NEWS

2024

Dr Tam Wai Leong shares his opinion in Cancer Hallmarks: Piecing the Puzzle Together

4 April 2024 - Dr Tam Wai Leong, GIS’ Deputy Executive Director shares his opinion in the April issue of Cancer Discovery. Read more about his commentary in Cancer Hallmarks: Piecing the Puzzle Together

GIS's spin-off Auristone secures US$4m in seed funding

2 April 2024 - Congratulations to Auristone, a spin-off from A*STAR’s Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), on securing US$4M in seed funding to propel the future of precision medicine through epigenomics!

This infusion of capital will strategically enhance Auristone’s capabilities through clinical collaborations, and to drive market adoption of EPI-CALL™, its flagship molecular profiling test that is designed to help doctors and patients navigate the complexities of therapy selection for late-stage cancer patients.

Read more about Auristone at https://auristone.com/auristone-secures-us4m-in-seed-funding-to-propel-the-future-of-precision-medicine-through-epigenomics/

SINGLE-CELL INSIGHTS TOWARDS PRECISION CANCER CARE

25 March 2024 - Dr Iain Tan, Senior Clinician Scientist from Laboratory of Applied Cancer Genomics at GIS, shared single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies can identify malignant cell subtypes and their properties, as well as understand their interactions with other cells in the tumour microenvironment, providing a clearer view of colorectal cancer heterogeneity. Read more at Single-cell insights towards precision cancer care

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS!

6 March 2024 - Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) together with A*STAR Graduate Academy, was at the annual Singapore Science and Engineering Fair held at the Singapore Science Centre on 6 March. Dr Claire Bellis and Dr Roy Ang shared about the scientific work they do on DNA extraction and plant biodiversity at GIS, inspiring many young students about the research work in genomics and a possible career in scientific research in future.

BRIGHT SPARKS FROM GIS

February 2024 - Dr Chia Bing Shao is a Scientist in the Lab of Synthetic Biology and Genome Editing Therapeutics at A*STAR’s Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), contributing significantly to the development of cutting-edge nucleic acid therapeutics. He plays a pivotal role in advancing A*STAR’s mission to tackle critical challenges and elevate the quality of life through his research efforts. Read more about his journey in BrightSparks.

GENE EDITING CUTS TO THE CHASE

6 February 2024 - To disarm a virus notorious for causing hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), researchers at GIS and NUS turned to gene editing technologies like CRISPR-Cas13. Dr Chew Wei Leong, Principal Scientist and Associate Director at GIS shares more about gene editing technologies in “Gene editing cuts to the chase”.

2023

GIS RESEARCHERS SELECTED FOR PRESTIGIOUS NRF INVESTIGATORSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP

12 December 2023 - Congratulations to Dr Niranjan Nagarajan, Associate Director and Senior Group Leader at GIS, who was recently selected for the prestigious 9th NRF Investigatorship! Read about Niranjan's recent in-depth study on CPE, a class of antibiotic-resistant bacteria featured on A*STAR Research.

Dr Tim Stuart, GIS’s Senior Research Scientist from the Laboratory of Genome Function, was also awarded the 16th NRF Fellowship for his work on "Design of Synthetic DNA Regulatory Elements for Precision Gene Therapy”.

Both the NRF Investigatorship and Fellowship are highly prestigious and competitive, where 11 Investigators were selected from 36 nominations, and 12 Fellows from 114 eligible applications. The Investigatorship provides opportunities for established, innovative and active researchers to pursue ground-breaking and high-risk research, while the Fellowship supports independent research on potential breakthrough projects led by early-career investigators.

CAN TERRESTRIAL CROPS GROW ON MARS?

25 November 2023 - In an experiment by A*STAR’s Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Biodiversity Medicine (BD-MED), researchers are experimenting with growing plants in regular soil against Mars simulant soil. Their exhibit is part of the “Mars: The Red Mirror" exhibition held at the ArtScience Museum. At the scientific symposium on 25 November, Dr Roy Ang (GIS’ Scientist from Laboratory of Biodiversity Genomics) shared the stepping-stone research that scientists are undertaking to advance understanding of what it takes to grow crops on Mars.

This plant experiment is an initiative by Space Faculty and is jointly prepared by scientists at A*STAR’s Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and the SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Biodiversity Medicine (BD-MED).

A key factor to sustaining human life on Mars is the ability to grow and produce food on the Red Planet. Data from NASA’s Curiosity rover has provided us with an understanding of Martian soil and has enabled scientific organisations to produce Mars simulant soil – Mars Global Simulant (MGS-1), a mineralogical standard analog. MGS-1 is made by sourcing a spectrum of terrestrial minerals and mixing them together in specific proportions to generally replicate the Martian surface.

In this exhibit, the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and common vegetable crop ‘Kailan’ Brassica sp. are grown in two different soils: Earth soil, and Mars simulant soil – supplemented with fertilizer solution. Fertilizer supplementation in Martian simulants is necessary for plant growth due to a lack of key plant nutrients. Experiments such as these not only help scientists understand how life on Mars could work, but may also have implications for life on Earth as our environment changes.

DR LI JINGMEI WINS TOP SPOT AT BCS WRITING COMPETITION 2023

18 September 2023 - Does precision health screening wear Prada? – Biotech Connection Singapore (biotechconnection-sg.org)

IF YOU FEEL YOUR PATH IS THE RIGHT FIT, PRESS ON!

17 July 2023 -

If You Feel Your Path Is The Right Fit, Press On!

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2ND PAN-ASIA SYMPOSIUM ON GENETICS OF BRAIN DISORDERS

3 - 5 November 2022 - The 2nd Pan-Asia Symposium on Genetics of Brain Disorders organised by the Genome Institute of Singapore, Institute of Mental Health, NTU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, NUS’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Photo credits to LKCMedicine, NTU

From 3rd to 5th November 2022, the 2nd Pan-Asia Symposium on Genetics of Brain Disorders brought international experts in neuropsychiatric disorders together to share their latest findings on the genetics of brain disorders and to pave the way for effective therapeutics.

Genetic studies have uncovered changes in particular genes that holds promise to better understanding and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. However, the Asian population is under-represented in these studies. Efforts have been made to bridge this gap through the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) Schizophrenia Asia working group and the Stanley Global Neuropsychiatric Genetics Initiative. This is a gap that international experts at the symposium have focused on to translate genomic findings into better treatments for the Asian population.

Leading scientists and clinicians from around the world including Prof Liu Jian Jun, Deputy Executive Director and Distinguished Institute Fellow at the Genome Institute of Singapore, discussed significant clinical, genetic and translational aspects of neuropsychiatric disorders during this two-and-a-half-day hybrid conference.

Organised with the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, a global leader in neuropsychiatric research, this symposium brought together leading geneticists, neuroscientists and clinicians from Stanley Center and Singapore to foster future collaboration in neuropsychiatric research in Singapore. The conference hosted by NTU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine was held in Asia to facilitate Asian collaborations in neuropsychiatric research in the region. It was organised by the Genome Institute of Singapore, Institute of Mental Health, NTU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, NUS’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

(Photo credits to LKCMedicine, NTU)