The company marks Singapore's first foray into molecular diagnostics.

 

Singapore's first commercial developer of molecular diagnostics assays, Dx Assays Pte Ltd, commenced operations in September 2008. The company was formed at the end of 2007 as a joint venture between Europe's largest biotech firm, Qiagen, and Bio*One Capital, a biomedical science investment firm of Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) Investments.

The new 11,000 sq ft state-of-the-art facility will develop and validate molecular diagnostic assays - systems used by biotech and pharmaceutical companies, and healthcare professionals to test patients' genetic samples for a predisposition to diseases - throughout all stages of drug discovery and development and healthcare. Dx Assays will also design and develop companion diagnostics that help improve the efficacy of drug candidates for specific patient populations. The facility currently has 16 employees in both the R&D and operations teams, and this number is expected to grow to 36 by 2010.

Tapping On Global Opportunities

"The emergence of molecular diagnostics is one of the most important developments in the field over the past 25 years, and we are seeing a fundamental shift towards more personalised, early disease detection and intervention," explains Chu Swee-Yeok, CEO, EDB Investments and Bio*One Capital.

The global market for molecular diagnostics is estimated to be S$3.4 billion (US$2.4 billion), and is projected to grow by 17 per cent annually*. This rapid growth can be attributed to the growing demand for early disease detection and focus on personalised medicine.

Despite the strides made in medicine, drug therapy continues to involve a fair bit of trial and error because different people have different genetic make-up. And these differences can often vary in their response to the therapy or to the drug dosage, creating unnecessary side effects and costs. The discovery of biomarkers and the development of molecular diagnostics will help doctors identify these genetic differences and enable them to prescribe the right medicine in the right dosage for each patient. This will translate to significant cost savings and improvements in the quality of care.

Welcoming Dx Assays to the biomedical research community in Singapore, Dr Beh Swan Gin, Managing Director, EDB, says, "The opening of Dx Assays' R&D laboratory will help Singapore participate in the strong growth opportunities in molecular diagnostics. The company will be able to leverage the expanding base of research work in A*STAR [Agency for Science, Technology and Research] and the medical schools to discover and develop validated assays and, potentially, companion diagnostics. This in turn will make Dx Assays an attractive partner for drug discovery companies in Singapore and in the region to develop better drugs in a more efficient and effective manner."

"By leveraging the development capabilities of Dx Assays, Qiagen can further strengthen its presence in the rapidly growing Asian market and expand its global portfolio of molecular testing solutions. We can significantly accelerate our development speed and we hope to launch products from this Singapore centre within the next one to two years," says Peer Schatz, CEO, Qiagen.

"Our location in Singapore is ideal as we can leverage the strong scientific community here, to gain access to qualified manpower, R&D partners and potential clients." - Dr Michael Paumen, CEO, Dx Assays

One-Stop Location To Develop Molecular Diagnostics

Indeed, Singapore presents an attractive one-stop location for the development, commercialisation and manufacturing of innovative molecular diagnostic solutions.

Over the last few years, the Republic has built a strong foundation in biomedical research. In particular, A*STAR has established research institutes that specialise in genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics and bio-imaging, which are key capabilities in the development of molecular diagnostics.

There has also been significant progress in developing the necessary infrastructure to support translational and clinical research here. These include the A*STAR-NUS-Siemens Clinical Imaging Research Centre, two Investigational Medicine Units dedicated for early-phase trials at the National University Hospital (NUH) and the Singapore General Hospital. These facilities, in turn, support the growing community of clinician scientists in the city-state.

Singapore has cultivated its capabilities and facilities that enable companies and researchers to bring their drug candidates from the bench to the bedside. This has drawn biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to carry out drug discovery activities in Singapore. AstraZeneca is one notable example. In August, it announced its partnership with National Cancer Centre of Singapore and NUH to develop and test its drug candidates for liver cancer in Singapore.

Beyond R&D, Singapore offers key strengths in complex manufacturing to support the commercialisation of new molecular diagnostic solutions. Today, the nation is one of the world's leading manufacturing sites for research tools and diagnostics instruments, supplying some 70 per cent of the world's micro-arrays and 50 per cent of the global demand for Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) instruments. Singapore will strengthen its position as a global manufacturing site as it continues to invest in the training of its people, particularly in quality control and supply chain management.

As such, it comes as no surprise that Dx Assays will be capitalising on these advantages to develop innovative molecular diagnostic assays. "We want to be one of the premier suppliers of molecular diagnostic assay development solutions. Our location in Singapore is ideal as we can leverage the strong scientific community here, to gain access to qualified manpower, R&D partners and potential clients," says Dr Michael Paumen, CEO, Dx Assays.

* Market size and projected growth figures are compiled from RBC Capital Markets, Nature Biotechnology (August 2006), Digene internal reports, Recap, Kalorama, BioCentury, L.E.K. Analysis.