Latest news with #A*Star
New Paper
20-07-2025
- Health
- New Paper
Singapore AI system may help predict liver cancer recurrence
A scoring system powered by artificial intelligence (AI) that was developed by researchers here could help predict the recurrence of a common form of liver cancer. Developed by scientists from A*Star's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) and Singapore General Hospital (SGH), the system can predict relapses of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Affecting more than 20 out of every 100,000 people here annually, HCC is the fourth-most-common cancer among men in Singapore, as well as the third-most-common cause of cancer deaths among males here. The Tumour Immune Microenvironment Spatial (Times) score analyses the precise spatial distribution, or the exact location, of immune cells called natural killer (NK) cells and five specific genes within liver tumour tissues. NK cells are a type of white blood cell that destroys diseased cells, such as cancer cells, and a lower number of NK cells is an indicator of a higher risk of relapse. "Instead of just counting how many NK cells are present, we analyse exactly where they are positioned relative to the cancer cells," said Dr Joe Yeong, a principal investigator at both A*Star IMCB and SGH's anatomical pathology department. "By understanding how NK cells are distributed and how they interact with cancer cells - for example, whether they are close enough to attack the cancer effectively - we can predict the likelihood of cancer returning after surgery," said Dr Yeong, one of the study's authors. Identifying these spatial patterns allows Times to predict the risk of recurrence with about 82 per cent accuracy. Existing staging methods - frameworks that evaluate how advanced the cancer is, allowing doctors to recommend the most suitable treatments - vary in their accuracy. Dr Yeong - who is also director of immunopathology at the SingHealth Duke-NUS Pathology Academic Clinical Programme - noted that up to 70 per cent of liver cancer patients experience recurrence within five years. An accurate prediction method would allow doctors to more easily identify patients at greater risk of cancer recurrence, he said. "Times offers a significant advancement in predicting these outcomes, enabling clinicians to intervene at the earliest possible stage. This can significantly enhance patient care and improve survival outcomes." He noted that the precision medicine approach seeks to tailor treatments that meet patients' specific needs, based on factors such as genetics and lifestyle. Even though a large proportion of liver cancer patients experience relapses, it is not viable to offer all of them therapeutics as it would be very costly to them, Dr Yeong said. Getting an accurate prediction of their risks would help optimise the costs to patients, he added. AI was used to analyse vast amounts of data, with more than 100 trillion data points gathered from liver tumour samples, as well as create a scoring system tailored to Asian patients. It is also currently being used to refine the Times score for clinical use, Dr Yeong said. "By automating the analysis of patients' surgical tissue samples, AI ensures the process is efficient and consistent, paving the way for integration into routine clinical workflows, such as through a potential diagnostic test kit," he added. The study was the cover story for the April 15, 2025, issue of the peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature. Ms Denise Goh, the study's co-first author, said the Times scoring system "transforms routine tissue slides into powerful predictive tools". "By identifying patients at higher risk of relapse, we can proactively alter treatment strategies and monitoring, potentially saving more lives," said the senior research officer at A*Star IMCB. The researchers validated the accuracy of the Times system using samples from 231 patients across five hospitals in Singapore and China. The technology is now accessible through a free web portal for research use, with plans under way to integrate Times into routine clinical workflows. The team is planning further studies at SGH and the National Cancer Centre Singapore to validate the technology, scheduled to begin later in 2025. Discussions are ongoing with partners to develop Times into a clinically approved diagnostic test kit.
