Advertisement

Picture Berlin Partner Voices Tim Huse BIH Digital Health 650x100px
Document › Details

65LAB. (7/29/24). "Press Release: 65LAB and Duke-NUS Award US$1.85 Million to Combat Chronic Inflammation". Singapore.

Region Region Singapore
Organisation Organisation 65LAB (BRIDGE collaboration of A*STAR + NUS + Duke NUS + Evotec et al)
Products Product anti-inflammatory drug
  Product 2 drug development
Person Person Stoten, Adam (Isis Innovation 200509)
     


> Recipient Associate Professor Lena Ho spearheads groundbreaking research to develop first-in-class therapeutics to target inflammatory diseases

> Collaboration between 65LAB and Duke-NUS aims to advance promising innovation from academic institutions with potential to build new therapeutic companies from Singapore

> US$1.85 million funding comprises US$1.5 million from 65LAB and US$350,000 from Duke-NUS’ newly established incubator, LIVE Ventures


Associate Professor Lena Ho from Duke-NUS Medical School has been awarded US$1.85 million (approx. S$2.51 million) to further her team’s research in developing microproteins into therapeutic targets to treat chronic inflammation. She is the first scientist to receive funding from 65LAB, a unique partnership set up to drive scientific advancement and create new biotech ventures from Singapore. The award comprises US$1.5 million from 65LAB, and S$500,000 (approx. US$350,000) from Duke-NUS’ new incubator, LIVE Ventures.

Chronic inflammatory diseases and related syndromes affect close to 60 million people in the US alone, costing at least US$90 billion a year[1]. In Singapore, the prevalence of these conditions is also on the rise. For example, rheumatoid arthritis affects about 45,000 people or around 1 per cent[2] of Singapore’s population, and the incidence of paediatric inflammatory bowel disease has increased significantly over recent decades[3].

Associate Professor Lena Ho from Duke-NUS Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders Programme, said:
“We are developing a platform that uniquely positions us to uncover hidden gems in the human genome to provide novel and high-value targets for anti-inflammatory therapeutics within the first two years of the project. 65LAB’s award and the additional funding from LIVE Ventures will enable my team to focus on identifying novel biologically active microproteins, offering promising candidates for inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases and atopic dermatitis.”

Investment represents first award for both new ventures

This award, which marks the first investment by 65LAB, is strengthened by the contribution of an additional US$350,000 by LIVE Ventures, an early-stage venture incubator newly launched by Duke-NUS.

65LAB brings together the resources and expertise of a consortium of global investors including ClavystBio, Leaps by Bayer, Lightstone Ventures, Polaris Partners and the Polaris Innovation Fund, and global life science company Evotec SE.

Assoc Prof Ho’s project received unanimous support from 65LAB’s investors and partners. It was selected following a competitive process where Assoc Prof Ho worked closely with 65LAB Expert-in-Residence Stephen Hess to develop a work plan that meets industry benchmarks, and positions her project towards commercialisation.

Adam Stoten, Joint Steering Committee Chair at 65LAB and Senior Vice President Academic Partnerships at Evotec, said:
“Assoc Prof Ho’s project stands out for its first-in-class innovation and robust commercial strategy, offering significant potential for company creation. It is an exciting first step in 65LAB’s mission to nurture promising scientific endeavours, evaluate them for further investment, and ultimately advance them into new therapeutic companies in Singapore.”

65LAB was established to foster collaborations with leading academic and R&D institutions in Singapore such as Duke-NUS, providing critical resources and industry expertise to drive drug discovery and venture creation.

Aiming to provide vital funding for early-stage innovation, LIVE Ventures will award high-impact research projects from Duke-NUS scientists with up to half a million Singapore dollars each, empowering Duke-NUS scientists to advance their groundbreaking research to the market by providing crucial funding support and critical expertise and resource.

Associate Professor Christopher Laing, Vice-Dean for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Duke-NUS, said:
“As an innovation-driven research powerhouse, Duke-NUS is committed to enabling our scientists to translate their cutting-edge research into real-world solutions. To achieve this, we work closely with partners including 65LAB to cultivate an innovation ecosystem that not only combines the scientific expertise and industry resources but also the critical funding needed to advance laboratory discoveries to clinics.”
“Cognisant of the importance of funding support for early-stage research projects to become commercially viable, we recently launched LIVE Ventures, an incubator which will fund high-potential research projects by our scientists, driving bench-to-bedside innovations at Duke-NUS.”

The awards from 65LAB and LIVE Ventures underscore the potential of Assoc Prof Ho’s innovative research and highlight the necessity of close partnerships between academic institutions and industry partners in accelerating commercialisation to address critical health challenges and advancing new therapeutic solutions from Singapore for patients globally.


###


About 65LAB

65LAB was founded to turn innovations into lifesaving medicines. Our mission is to drive
scientific advancement and create new therapeutic companies from Singapore. We accelerate the drug discovery pathway and new company formation by bringing together the expertise of global partners — leading research institutions in Singapore, established life science investors, and reputed drug discovery and development company Evotec. 65 pays homage to the year Singapore became an independent nation. It is also Singapore’s country code.

For more information, please visit 65lab.sg


About Duke-NUS Medical School

Duke-NUS is Singapore’s flagship graduate entry medical school, established in 2005 with a strategic, government-led partnership between two world-class institutions: Duke University School of Medicine and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Through an innovative curriculum, students at Duke-NUS are nurtured to become multi-faceted ‘Clinicians Plus’ poised to steer the healthcare and biomedical ecosystem in Singapore and beyond. A leader in ground-breaking research and translational innovation, Duke-NUS has gained international renown through its five signature research programmes and 10 centres. The enduring impact of its discoveries is amplified by its successful Academic Medicine partnership with Singapore Health Services (SingHealth), Singapore’s largest healthcare group. This strategic alliance has spawned 15 Academic Clinical Programmes, which harness multi-disciplinary research and education to transform medicine and improve lives.

For more information, please visit www.duke-nus.edu.sg


[1] Illuminating an Invisible Epidemic: A Systemic Review of the Clinical and Economic Benefits of Early Diagnosis and Treatment in Inflammatory Disease and Related Syndromes. J Clin Med. 2019 Apr; 8(4): 493. Doi: 10.3390/jcm8040493

[2] HealthXchange.sg: https://www.healthxchange.sg/bones-joints/arthritis/rheumatoid-arthritis-risk-factors-symptoms-treatment#:~:text=Rheumatoid%20arthritis%20(RA)%20is%20the,eyes%2C%20lungs%20and%20other%20organs.

[3] Landscape of inflammatory bowel disease in Singapore. Intest Res. 2022 Jul; 20(3): 291–296. Doi: 10.5217/ir.2021.00089

   
Record changed: 2024-08-29

Advertisement

Picture Consultech GmbH Secure Funding with RnD Grants 650x200px

To subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter for the European life sciences, please send an e-mail to info@iito.de and simply fill the subject line with the word »LSE Newsletter«

Find more infos about advertising at [iito] web portals in our media flyer [iito] in a Nutshell [PDF file]

Please visit also our web portals for the European life sciences and the worldwide mass spectrometry industry at Life-Sciences-Europe.com (European life sciences) and Mass-Spec-Capital.com (worldwide mass spectrometry)

Please visit also our web portals for the life sciences in German-speaking Europe (DE, AT & CH) and the worldwide mass spectrometry industry at Life-Sciences-Germany.com (life sciences in German-speaking Europe) and Mass-Spec-Capital.com (worldwide mass spectrometry)

Advertisement

Picture Consultech GmbH Secure Funding with RnD Grants 650x300px




» top