Singapore, May 6, 2008: Imagine being able to peer at something inside a cell 10,000 times smaller than a strand of human hair, or see how bone cells come alive in the body using magnetic resonance imaging, or watch neural stem cells grow and migrate in the brain. All these might just be possible with the projects carried out under the inaugural joint grant call by Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)’s Singapore Bioimaging Consortium (SBIC) and the Singapore Stem Cell Consortium (SSCC), and the third grant call by SBIC this year.

 

In all, S$7 million ($5.16 million) in grants was awarded to eight projects. The joint SBIC-SSCC grant call awarded S$4.77 million ($3.51 million) to six projects to promote innovative and multidisciplinary collaboration between different R&D bodies. These projects aimed at developing non-invasive imaging methods to monitor stem for preclinical or clinical use. Each project would receive half a million to one million dollars in funding over a period of three years.

 

The SBIC also separately awarded S$2.33 million ($1.72 million) to two other projects for the development of novel bioimaging systems using emerging technology.

 

Prof Alan Colman, Executive Director, SSCC, said, "Many of the projects cover broad areas of research, bringing both imaging and stem cell expertise in addressing challenges facing stem cell research today. I like to wish all recipients the very best in their pursuit of research excellence."

 

Prof Sir George Radda, Chairman of SBIC said, “This round of SBIC and SSCC grants will help the bioimaging scientific community to pursue fundamental research in bioimaging with a practical outcome. The potential of imaging in linking basic research to clinical applications is very promising and if we can make bioimaging clearer, safer and more specific, these will definitely aid clinicians and researchers in their day to day work, and eventually, contribute to the improvement of human healthcare."

 

Prof Frank Watt, whose project was one of the eight that received funding, said “Proton imaging is an entirely new concept which will help us to map the interior of whole cells in much more detail than can be achieved using conventional imaging technology. With this round of funding we are aiming to push the resolution at which we can observe the cell down towards the 10nm level. It will be really exciting to see this become a reality.”