Engineering next-generation keratoprostheses (KPros) for patients beyond the reach of transplantation
• Tissue recycling: Repurposing discarded donor corneas for refractive surgery and stromal keratophakia
• Cell therapy: Translating cultivated stromal keratocytes and mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes into treatments for corneal scarring and inflammatory eye disease
• Sustainable ophthalmology: Quantifying microplastic contamination in eye drops and championing greener care pathways

His work has translated into real-world impact, namely, lenticule banking and electron-beam-irradiated corneas which are already in clinical use, while bioactive coatings for the Boston KPro and the titania-graphene KPro are advancing toward first-in-human trials. Beyond the bench, Dr Riau has mentored over 40 trainees, from junior college students to international clinical fellows.

• ​PhD (Singapore) (2017)
• MSc (Singapore) (2012)
• BSc (USA) (2006)

• Associate Editor, Journal of Translational Medicine (2025 – present)
• Member, International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy (2024 – present)
• Academic Editor, Frontiers in Ophthalmology (2023 – present)
• Member, Faculty and Professional Development Committee, EYE-ACP, Duke-NUS Medical School (2022 – present)
• ​Member, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (2018 – present)
• Member, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (2010 – present)

• ARVO Foundation Travel Grant Award (2026)
• TCT Healthcare Award — Finalist (2026)
• Acta Biomaterialia Reviewer Award (2024)
• Singapore National Day Award — The Efficiency Medal (2023)
• Ministry of Health COVID-19 Resilience Medal (2023)
• ​Journal of Refractive Surgery Silver Reviewer (2021)
• Journal of Refractive Surgery Silver Reviewer (2019)
• Duke-NUS Khoo Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (2018)
• SNEC/SERI Long Service Award (2017)
• SingHealth Publish! Award (2016)
• World Biomaterials Congress 2016 Trainee Award (2016)
• SGH 21st Annual Scientific Meeting, Young Investigator’s Award (3rd place) (2014)
• SERI Outstanding Graduate Student/Fellow Award (2013)
• School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, NTU Certificate of Excellence (2012)
• SingHealth Talent Development Fund Award (2012)
• SingHealth Medical Research Publication Award (2011)
• Asia ARVO 2009 Travel Fellowship Award (2009)
• Robert Henney Memorial Scholarship (2002)
• Minnesota State University In-State Tuition Scholarship (2001)

• 3D-printed titanium corneal prosthesis for severe corneal blindness (2024 – present)
• Customised collagen implants for presbyopia management (2024 – present)
• Cornea-derived bioink for 3D bioprinting and corneal regeneration (2024 – present)
• ​Microplastics in dry eye practices (2022-present)
• Electron-beam-irradiated donor corneas for on-demand stromal keratophakia (2022 – present)
• Cellular therapy with cultivated corneal stromal keratocytes for corneal opacities (2019 – present)
• Bioactive coatings and bioceramic/biometal composites for artificial cornea (2013-present)

1. Duoduo W, Lim CH, Jaeger JE, Han E, Lim BX, Ong A, Loh WW, Lim JY, Mehta JS, Riau AK. Exposure of human epithelial cells to microplastic particles induces a phase-specific cytokine response. Environ Pollut. 2026;397:127960.

2. Jaeger J, Burke M, Duoduo W, Curren EE, Leong SC, Symons R, Lim BX, Su X, Mehta JS, Riau AK, Lim CH. Microplastics identified in commercial over-the-counter lubricant eyedrops. Eye (Lond). 2025;39:3082-3089.

3. Ma Q, Riau AK, Young RD, Shebanova O, Terrill NJ, Yam GH, Han E, Meek KM, Mehta JS, Boote C. Ultrastructural aspects of corneal functional recovery in rats following intrastromal keratocyte injection. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2025;66:45.

4. Soo JY, Tan G, Han E, Boey KP, Liu YC, Mehta JS, Riau AK. Impact of transportation on the suitability of cryopreserved corneal lenticule for implantation. ACS Appl Bio Mater. 2025;8:2065-2077.

