Press Releases
13th BMS IAC meeting announces key achievements in Translational & Clinical Research efforts in Singapore
17 October 2008
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17 Oct 2008
Launch of TCR Flagship Programme awards completed and progress in developing clinical research capability and research infrastructure lauded
1. Phase 2 of Singapore’s Biomedical Sciences (BMS) Initiative has reached the halfway mark with the achievement of several key targets this year. This includes the award of all five Translational & Clinical Research (TCR) flagship programmes, a new partnership with Duke Medicine to develop a premier centre for clinical research in Singapore and Asia, and new research infrastructure at both the Outram and Kent Ridge Campuses.
2. This year's BMS International Advisory Council (IAC) meeting is the 13th since the Council was formed in 2000. The meeting was attended by 11 IAC members and chaired by Dr Sydney Brenner, the Acting Chairman of the 13th BMS IAC.
3. The IAC meeting took place in the morning of 17th October. The IAC members commended the progress that had taken place over the past year, and discussed several key issues, including the future directions for Singapore’s BMS efforts and various policies and processes needed to support and facilitate the TCR effort. The IAC members also commended the Biomedical Sciences Executive Committee (BMS EXCO) which is co-chaired by Mr Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and Ms Yong Ying-I, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health (MOH), for overseeing the significant progress made and milestones achieved in Phase 2 of the BMS initiative
S$50 million research funding to go into the study of dengue fever and metabolic diseases
4. Two new Translational and Clinical Research (TCR) Flagship Programmes have been awarded to conduct extensive research in dengue fever and metabolic diseases amounting to $25 million over 5 years. These programmes were the final two to be awarded under the TCR Flagship Programme initiative, which has identified five key disease-oriented areas for national-level, multi-disciplinary translational and clinical research.
5. A/Prof Leo Yee Sin from the Communicable Disease Centre at Tan Tock Seng Hospital was awarded the TCR flagship programme for Infectious Disease (opens in new tab) to look into the development of evidence-based case management and disease prevention for dengue. The research will aim to overcome major gaps in the treatment and management of dengue-related diseases through the translation of bedside to bench, and bench to bedside research.
6. A team led by A/Prof Chong Yap Seng of the National University Health System was awarded the TCR flagship programme for Metabolic Diseases (opens in new tab). His team will study pregnancy and early childhood factors that lead to increased risks for metabolic diseases in later life such as diabetes and obesity. These two conditions are important causes of chronic illness, and both are on an upward trend in Singapore and Asia.
7. The IAC members endorsed the programmes, recognising the urgency and long-term benefits – both medically and economically - for such research to be conducted in Singapore. Building on existing basic science and translational & clinical research capabilities, the IAC is confident that the teams will be able to effectively work on filling up current knowledge gaps, leading to novel approaches to both therapeutic and preventive applications.
Engaging Duke Medicine to strengthen Singapore's clinical research capabilities
8. The Singapore Clinical Research Institute (SCRI) has engaged the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) to help develop its research and site management capabilities for later phase clinical trials and clinical research. The DCRI, an entity under Duke University School of Medicine, is the world’s largest academic clinical research organization, with expertise in conducting clinical research and trials.
9. The DCRI, an entity under Duke University School of Medicine, is the world’s largest academic clinical research organization, with expertise in conducting clinical research and trials.
10. The DCRI will bring its expertise to jointly establish SCRI as a premier centre for therapeutically relevant clinical research in Singapore and Asia. Collectively, the two institutions will build the necessary capabilities required for the provision of clinical research expertise, and equip the SCRI to be a one-stop centre to support clinical trials (Phase 2b – Phase 4) and related clinical research in Singapore.
11. The setting up of SCRI and its partnership with DCRI marks an important milestone in Singapore’s BMS Initiative with increasingly more clinical research and trials being conducted here by public institutions and private pharmaceutical companies. This is the second long-term partnership between Singapore and Duke Medicine, the first being the establishment of the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School at the Outram Campus.
12. The SCRI is currently being jointly overseen by the deans of both Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS and Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School. The institute will be located at the Biopolis.
Fostering translational and clinical research capabilities at Outram and Kent Ridge
13. Plans for new research infrastructure at both Outram and Kent Ridge Campuses have been firmed up. Both campuses will see a doubling of the research space; this expansion will allow for the growth of research programmes and accommodate the expected increase in number of researchers. Both campuses have already begun their recruitment process for new investigators and this number is expected to increase by up to 50% over the next 5 years.
14. Research will be focused on selected core areas such as cancer, stem cell research, neurobehavioral disorders, infectious disease, cardiovascular & metabolic diseases, health services research, regenerative medicine, allergy & immunology and molecular pathology.
15. By being strategically co-located alongside tertiary hospitals (SGH and NUH), research institutes and academic institutions, closer collaborations between clinicians, academics and basic scientists will be fostered. Both Kent Ridge and Outram will also anchor themselves as the centres of translational and clinical research. Three of the five awarded TCR programmes (TCR for cancer, metabolic diseases and eye diseases), and the Research Centre of Excellence (RCE) for cancer will be housed in these new buildings upon their completion.
16. Both campuses will provide shared and core facilities for fellow researches and clinicians within their premises so as to enjoy economy of scales in the long run. The provision of centralized platforms also help avoids unnecessary duplication of expensive equipment and ensures that experienced technical support is in place to operate and maintain the equipment.
17. In addition, both campuses have also catered for the establishment of Investigational Medicine Units (IMU). The IMUs provide facilities to conduct early phase clinical trials, including Proof of Concept, Phase 1 (including First-in-Man) and Phase 2a clinical trials for novel drugs and diagnostics, research on biomarkers and disease mechanisms as well as bio-imaging studies. Early-phase trial is an important component in the success of clinical research.
