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Ministry of Health

7. Regulation of human biomedical research

The Human Biomedical Research Act was enacted to clarify responsibilities in human biomedical research to prioritise participant safety and welfare.

Last updated 5 March 2026

What is the Human Biomedical Research Act (HBRA)?

The Human Biomedical Research Act (HBRA) was enacted in 2015 to provide clarity on the roles and responsibilities of individuals and body corporates involved in human biomedical research and the handling of human tissue for use in research, in order to ensure that the health, welfare, and safety of research participants remain a paramount consideration at all times.

Through the legislation, the Ministry of Health (MOH) strives to ensure that human biomedical research and tissue banking activities carried out in Singapore follow the law and principles of good clinical practice relating to ethics and science to protect the safety and welfare of research subjects and tissue donors.

If you have any questions or concerns about your compliance with the HBRA, please write in to MOH at the following email address hbr_enquiries@moh.gov.sg.

Links to decision tools

  1. Is my study Human Biomedical Research?

  2. Am I handling human tissue and conducting tissue banking activities regulated under the Human Tissue Framework?

  3. Continuing Human Biomedical Research Beyond 1 November 2019

About the Act

  1. Human Biomedical Research Act 2015

  2. Human Biomedical Research Regulations 2017

  3. Human Biomedical Research (Restricted Research) Regulations 2017

  4. Human Biomedical Research (Tissue Banking) Regulations 2019

  5. Human Biomedical Research (Tissue Banking and Notification – Exemption) Regulations 2019

  6. Human Biomedical Research (Requirements for Appropriate Consent – Exemption) Regulations 2019

HBRA Guidance Documents

HBRA Guidance Documents for Reference

S/N

Name

1

Frequently Asked Questions [PDF file, 312 KB]

2

Overview of Human Biomedical Research Framework [PDF file, 3.5 MB]

3

Overview of Human Tissue Framework (updated July 2021) [PDF, 4MB]

4

Table Differentiating Research from Research-like Activities [PDF, 110 KB]

5

Ethical Code on Charging Research Subjects [PDF, 417 KB]

6

Reflection on Transition [PDF, 1.9 MB]

7

Guidance on Prohibition against Commercial Trading of Human Tissue [PDF, 360 KB]

8

Guide on the Requirement of Appropriate Consent for the Conduct of HBR and Handling of Human Tissue [PDF, 864 KB]

MOH Circulars

MOH Circulars for Research Institutions (RI) and Tissue Banks (TB) Notified to MOH

S/N

Name

1

Guidance on Charging of Research Subjects

Infographics

List of HBRA Infographics

S/N

Name

1

HBRA SOC Infographics [PDF, 384 KB]

2

HBRA SAE Infographics [PDF, 791 KB]

List of Research Institutions (RI) and Tissue Banks (TB) Notified to MOH

List of RIs and TBs Notified to MOH

S/N

Name

1

Research Institutions Notified to the MOH [PDF, 83KB]

2

Tissue Banks Notified to the MOH [PDF, 83KB]

Tissue and Research Application System (TIARAS) Guidance Documents

List of TIARAS Guidance Documents

S/N

Name

1

A Guide to TIARAS [PDF, 473 KB]

2

TIARAS Screenshots for Notifications (Research Institution) [PDF, 5.8 MB]

3

TIARAS Screenshots for Declaration of Compliance and Updates to TIARAS (Research Institution) [PDF, 2.1 MB]

4

TIARAS Screenshots for Notifications (Tissue Bank) [PDF, 4.4 MB]

5

TIARAS Screenshots for Declaration of Compliance and Updates to TIARAS (Tissue Bank) [PDF, 2.5 MB]