In a recent press release, A*STAR revealed that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two foreign parties. The MoU is targeted for collaboration in selected key projects for commercialisation and clinical use.
The initiation of the collaboration will first target surgical procedures, intra-operative diagnostics and diabetic management. It will also include access to over 15,000 patients and volunteer. It will also include access to over 2000 clinical and research trials.
CEO of DxD hub reveals that the collaboration is well-placed to curb current and future healthcare challenges.
‘’As the aging population continues to grow, and with the rise of chronic diseases, medical diagnostics becomes increasingly critical within healthcare for early detection, prevention and treatment of diseases,’’ he said.
A*STAR is Singapore’s lead public sector agency that spearheads economic oriented research to advance scientific discovery and develop innovative technology.
It engages in open innovation and collaborate with partners to tackle societal problems via Science and Technology. This collaboration is a positive continuity to Singapore’s innovation efforts in healthcare to curb with aging population in the long-run.
These efforts include the building of the Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Jurong Community Hospital that incorporates innovative Clinical Informatics and Health Analytics.
According to A*STAR, Singapore’s medtech sector contributed S$5.5 billion in manufacturing output last year, up from S$1.5 billion in 2000. This represents among the highest figures within the Asia Pacific region.
This collaboration will suit the Asian population more as the research will be aimed to suit the healthcare context while tapping on international expertise and resources.
Dr Yee also outlined how such collaborations is needed to meet current demands and healthcare challenges.
He said that the collaboration will ‘’catalyse the development of leading edge medical technologies and devices, and bring them quickly to global markets”, for A*STAR to “achieve value creation, value delivery and value capture from our R&D”.
(Image from US Embassy, Jakarta– CC BY -ND 2.0)