5. Riau AK, Look Z, Yam GH, Boote C, Ma Q, Han EJ, Yusoff NZ, Ong HS, Goh TW, Halim NS, Mehta JS. Impact of keratocyte differentiation on corneal opacity resolution and visual function recovery in male rats. Nat Commun. 2024;15:4959.

6. Thirunavukarasu AJ, Morales-Wong F, Halim NS, Han E, Koh SK, Lei Z, Kocaba V, Venkatraman SS, Mehta JS, Riau AK. Nano-hydroxyapatite coating attenuates fibrotic and immune responses to promote keratoprosthesis biointegration in advanced ocular surface disorders. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2024;16:25892-25908.

7. Thirunavukarasu AJ, Han E, Nedumaran AM, Kurz AC, Shuman J, Yusoff NZ, Liu YC, Foo V, Czarny B, Riau AK, Mehta JS. Electron beam-irradiated donor cornea for on-demand lenticule implantation to treat corneal diseases and refractive error.Acta Biomater. 2023;169:334-347.

8. Jhanji V, Santra M, Riau AK, Geary ML, Yang T, Rubin E, Yusoff NZ, Dhaliwal DK, Mehta JS, Yam GH. Combined therapy using human corneal stromal stem cells and quiescent keratocytes to prevent corneal scarring injury. Int J Mol Sci. 2022; 23: 6980.

9. Yusoff NZ, Riau AK, Yam GH, Halim NS, Mehta JS. Isolation and propagation of human corneal stromal keratocytes for tissue engineering and cell therapy. Cells. 2022;11:178.

10. Riau AK, Boey KP, Yusoff NZ, Goh TW, Yam GH, Tang KF, Phua CS, Chen HJ, Chiew YF, Liu YC, Mehta JS. Experiment-based validation of corneal lenticule banking in a health authority-licensed facility. Tissue Eng Part A. 2022;28:69-83.

11. Yam GH, Riau AK, Funderburgh ML, Mehta JS, Jhanji V. Keratocyte biology. Exp Eye Res. 2020;196:108062.

12. Riau AK, Liu YC, Yam GH, Mehta JS. Stromal keratophakia: Corneal inlay implantation. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2020;75:100780.

13. Riau AK, Lwin NC, Gelfand L, Hu H, Liedberg B, Chodosh J, Venkatraman SS, Mehta JS. Surface modification of corneal prosthesis with nano-hydroxyapatite to enhance in vivo biointegration. Acta Biomater. 2020;107:299-312.

14. Riau AK, Ong HS, Yam GH, Mehta JS. Sustained delivery system for stem cell-derived exosomes. Front Pharmacol. 2019;10:1368.

15. Li Z, Goh TW, Yam GH, Thompson BC, Hu H, Setiawan M, Sun W, Riau AK, Tan DT, Khor KA, Mehta JS. A sintered graphene/titania material as a synthetic keratoprosthesis skirt for end-stage corneal disorders. Acta Biomater. 2019;94:585-596.

16. Damgaard IB, Riau AK, Liu YC, Tey ML, Yam GH, Mehta JS. Reshaping and customization of SMILE-derived biological lenticules for intrastromal implantation. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2018;59:2555-2563.

17. Riau AK, Mondal D, Setiawan M, Palaniappan A, Yam GH, Liedberg B, Venkatraman SS, Mehta JS. Functionalization of the polymeric surface with bioceramic nanoparticles via a novel, non-thermal dip coating method. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2016;8:35565-35577.

18. Riau AK, Mondal D, Yam GH, Setiawan M, Liedberg B, Venkatraman SS, Mehta JS. Surface modification of PMMA to improve adhesion to corneal substitutes in a synthetic core-skirt keratoprosthesis. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2015;7:21690-21702.

19. Riau AK, Beuerman RW, Lim LS, Mehta JS. Preservation, sterilization and de-epithelialization of human amniotic membrane for use in ocular surface reconstruction. Biomaterials. 2010;31:216-225.