Editor’s Note

In February, there were key announcements by leading pharmaceutical companies – Abbott opened its largest nutrition manufacturing facility and announced its extension into nutrition R&D in Singapore; Schering-Plough officially opened its Translational Medicine Research Centre, which will enhance our development in translational and clinical research; Lilly announced its collaboration with Singapore’s research institutes in brain cancer studies. In medical technology, leading micro-array manufacturer, Illumina, opened its key global site in Singapore. With this investment, Singapore will be responsible for more than 50% of the global manufacturing capacity for micro-array. 

Abbott opens largest nutrition manufacturing plant
Abbott has opened its largest nutrition product manufacturing facility in Singapore, to meet increasing regional demand for its nutritional products, including Similac. This represents the company's single largest investment in Asia and its growing commitment to the region. Abbott Manufacturing Singapore is a centre of excellence, offering world-class levels of safety, process control and cleanliness throughout the manufacturing and distribution process.  The plant employs approximately 300 people, 50 of whom are solely devoted to quality assurance. 

Abbott announces Asia Pacific Nutrition Science R&D Centre
Abbott announced its new Asia-Pacific Nutrition Science Research and Development Center in Singapore, where its scientists will focus on clinical trials and development of nutritional products tailored to Asian dietary needs.  This centre of excellence complements Abbott's new pharmaceutical research and development facility, opened last month in Singapore.

Schering-Plough opens Translational Medicine Research Centre
Schering-Plough officially opened its first Translational Medicine Research Centre (TMRC), a 30,000 square-foot facility located in the Biopolis. TMRC will support Schering-Plough Research Institute (SPRI)'s global R&D programmes by focusing on biomarker discovery and development across various therapeutic areas that include cardiovascular, central nervous system, immunology and infectious diseases, oncology, respiratory and women's diseases. The facility will also be Schering-Plough's focal point for non-invasive imaging for the company's discovery and exploratory clinical development programmes. From the Biopolis, TMRC will coordinate Schering-Plough's participation in biomarker consortia and serve as a liaison between SPRI therapy areas and Singapore's scientific and medical institutes.

Lilly collaborates with NNI and SICS in Brain Cancer research
Lilly Singapore Centre for Drug Discovery (LSCDD), the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) and the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS) have teamed up to advance drug discovery using adult brain tumour stem cells. LSCDD has recently expanded its facility at the Biopolis and has cancer as one of its disease areas of focus.

For more info, please click here. 

Singapore sets up Research Centre of Excellence in Mechanobiology
Singapore’s National Research Foundation and Ministry of Education have committed S$150 million over 10 years to support the Mechanobiology Research Centre of Excellence (RCE). The study of cell and tissue functions at the most basic level would unlock vital information pertaining to the behaviour of cells when subjected to various dynamic forces in nature. This would, in turn, influence the development of specific drugs and highly accurate treatment of diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis and other ailments due to ageing. The Mechanobiology Centre will be led by Professor Michael Sheetz, the William R Kenan Jr. Professor from Columbia University with Co-Director Professor Paul Matsudaira, formerly from MIT.

For more info, please click here. 

Singapore partners Israel in heart disease research
Singapore’s National Research Foundation announced a research collaboration programme between Singapore’s research organizations and top Israeli universities. The first two projects under this programme involve the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) and the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS). Local partners are the NUS, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and TLL. These two projects will study the use of regenerative medicine in cardiac restoration therapy and molecular mechanisms of morphogenensis.

For more info, please click here. 

Illumina Sets up Micro-Array Manufacturing Plant
In responding to expanding demand for micro-array in Europe and Asia, Illumina has set up its first Asian manufacturing plant in Singapore. This 32,000 sq ft facility will also be the company’s key global manufacturing site outside of US. Illumina has invested up to US$20 million in this facility and will employ 117 people. The plant has capacity to produce about 40,000 micro-array each quarter and it is intended to mirror production in the U.S., thereby giving the company greater flexibility in manufacturing and distribution. With this investment, Singapore will be responsible for more than 50% of the global manufacturing capacity for micro-array.

Millipore Opens Regional Training Facility
Millipore Corporation, a leading provider of technologies, tools and services for the global life science industry, opened its state-of-the-art Biomanufacturing Sciences and Training Center (BSTC) in Singapore. The 8,000 square foot facility will provide support and technical service to Millipore’s biopharmaceutical customers who have operations throughout Asia. The BSTC Singapore facility will allow local and regional customers to investigate, explore and optimize their separations, purifications and monitoring processes and be supported by local, regional and international experts. The company will offer training courses from March 2009.

Homegrown company, Pasture Pharma, Received FDA Approval for Respirators
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of two respirators by Singapore company Pasture Pharma. The respirators, intended for use by general public, can help reduce the user's exposure to airborne germs during a public health medical emergency, such as aninfluenza or bird flu pandemic. Pasture Pharma is the second manufacturer in the world that has received FDA clearance for the specific use of such respirators in a public health emergency.

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