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SINGAPORE – With the specter of Disease X looming, Singapore is ensuring that diagnoses, treatments and vaccines are ready quickly when another crisis strikes, with a new battle plan against future outbreaks.
Under the new Prepare program, the Republic will work closely with other researchers in the region to closely monitor pathogens circulating in animal populations, the source of many outbreaks when such diseases affect humans.
You will also adjust the models to understand how an epidemic is spreading and how to keep it under control.
The idea is to gather the forces of scientists and transform discoveries into solutions, from pinpointing the source of an outbreak to developing the best drugs for patients.
“This program will support faster time frames to produce diagnoses, faster time frames to test and develop new therapies, and quicker time frames to test and perhaps develop vaccines,” said Health Ministry Chief Health Scientist Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, to The Straits Times.
The new national research program for epidemic preparedness and response, Prepare, was announced on Friday (December 11), when Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat launched the country’s $ 25 billion plan outlining the country’s research landscape for the next five years.
Prepare will last five years, to begin with, and will be in charge of the Ministry of Health (MINSA).
Professor Tan said that the new program is intended to be translational in nature, which means applying scientific findings to real-world situations, although funds will still be available for basic research.
“What this new program would do is build the enablers in terms of data, tissues, pathogenic materials, as well as the networks that work around infectious disease or public health interests,” he said.
For example, this could include providing funding to build a longer-term core infrastructure, such as those that would allow secure data storage, or building a “bank” where clinical and biological samples can be stored.
He cited how serum samples from patients from the 2003 Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak had been helpful to researchers working on an antibody test for Covid-19.
The pathogens that cause Sars and Covid-19 belong to the same family of viruses: coronaviruses.
“We were able to use these samples to help us validate whether the test kits we were developing were cross-reactive against the 2003 Sars virus. So these types of samples can be very useful when we are dealing with current pathogens.” He explained.
It is important to establish networks between researchers from different institutions and disciplines, he noted. This could help foster collaborations between different groups of scientists that would lead to better results.
For example, developing a diagnostic test requires researchers with expertise not only in biology but also in microfluidics (a field of science that involves small-scale manipulation of fluids) and sensor systems, he said. Production is also an important element in bringing scientific research from the bank to bed, Professor Tan said.
Such relocation activity will better meet the needs of the Singapore Ministry of Health and other public health agencies in epidemic control, he said.
Professor Tan noted that the research community in Singapore has contributed significantly to the public health response to Covid-19.
However, the pandemic had also generated learning points, which is what the new research program is designed for.
“This will further strengthen our ability to conduct R&D (research and development) to help with future epidemics and outbreaks.”
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