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SINGAPORE – Even before Singapore’s first Covid-19 case was reported on January 23, the local research community was moving rapidly to pivot towards Covid-19 investigation, developing a response on all fronts: from the manufacture of test swabs to the construction of the Singapore test arsenal.
This was possible only thanks to a solid foundation in science.
Said Professor Low Teck Seng, Executive Director of the National Research Foundation: “Our national response to Covid-19 builds on the broad base of scientific capabilities that Singapore has built over the years.
“For example, our capabilities in developing infectious disease and diagnostic test kits have supported our national virus testing and surveillance efforts.
“This has allowed the RIE (research, innovation and enterprise) community to quickly turn around and expand their response as needed.”
To support research efforts, the Ministry of Health and the National Research Foundation launched a $ 45 million Covid-19 research fund under their 2020 Research, Innovation and Enterprise plan.
The fund was dedicated to research areas that include modeling viral transmission, developing novel therapies, and translating research results into products and solutions.
Singapore’s efforts have paid off.
Now a vaccine is being prepared and its first shipments are expected in the first quarter of next year.
Nicknamed the Lunar-Cov19 vaccine, which was jointly developed by scientists at the Duke-NUS School of Medicine and the American pharmaceutical company Arcturus Therapeutics, preliminary findings from early-stage trials showed positive responses in both safety and immune response.
So far, no serious side effects have been observed and phase 3 clinical trials should begin this month.
As of the end of November, local researchers have contributed more than 1,100 publications to an international body of knowledge about the Covid-19 virus, and the investigation begins in January.
Duke-NUS announced on January 30 that its team of scientists had successfully grown the virus from a sample from an infected patient, making Singapore the third country in the world outside of China to do so.
In February, the first Singapore-made diagnostic kit, Fortitude, which can detect the Covid-19 virus with high precision, was launched locally. It is now used in 13 local hospitals and laboratories, as well as internationally.
Other scientists have also moved away from their areas of expertise to develop diagnostic test kits.
Professor Peter Preiser, associate vice president for biomedical and biological sciences at Nanyang Technological University, reimplemented the technology of his platform, initially used to differentiate between different types of malaria parasites, to mark the proteins produced by the Sars virus. -CoV-2. This helped him develop two test kits: a rapid antigen test and a serological test.
To meet local testing demands, researchers from the National University of Singapore partnered with the Temasek Foundation and produced three different swab designs using 3D printing and injection molding.
This year a total of 7.5 million 3D-printed swabs and around 5 million injection molded swabs were produced. The team is on track to meet demand for the 60 million injection molded swabs to be delivered over the next year.
Therapeutic research on Covid-19 is also showing promising results. Last Friday (December 11), local biotech company Tychan announced that it is in its final phase of clinical trials for its antibody, T027, which could help Covid-19 patients recover faster.
Even as work continues at full speed, more is being planned, in the future.
Part of a $ 25 billion research, innovation and enterprise plan for the country over the next five years includes investing in a national effort to protect against future infectious disease threats.
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