Straits Times
06-07-2025
- Science
- Straits Times
Life After... blazing biomedical research trail in S'pore: Renowned scientist breaks new ground at 59
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox So much of the news is about what's happening in the moment. But after a major event, people pick up the pieces, and life goes on. In this new series, The Straits Times talks to the everyday heroes who have reinvented themselves, turned their lives around, and serve as an inspiration to us all. World-renowned nanotech scientist Jackie Ying moved to Saudi Arabia in 2023 to help further the country's biomedical research potential. SINGAPORE - Professor Jackie Ying, a pint-sized dynamo never seen without her signature headscarf, dark suit and track shoes, has always lived life on her terms. As she approaches 60, she has again met change head-on. The world-renowned nanotech scientist has relocated from Singapore – where she spent two decades as one of the pioneers transforming the nation into a research powerhouse – to Saudi Arabia. Prof Ying has given up all she has accomplished here to move to the Middle East, where she is building a laboratory in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh to advance novel diagnostics and treatments in genetic diseases, which are particularly prevalent there. It is yet another milestone in a career of many firsts for the Taiwan-born, US-trained scientist. 'I'm really excited. I feel 20 years younger because of all these new things I want to do,' she told The Straits Times. 'Physically, I think I'm running after myself because of the excitement of my lab and the collaborators.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore First BTO project in Sembawang North to be offered in July HDB launch World Tariffs will kick in on Aug 1 barring trade deals: US Treasury Secretary Singapore Woman on SMRT's 190 bus injured after bottle thrown at vehicle leaves hole in window Business Great Eastern says Takeover Code not breached when it shared IFA valuation with OCBC Asia 'Don't be seen in India again': Indian nationals pushed into Bangladesh at gunpoint Asia Thousands evacuated as Typhoon Danas lashes Taiwan Asia Two women fatally stabbed at bar in Japan by man Life Star Awards 2025: Christopher Lee wins big, including Special Achievement Award and Best Actor The plan is to help advance Saudi Arabia's budding biomedical scene, as Prof Ying did for Singapore many years ago. Blazing a trail in Singapore Prof Ying, 59, is among a pool of top researchers, coined 'whales', who were wooed here from all over the world more than two decades ago by then A*Star chairman Philip Yeo to turn Singapore into a biomedical hub. Among other achievements, she helped to establish Biopolis. One of the youngest people to make full professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) at the age of 35, she moved to Singapore in 2003 to become the founding director of A*Star's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), which has since been merged with a consortium to form the A*Star Institute of Bioengineering and Bioimaging. In 2018, Prof Ying and her team built A*Star's NanoBio Lab, a research incubator, from scratch. Prof Ying is a master of building materials thinner than a strand of hair which can be harnessed in areas as varied as medicine, chemistry and energy. She has helped to build more than 13 start-ups, invented and patented hundreds of technologies, and won numerous awards. Among her inventions are a device that can test for dengue within 20 minutes with just saliva, and tiny particles that automatically deliver insulin to diabetic patients when their blood glucose levels are high. One of her start-ups, Cellbae, developed the first made-in-Singapore antigen rapid test kits for Covid-19, which were subsequently exported to Europe. With her many awards and accolades, Prof Ying is a well-known figure in Singapore, and is often approached by strangers for photographs when she is in the country. But her last few years working in Singapore were not easy, she said, as leadership changes led to major changes that impacted various institutes under A*Star. Without divulging details, she said: 'We didn't have the same level of independence as what we used to have, and that really affected our smooth operations.' In mid-2023, Prof Ying was invited to become a visiting distinguished professor and senior adviser to the president of the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi Arabia, which had just formed a bioengineering department. The move took substantial courage Moving to a new environment was not an easy decision because of her strong ties with Singapore, admitted Prof Ying. She lived in Singapore as a child and studied at primary and secondary schools here when her father, who taught Chinese literature, was a faculty member at the former Nanyang University. But she took the leap, and moved to Saudi Arabia in 2023. 'I also looked at potentially returning to the US, but this possibility opened up in Saudi Arabia, and I think that was far more exciting... something different in another continent,' said Prof Ying. 'It was a very difficult decision to leave Singapore. Our lab was very nicely established, and blessed with excellent staff who have worked with me for many years. It was very painful to leave them; they are like family members,' she added. Now, while she is with King Fahd University, her main appointment is head of the bioengineering and nanomedicine department of King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSHRC) in Riyadh. In less than two years , she has set up the foundations of her new office: a 1,500 sq m lab – the size of more than 10 four-room Housing Board flats. 'We have received major funding internally from KFSHRC to build a large, new lab with lots of state-of-the-art equipment. We have successfully recruited over a dozen research staff and students in a year, and will continue to grow in the coming years,' said Prof Ying. Professor Jackie Ying treats her researchers in Singapore like family, and in Saudi Arabia, she does the same. PHOTO: KING FAISAL SPECIALIST HOSPITAL AND RESEARCH CENTRE 'I find I'm just racing (against) time to get as much done as possible. In your 50s, to make a major change in your working environment, especially in one that has been so productive, took substantial courage,' she said. On a mission to tackle Arab world's genetic diseases The doors to Saudi Arabia opened wide for Prof Ying in 2023 when she became the first woman to receive what is known as the 'Arab Nobel prize' – the King Faisal Prize in Science for her work in nanomedicine. Some past laureates have gone on to win a Nobel Prize. At the same time, research received a boost as pursuing biotechnology and improving public health became a focus area under the Saudi Vision 2030 – a government push to diversify the Saudi Arabian economy beyond oil and gas. The kingdom had recently set out a strategy to advance its self-sufficiency in vaccines, biomanufacturing and genomics. Prof Ying is particularly interested in tackling genetic diseases. People in the Middle East and North Africa region have a malaise of inherited disorders – higher than the global average – a result of the cultural practice of marrying within tribes. Walking up to her lab in the hospital, she sees children in wheelchairs – afflicted with cancers such as leukaemia and neurological diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy, a rare disorder that causes muscle weakness and breathing problems. 