Biomedical Sciences Initiative Phase II on track
18. Said Ms Yong Ying-I, Permanent Secretary (Health) and co-chair of the BMS EXCO, “We have indeed achieved some key milestones over the past year. After a rigorous selection process we have awarded all five TCR flagship programmes and finalized plans for new research infrastructure. We have also launched key talent development programmes to train clinician scientists and develop our pipeline of clinical talent for the future. But our work has only just begun. We will continue to do more in the coming years, as the various programmes and research efforts continue to take shape. Our efforts will, over time, translate to better healthcare for our patients.”
19. Agreeing, Mr Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman of A*STAR and co-chair of the BMS EXCO said, “The TCR flagship programmes are a good example of multi-institution programmes that bring together basic, translational and clinical research to form a comprehensive bench to bedside approach to improving healthcare. I am pleased that some of the A*STAR Research Institutes, like the Genome Institute of Singapore and Singapore Institute of Clinical Sciences, are actively participating in these programmes and will be contributing their basic science knowledge and research capabilities. We have established a solid basic research capability through the efforts of BMS Phase 1, and this capability underpins and supports the TCR effort. Basic research provides the pipeline of new discoveries and knowledge, from which new treatments and diagnostics can emerge.”
New Council Members
20. The BMS IAC also welcomed three new members at this meeting. They are Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, the Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council, UK; Professor Sally Davies, the Director General (DG) of Research and Development for the Department of Health and NHS, UK and Prof. William N. Kelley, Professor of Medicine and Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, USA.
Conclusion
21. The BMS IAC commended the speed at which integration of both basic and clinical sciences have taken place and applauded Singapore’s commitment to achieve R&D excellence. Said Dr Sydney Brenner, Acting Chairman of the 13th BMS IAC, “It delights me to see what Singapore has achieved over the last 8 years. Singapore has established an outstanding structure for Translational and Clincal Research including talented people with research capabilities and the required infrastructure. The Biomedical Sciences Initiative Phase 2 is on its way to fulfilling its objectives of making Singapore an outstanding biomedical sciences and healthcare hub.”
MINISTRY OF HEALTH
AGENCY FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH
17 OCT 2008
---------------------------------------------------------------------------BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Biomedical Sciences International Advisory Council (BMS IAC)
The BMS IAC was established in 2000 to guide the formulation of national strategies and policies for Singapore's Biomedical Sciences industry. The Council comprises eminent scientists and key leaders in the international biomedical community. Its roles are:
- To advise on major global Biomedical Sciences research and industry trends that may affect Singapore;
- To critique current initiatives and provide advice for improvements or enhancements;
- To share knowledge and experience in Biomedical Sciences research and industry to guide Singapore's development in these areas; and
- To provide inputs on legal and ethical issues in biomedical research based on the experience of other countries.
Biomedical Sciences Executive Committee (BMS EXCO)
Formed in 2000, the multi-agency BMS EXCO was chaired by Chairman of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) to drive Singapore’s Biomedical Sciences (BMS) initiative. In 2006, as the BMS initiative progressed into Phase 2 with the added focus on translational and clinical research, the BMS EXCO was reconstituted with Chairman A*STAR and the Permanent Secretary of Health as co-Chairpersons.
The BMS EXCO brings together key agencies such as A*STAR, the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Ministry of Trade & Industry and the Ministry of Education to drive Singapore’s Biomedical Sciences initiative. The BMS EXCO is supported by three working groups to strengthen Singapore’s Intellectual Capital, Human Capital and Infrastructure Capital for translational and clinical research. The implementation of the EXCO’s initiatives is overseen and coordinated by A*STAR’s Biomedical Research Council and MOH’s National Medical Research Council.
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) & Biomedical Research Council (BMRC)
A*STAR is Singapore's lead agency for fostering world-class scientific research and talent for a vibrant knowledge-based Singapore. A*STAR actively nurtures public sector research and development in Biomedical Sciences, Physical Sciences and Engineering, with a particular focus on fields essential to Singapore's manufacturing industry and new growth industries. It oversees 22 research institutes, consortia and centres, and supports extramural research with the universities, hospital research centres and other local and international partners. At the heart of this knowledge intensive work is human capital. Top local and international scientific talent drive knowledge creation at A*STAR research institutes. The Agency also sends scholars for undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral training in the best universities, a reflection of the high priority A*STAR places on nurturing the next generation of scientific talent.
The Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) oversees the development of core research capabilities within A*STAR research units specialising in bioprocessing; chemical synthesis; genomics and proteomics; molecular and cell biology; bioengineering and nanotechnology and computational biology. Through competitive grants, the Council also supports research in the wider scientific community such as public universities and hospitals. As part of its efforts to advance human healthcare, BMRC actively promotes translational medicine and cross-disciplinary research. The Council also engages in human capital development in the biomedical sciences and promotes societal awareness of biomedical research through outreach programmes.
For more information, please visit: www.a-star.edu.sg (opens in new tab)
National Medical Research Council
The National Medical Research Council or NMRC oversees the development and advancement of medical research in Singapore. It provides research funds to healthcare institutions, awards competitive research funds for individual projects and is responsible for the development of clinician-scientists through awards and fellowships. The NMRC is appointed by the Minister for Health with a mandate to lead, promote, co-ordinate and fund medical research in Singapore.
NMRC-funded research has led to inter-disciplinary partnerships and international collaborations. It also evaluates the outcomes of the research projects and facilitates the commercialization of research findings. Since its inception in 1994, it has built up the medical research capabilities in Singapore through the funding of more than 1100 individual research projects and 13 national research programmes.
For more information, please visit: www.nmrc.gov.sg (opens in new tab)