FigureAsia 35 Under 35 · Healthcare
Yamin Zhang
Age 32 · Bioresorbable bioelectronics and cardiac devices · Singapore
First and co-corresponding author of a millimetre-scale, self-powered bioresorbable pacemaker tested across animal and ex vivo human cardiac models.
- Approximate age at 31 December 2025
- 32
- Field
- Healthcare
- Country or region
- Singapore
- FigureAsia U35 Assessment
- 87.6 / 100
Profile
Career and documented record
Temporary cardiac pacing can save a life while the heart recovers, yet conventional leads and external hardware introduce infection, displacement and removal burdens. Yamin Zhang's 2025 work attacked that problem at device scale. As first and co-corresponding author, she helped introduce a millimetre-scale bioresorbable optoelectronic pacemaker with onboard power and wireless optical control. Its size supports injection and endovascular delivery rather than open placement.
The study demonstrated pacing in mouse, rat, porcine and canine models, and in ex vivo human donor-heart preparations. A paired skin-interfaced device detected arrhythmia and triggered closed-loop operation. The group also integrated arrays of the tiny pacemakers with transcatheter-valve frames, illustrating how distributed temporary pacing might address conduction problems after structural-heart procedures. The platform is designed to dissolve after its useful period, potentially avoiding retrieval surgery.
Zhang's contribution is not merely miniaturization. It integrates materials, wireless control, implantation mechanics and cardiac physiology into a coherent temporary-therapy system. No device was implanted in a living human patient, and translation will require manufacturing, toxicology, durability and regulatory work. The paper nevertheless offers an unusually complete preclinical demonstration with clear clinical logic.
FigureAsia selection
Why Yamin Zhang is on the list
FigureAsia selected Zhang because the work joins an elegant materials concept to a recognisable care problem and because her authorship establishes direct leadership. The breadth of experimental models, closed-loop configuration and human donor-heart testing move the result beyond a single bench proof. Its limits are equally important: ex vivo human testing is not a clinical trial. Within those boundaries, it is one of the year's most distinctive advances in Asian-led biomedical engineering.
Verified work
The 2025–26 record
Principal milestone
Published 2 April 2025
Evidence record
Pacing demonstrated in five cardiac-model categories
Scale or implementation
Approximately 40,000 article accesses and 98 citations recorded by July 2026
Field context
The work in its field
Within bioresorbable bioelectronics and cardiac devices, the relevant test is whether a result can survive scrutiny of maturity, attribution, validity and practical fit. That distinction matters: completed evidence is not projected benefit, and individual responsibility is not interchangeable with the wider team’s achievement.
FigureAsia U35 Assessment
Assessment breakdown
87.6out of 100
Substantive 2025–2026 contribution
20 / 20
The score reflects completed 2025–26 work in bioresorbable bioelectronics and cardiac devices, assessed at the documented maturity of advanced preclinical device platform.
Verified impact
12 / 15
Impact credit is limited to the measured study, regulatory, implementation or operating record stated in the profile; unsupported patient benefit is excluded.
Originality and distinction
10 / 10
The work creates or materially advances a distinctive capability within bioresorbable bioelectronics and cardiac devices rather than relying on title or institutional association.
Field and industry influence
9 / 10
The assessment recognises demonstrated effects on research, product development, care delivery or professional practice, with publicity alone carrying no weight.
Individual agency
9 / 10
Named authorship and the documented role of Assistant Professor and Principal Investigator establish individual responsibility while preserving credit for collaborators.
Durability and trajectory
4.5 / 5
The cited work forms part of a continuing programme, platform or research trajectory rather than a single uncompleted announcement.
Asian significance and global relevance
4 / 5
The Asian connection is material to the person's identity, operating base or populations served: China-educated bioelectronics researcher leading an independent laboratory in Singapore.
Clinical and scientific validity
6.3 / 7
Clinical and scientific validity is calibrated to advanced preclinical device platform, with the profile retaining the evidence boundary attached to the result.
Safety, quality and responsible governance
5.6 / 7
Safety and governance credit reflects accurate regulatory language, study limitations, data stewardship and the refusal to turn early evidence into clinical certainty.
Translation and care-pathway fit
4.2 / 6
The work is scored for its demonstrated fit with a laboratory, regulatory, clinical, operational or public-health pathway, not for projected future adoption.
Access, equity and resource stewardship
3 / 5
Access credit reflects documented reach, capacity, affordability or inclusion while distinguishing service volume from proven clinical outcome.