Phase 2 of Singapore's Biomedical Sciences Initiative gains momentum for clinica...( A new partnership to build an integr...)

A new partnership to build an integrated neuroscience research programme that spans basic science all the way to clinical research. Strategic research infrastructure for tertiary hospitals and medical schools, and a national organisation to support and strengthen late phase clinical trials in Singapore. These are some of the new initiatives that were endorsed by the Biomedical Sciences International Advisory Council (BMS IAC) at their annual meeting today. These initiatives will boost Singapores translational and clinical research (TCR) capabilities which is the focus of our Biomedical Sciences (BMS) Initiative Phase 2.

This years BMS IAC meeting was the 12th since the Council was formed in 2000. It was chaired by Sir Richard Sykes, Rector Imperial College London, and was attended by 9 eminent scientists from the US, UK, Europe, Canada and Australia.

The IAC members commended the progress that has been made over the past one year since the launch of Phase 2 of the BMS initiative by the Biomedical Sciences Executive Committee (BMS EXCO), which is co-chaired by Mr Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and Ms Yong Ying-I, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health (MOH).

The BMS IAC was supportive of the partnership between A*STAR and the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School (GMS) to develop an integrated multidisciplinary neuroscience research programme with a strong focus on translational research. They noted that the Neuroscience Research Partnership will capitalise on the complementary research strengths and resources within the A*STAR research institutes and consortia and the Signature Research Programme on Neurobehavioural Disorders at Duke-NUS GMS.

Neuroscience has been identified as one of five disease areas of research priority to Singapore. The A*STAR Duk
'/>"/>