In April, Singapore’s Minister for Health Mr. Ong Ye Kung officially launched a new national consortium, the Consortium for Clinical Research and Innovation, Singapore (CRIS). This new consortium is expected to bring together 5 key national R&D, clinical translation and service initiatives, improving the ability to advance clinical research and innovation for Singapore, and establish important capabilities for a future-ready healthcare system.
The five initiatives are: the Singapore Clinical Research Institute (SCRI), the National Health Innovation Centre, Singapore (NHIC), the Advanced Cell Therapy and Research Institute, Singapore (ACTRIS), the Precision Health Research, Singapore (PRECISE), and the Singapore Translational Cancer Consortium (STCC). By bringing them all under one program, CRIS aims to build networks and collaborations for regional clinical trials, perform cost-effectiveness assessments for healthcare interventions, and foster industry engagement to nurture and build cutting edge capabilities and innovation in clinical research and translation for Singapore.
During the official launch ceremony, 2 of the initiatives under CRIS, ACTRIS and SCRI, also announced the establishment of new partnerships. ACTRIS and the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine jointly launched a professional certification course on the principles and practice of cell therapy to equip healthcare professionals and biomedical personnel with the necessary training and knowledge in immuno-therapeutics. Additionally, SCRI also announced that it would be partnering with local health-tech company Oncoshot to leverage its technology which has the potential to significantly enhance the initiation, screening and enrolment of patients into oncology trials conducted at public healthcare institutions.
(Sources: ACTRIS)
