07 Jul 2020 Battling COVID-19: Singapore’s Role in International Collaborations
Since Singapore gained independence, it has rapidly developed to become a hub for business and is presently one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. Singapore continues to grow by reaching out to other countries with its ready pool of invaluable resources, forging relationships and participating in new research and development opportunities.
In its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Singapore government has been swift and effective in imposing border controls and performing contact tracing of affected individuals. Together with efficient testing methods at medical facilities and the implementation of circuit breaker measures, Singapore has been successful in slowing down the rates of infection without overwhelming its medical facilities.
How Singapore has managed the pandemic is no secret as local institutes and research facilities are constantly reaching out to collaborate with foreign experts on R&D projects. In this article, we will be evaluating the vital role that Singapore is playing in collaborative efforts with international countries to curb the spread and manage the impact of the outbreak around the world.
Singapore’s Duke-NUS Medical School and Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) Collaboration on Clinical Trials
Singapore’s Duke-NUS Medical School has been collaborating with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a Norway-based public-private coalition that develops vaccines to stop epidemics, and other international partners to develop a clinical trial for a vaccine with plans to start testing this year.
The trial involves the vaccination of healthy volunteers who will then be isolated and monitored for side effects of their immune system, and whether it grants them immunity against COVID-19. To date, CEPI has already developed several vaccination platforms that can be employed in the event a new virus emerges.
It is also important to determine whether a suspect case has the virus as soon as possible, but initial screening and confirmation methods by genome sequencing can take up to 24 hours. Research funding in Singapore has allowed homegrown biotech company Acumen Research Laboratories to develop a rapid diagnostic test kit prototype that can detect the virus in just two hours, greatly speeding up the virus screening process and advancing early detection of the virus.
Singapore’s Collaboration with the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) To Take Part in Two Global Multi-Centre Trials For Potential Cure
Scientists in Singapore have been conducting research on the virus in workgroups which consists of key members from various hospitals across medical disciplines, sharing its findings and knowledge with other countries.
Research funding from the National Institute of Health (NIH) has also allowed Singapore to contribute its research to a clinical trial that is evaluating a vaccine designed to protect against new infections of COVID-19.
The trial will take place at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle, with 45 young and healthy volunteers being tested with varying doses of the vaccine shots co-developed by NIH and Massachusetts-based biotechnology company Moderna Inc.
A*STAR Singapore and Chugai R&D Collaboration on Therapeutic Antibodies
The relationships Singapore have forged over the years have proven particularly useful in these trying times. For example, a joint research project on therapeutic antibodies to battle the global threat of COVID-19. has been initiated by combining A*STAR’s expertise in immunology and translational research with Chugai’s aptitude for producing innovative pharmaceuticals,
Spearheaded by Senior Principal Investigator Dr Wang Cheng-I, the collaboration between A*STAR and the Chugai Pharmabody Research team will be focusing their studies on a potential therapeutic antibody that was discovered at A*STAR’s Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN).
With the joint partnership’s research and proprietary antibody engineering technologies, the collaboration will seek to create a clinical candidate antibody that could potentially neutralise the live coronavirus which causes COVID-19.
A*STAR and Chugai have had successful past collaborations such as an antibody research project on the topic of dengue fever under a grant by the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund). Following the outbreak of COVID-19, both organisations were keen to reignite the collaborative effort to address this global threat.