Upcoming Events

The NATi mRNA BioFoundry (hosted by A*STAR) was officially launched by Dr Tan See Leng, 2nd Minister for Trade and Industry on 4 November 2024.

Located in BTI, the NATi mRNA BioFoundry is a first-of-its-kind non-GMP facility in Asia committed to mRNA production for research and preclinical studies. This marks an important milestone for the development of mRNA manufacturing capabilities in Singapore.

The establishment of the NATi mRNA BioFoundry not only sets the stage for advancing nucleic acid therapeutics in Singapore, but also boosts our national pandemic readiness as it allows for swift scaling up of mRNA production in times of national health crisis, ensuring Singapore's ability to respond effectively to future emergencies.

A*STAR Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI) is excited to announce the launch of joint laboratories for cellular immunotherapies with SCG Cell Therapy and A*STAR’s Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB)!

This collaboration between private and public entities combines their respective expertise and resources to co-develop novel cellular immunotherapies. SCG brings its proprietary cell therapy manufacturing technologies to the table, while BTI contributes its unique monoclonal antibody assets, process scaling, and analytics. Additionally, IMCB's proficiency in induced pluripotent stem cells further strengthens the partnership.

The mRNA Applications and Manufacturing Symposium was held on 15 November 2023. This event, co-organised by Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Initiative (NATi), National Research Foundation Singapore (NRF) and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), was able to facilitate fruitful knowledge sharing in the exciting nucleic acid therapeutics space.

BTI was at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research's booth at the Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia held on 31 October 2023 to 2 November 2023. We are proud to be part of Singapore's 30-by-30 vision by contributing to building R&D capabilities in the cultivated meat field. The CRISP Meats programme, hosted by BTI in collaboration with SIT and NUS, is enabling more efficient production of cultivated meat and seafood, supporting a vibrant R&D ecosystem in Singapore.

We recently had a productive conversation and information-sharing session with the Rotating CEO of GenScript, Sherry Shao, regarding BTI's expertise in cell line development and analytical sciences. We are excited about exploring opportunities to collaborate and support each other in these areas.

We are excited to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology and SCG Cell Therapy, setting the stage for a remarkable collaboration in cell and gene therapy (CGT). A*STAR has deep capabilities in bioprocessing technologies, manufacturing, biomarker discovery and target validation, while SCG is a leading biotechnology company with expertise in clinical development of novel immunotherapies.

Together, this meaningful partnership aims to:

• Advance CGT manufacturing process development and analytics.
• Accelerate the development and delivery of novel immunotherapies into clinics.

We look forward to working with SCG to develop cell and gene therapies to contribute towards better healthcare outcomes.

Corning Incorporated and Bioprocessing Technology Institute have launched a joint laboratory to explore cultivated meat development. Both Corning and BTI will contribute their respective expertise to advance research in this emerging field. Corning will provide access to both new and existing cell culture technologies along with the technical expertise to support scalable, validated biomanufacturing processes. BTI will contribute its deep expertise and proprietary knowledge in cell culture and media development.

This collaboration will further the development of industry-relevant technologies and products, starting with cultivated meats. It will help position Singapore as a key global hub for research and development in the biomanufacturing and biotechnology sectors.