Singapore: Singapore announced the initiation of eight biomedical sciences research programmes, including polaris, genetic orphan diseases and translational and clinical research (TCR) flagship programme among others, in order to advance the understanding and treatment of diseases, especially prevalent amongst the Asian population.

These programmes will see biomedical scientists and clinicians working collaboratively to bring about greater healthcare benefits to society and create economic growth for Singapore. These programmes were endorsed by the Biomedical Sciences International Advisory Council, chaired by Sir Richard Sykes.

Mr Lim Chuan Poh, co-chair, Biomedical Sciences Executive Committee (BMS EXCO) and chairman, A*STAR, said that, "The collaborations will see a convergence of talent, capabilities and resources of the basic science and clinical communities. This augurs well for Singapore as a research hub, as our distinctive value proposition depends on our ability to coordinate and integrate our research efforts along the innovation value chain, as well as across multiple research organizations."

The BMS IAC commended Singapore for its BMS efforts in basic research and TCR in the past 12 years, and also lauded Singapore for its efforts on converging its talent, R&D capabilities and resources for impact.

Over the past five years, the ministry of health's investment in TCR has generated promising results which have made a positive impact on healthcare. Among these are the development of innovative treatments and devices such as the world's first robotic flexible endoscopy system featuring a pair of robotic arms for surgeons to cut away tumours in the digestive tract by passing them through natural openings such as the mouth. Using this system allows for surgery which leaves no scars, inflicts lesser pain and facilitates faster recovery.