'The doctors will be knocking on your door; they are anxious to do research. We see the frustrations some clinicians have when it comes to genetic diseases. They know what their patients are suffering, but there's a lack of therapies that are effective and affordable,' said Prof Ying. Her team is working on identifying genetic clues called biomarkers that indicate the presence of a disease. New gene therapies can then be developed to attack the disease-causing biomarkers. For example, her team is developing man-made patches of DNA that attach to molecules that produce disease-causing proteins and block their production. This is a form of RNA (ribonucleic acid) therapy. 'Using machine learning and artificial intelligence, we hope to accelerate the creation of effective RNA therapies that could be much less expensive than the available DNA therapies, which can cost over $2 million for a patient with spinal muscular atrophy,' said Prof Ying. She added: 'KFSHRC specialises in the most challenging diseases. In the region, patients with complicated diseases will flock to the hospital. Access to the patients really helps with biomarker discovery and clinical trials.' She is also keen on tracking emerging infectious diseases, and her lab is collaborating with Cellbae to monitor wastewater for traces of viruses at hospitals, farms and religious sites. 'A citizen of the world' In early 2025, Prof Ying was appointed to lead research and innovation at KFSHRC, which has three main hospitals in the kingdom. 'I'm really trying my best because I'm at a certain age. I really want to see this happen. But more importantly, I want to train the students, those doing their PhD, and the more senior people, so that they can front a lot of things.' Prof Ying, who has a 23-year-old daughter pursuing a dual doctorate in medicine and scientific research at Texas A&M University, said she takes pride in nurturing many young researchers who pass through the doors of her labs. Several of her former A*Star colleagues from IBN and her NanoBio Lab have followed her to Saudi Arabia. The move was not easy for some, who have young families in tow, added Prof Ying. One of them is Dr Muhammad Nadjad Abdul Rahim, who was Prof Ying's PhD student back in the NanoBio Lab, which has since closed down. Prof Jackie Ying and her Cellbae colleagues Muhammad Nadjad Abdul Rahim (looking through microscope) and Kian Ping Chan, both of whom recently moved to Riyadh. PHOTO: KING FAISAL SPECIALIST HOSPITAL AND RESEARCH CENTRE Dr Nadjad, 37, is now operations and product development director of Cellbae, which expanded to Saudi Arabia in 2024. It was founded in Singapore with another branch in the US. In addition to producing Covid-19 test kits, Cellbae creates test kits for various pathogens, and for food and environmental monitoring, and other medical devices. The company is looking at improving diagnostics for genetic diseases and cancers that are more pronounced in the kingdom, like Hodgkin's lymphoma – an aggressive form of blood cancer that is increasingly afflicting young people there. It is also developing a method to amplify signatures of virus families so that scientists can keep an eye on circulating diseases in wastewater. Said Dr Nadjad: 'Prof Ying doesn't sleep enough. Our team has no idea how she finds that energy. But I think this is encapsulated in her belief of how hard we must work to solve problems in the world.' Commenting on Prof Ying's move to Saudi Arabia, he added: 'A scientist is a citizen of the world. She is always rolling up her sleeves to solve difficult problems and not one who would be comfortable sitting down collecting salary.' Prof Ying, a devout Muslim who has been to Mecca in Saudi Arabia more than 15 times to perform the haj and umrah pilgrimages, said she has fit in well in her new home. Born into a Christian family, she converted to Islam in her 30s. 'There is this notion that Saudi Arabia has issues with human rights. I have told others: 'Please come and see for yourself.' Over the last few years, I would say people are very well treated – women or men, it doesn't matter. It's a very safe, very secure, very peaceful place,' she said. 'I love living here. Riyadh is a dynamic and rapidly growing city, with lots of great restaurants.' Working harder as a minority In the light of her many achievements, it can be hard to remember that the odds were stacked against Prof Ying, who has been known to call herself a 'minority of minorities', as a Chinese Muslim female in the male-centric world of science. In the early 1990s, she was the first female Asian American professor at the MIT School of Engineering, and the lecture hall blackboards were not built for those with a smaller stature. 'I could only reach the bottom half of the lowest blackboard. After writing just a few equations, I had to erase them because I couldn't reach the higher blackboards,' she said with a laugh. In the locker room of her New York high school – famous for being where folk rock duo Simon and Garfunkel first started performing together as students – a couple of taller teenage girls would stare her down to intimidate her. 'I wouldn't say it was bullying, but there are people who are not particularly friendly. You go to high school through metal detectors. I wouldn't say students were carrying guns, but some of them certainly had knives,' she said. Those moments helped her build grit. 'As a minority, I told myself I've got to work twice as hard.' And she did. In 2017, she received the highest accolade for academic inventors as a fellow of the US National Academy of Inventors. And each year since 2012, she has been listed among the world's 500 most influential Muslims. 'It's important to speak up despite being a minority. I am not a yes-man and don't expect my staff to be yes-men,' she said. Looking ahead towards the next phase of her career in the kingdom, Prof Ying said: 'It's a lifetime of work ahead. We always pray hard and wish for good health and abundant resources.'
