Singapore's Highlights in Biomedical Sciences - January 2010

Prof John Hennessy, President, Stanford University, speaking at the official launch of Singapore-Stanford Biodesign Program in Singapore.

January 31, 2010

Editor’s Note
January marked a series of key R&D announcements that further enhanced Singapore’s position as companies’ home-base for innovation in Asia – Roche’s newly-established translational medical research hub in Singapore will partner Singapore’s institutes to accelerate drug discovery and development; Welch Allyn’s expanded its R&D center in Singapore from where it will develop novel medical products for Asia and emerging markets; Stanford partnered EDB and A*STAR to launch the Singapore-Stanford Biodesign Program that will nurture next-generation Asian medical device innovators.

Roche Established Translational Medical Research Hub in Singapore
Welch Allyn Expanded R&D Center in Singapore
Stanford University Partnered Singapore to Nurture Next-Generation Asian Medical Device Innovators
Singapore Scientists Discovered Novel Transcription Factor that Reprograms Differentiated Cells into Stem Cells
Singapore and Finland Launched Joint Grant Call for Research Collaborations
Companies Joined Research Institutes in UK-Singapore Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry

Roche Established Translational Medical Research Hub in Singapore
Roche announced that it will enter into a strategic alliance with Singapore’s scientific and medical institutions to set up a major new translational research hub in Singapore. This “Hub for Translational Medicine” aims to enhance the understanding of how scientific advances from preclinical research can be transferred in practice to patients. Bringing together world-class expertise from Singapore’s scientific and medical research institutions with Roche’s significant capability in translational medicine and clinical development, this new centre will focus on expanding knowledge of disease biology to develop new personalised treatment approaches.

“Singapore’s research institutions offer outstanding scientific excellence combined with state-of-the-art translational medicine facilities,” said Jean-Jacques Garaud, Global Head of Roche Pharma Research and Early Development. “The powerful combination of intellectual and technological capabilities together with outstanding government commitment at the heart of this collaboration will provide a unique opportunity to drive personalised healthcare.”

With an investment of 100 million Swiss Francs, the Hub for Translational Medicine will initially employ around 30 leading scientists.

Welch Allyn Expanded R&D Center in Singapore
Welch Allyn, a leading global manufacturer of frontline medical products and solutions, announced that it plans to design next generation digital connected products specifically for Asian and emerging markets at its new international research and development facility in Singapore. The company’s move to a larger facility in Alexandra Techno Park comes just six years after it opened its first Asia-based research and development center in Singapore, the company’s first such venture in the Asia-Pacific region.

“We chose to establish our first Asia-based research and development facility in Singapore because of the exciting opportunities it offers our business,” said Welch Allyn President and Chief Executive Officer, Julie Shimer. “We have been pleased with the progress made thus far and are eager to build on our successes at our new facility.”

As a key component of the company’s strategic objective to expand global reach, Welch Allyn plans to focus on utilizing Singapore’s skilled talent and vibrant infrastructure to provide innovative solutions to healthcare providers in the region and worldwide.

Stanford University Partnered Singapore to Nurture Next-Generation Asian Medical Device Innovators
The Stanford University Biodesign Program is partnering with the Agency for Science, Technology & Research (A*STAR) and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) to establish a new training program called Singapore-Stanford Biodesign. This program seeks to train the next generation of Asian leaders who can develop innovative medical devices to address Asia’s growing healthcare needs.

“Stanford welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with scientists from Singapore in an effort to provide solutions to some of the biggest challenges in health care and medicine,” said Stanford University President John Hennessy, PhD, who is in Singapore today for the official launch of the program. “Through this partnership, we aim to foster innovations in medical technology in Singapore and Silicon Valley that will capitalize on the expertise that Stanford has pioneered in Biodesign.”

For more info, please click here.

Singapore Scientists Discovered Novel Transcription Factor that Reprograms Differentiated Cells into Stem Cells
Scientists from the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), a biomedical research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and the National University of Singapore (NUS), have discovered a transcription factor, known as Nr5a2, which is responsible for the reprogramming of differentiated cells into stem cells. Stem cells generated from differentiated cells are known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells). This find, published on January 21, 2010 in the prestigious journal Cell Stem Cell, is especially crucial in the area of cell therapy-based medicine.

Singapore and Finland Launched Joint Grant Call for Research Collaborations
Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation, announced the first bilateral Joint Call for Proposals (JCP) today in the areas of Sustainable Development and Healthcare, Wellness & Aging. The JCP is part of the 2nd Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by both parties to promote R&D and scientific collaboration in strategic technology areas between Singapore and Finland. The MOU will provide the opportunity for Singapore public sector researchers and scientists from Finnish universities and research institutes to jointly develop technologies of national interests through three annual calls and to participate in joint seminars and symposia to share the latest scientific information and materials.

Companies Joined Research Institutes in UK-Singapore Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry
The Royal Society of Chemistry, in collaboration with A*STAR’s Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) and GlaxoSmithKline R&D, Singapore (GSK), and with support from the British High Commission Singapore, held a symposium on “Medicinal Chemistry” on 25 and 26 January 2010 to bring together researchers from the United Kingdom and the South East Asia region to discuss current progress and challenges within the field of medicinal chemistry. The two-day symposium is held under the auspices of the “UK-Singapore Partners in Science” Programme and it includes lectures by experts from the pharmaceutical industry such as the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases, S*BIO, Pfizer, AMRI, Astex Therapeutics, Forma Therapeutics, Cancer Research Technology, AstraZeneca and GSK, and the leading academic and research centres like Dundee University, Liverpool University, University of St Andrews, National University of Singapore and ICES. The topics discussed include the treatment of cancer, obesity, malaria and inflammatory pain, and the application of techniques such as diversity-orientated synthesis, fragment based drug discovery and the use of biophysical techniques in medicinal chemistry.

To find out more about Singapore’s Biomedical Sciences scene,
please visit www.biomed-singapore.com