Business Times
04-07-2025
- Business
- Business Times
A*Star, Siemens launch manufacturing R&D collaboration in Asean
[Singapore] The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) and German industrial manufacturer Siemens signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Friday (Jul 4) to jointly develop smart and sustainable manufacturing solutions for companies in Singapore and the broader Asean region. The collaboration seeks to address key industrial challenges by enabling faster access to advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and automation expertise, while promoting manufacturing processes that align with international sustainability standards. A key component of the partnership is the Smart and Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing (SSAM) Catalyst, an innovation sandbox hosted at A*Star's Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC). Siemens is the first technology partner to join the SSAM Catalyst, contributing a portfolio of automation, electrification, industrial software and AI solutions. These capabilities span the entire product lifecycle – from design and engineering to manufacturing and operations – offering manufacturers a platform to test and refine technologies in sectors such as aerospace, fast-moving consumer goods, biomedical and semiconductor equipment manufacturing. The ARTC seeks to establish an innovation ecosystem involving technology providers, solution integrators, and end-users to jointly develop solutions for practical application. Leveraging its capabilities in manufacturing processes, smart manufacturing, sustainability analytics, precision imaging and autonomous systems, it provides support to companies looking to adapt their operations amid changing industry conditions. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up Paving the way for more sustainable manufacturing Beyond the SSAM Catalyst, A*Star's Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment and Siemens are collaborating on research projects targeting decarbonisation in the chemicals and energy sectors. The collaboration also involves exploring the use of Siemens' Digital Twin technology, which allows chemical engineers to simulate and optimise chemical processes and design production facilities. This technology aims to support better integration of engineering and operations in manufacturing plants, potentially helping companies manage plant design complexity and shorten construction schedules. 'Together with Siemens, we are developing solutions that will accelerate digital transformation and support decarbonisation efforts across the region. This multi-faceted collaboration looks to strengthen Singapore's position as a regional hub for smart and sustainable manufacturing in Asean,' said Professor Lim Keng Hui, assistant chief executive of A*Star's science and engineering research council.
Straits Times
14-06-2025
- General
- Straits Times
Study from Singapore shows the effect of paternity leave on children's development
Mr Keith Low took two weeks of paternity leave when his daughter was born, and four weeks for his son. ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO Kids do better on tests, have fewer behavioural issues when dads take 2-week paternity leave: Study SINGAPORE – Children grow up with better problem-solving and word-recognition skills, as well as fewer behavioural problems, when their fathers take at least two weeks of paternity leave, a ground-breakin g l ocal study has found. The study is based on data from the ongoing Singapore Longitudinal Early Development Study ( SG-Leads ) of more than 5,000 children. It looked at the families of 3,895 children born since May 1, 2013, when one week of government-paid paternity leave wa s introduced. 'This is the only study worldwide to be able to establish this relationship,' says its principal investigator, Professor Jean Yeung, director (social sciences) at A*Star's Institute for Human Development and Potential. She was assisted by Dr Li Nanxun, a scientist from the institute. The study is unique as it used data from a nationally representative sample of children, and had rigorous controls to rule out factors such as socio-economic and demographic factors, family relations and the effect of domestic helpers and grandparents, Prof Yeung adds. Families were interviewed between 2018 and 2019, when their children were aged three to six, and again in 2021, when the kids were three to eight. The study did not ask fathers if they took paternity leave in a continuous stretch or broke it up. Th e interviewers tested children's academic performance in their homes, using letter-word identification and applied problems skills involving numbers from the fourth edition of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement, an international standardised test. C hildren whose fathers took two weeks of paternity leave or more, on average, scored at the 62th percentile on applied problems, compared with the 50th percentile of kids whose fathers did not take any paternity leave. However, Prof Yeung says these figures are before controlling for socio-economic or demographic variables and were not included in the statistical analysis of its research paper published in the Journal of Marriage and Family in March . Families also answered 30 questions about their children's behavioural problems, from externalising ones such as 'being mean to others or deliberately destroying one's own or others' things' , and internalising ones such as 'being too clingy or anxious'. Parents were also asked about the state of their relationship with their kids and their marriage. Mr Keith Low, his wife Jermine and their children, Avril (bottom left), two, and Joaquin, one. Mr Low says he wanted to be a present dad from the start, which is why he took paternity leave for both his kids. ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO Prof Yeung says paternity leave indirectly contributed to fewer behavioural problems and better test scores since family relationships improved, fathers felt closer to their child, and mothers felt less stressed and reported higher marital satisfaction. She hopes more can be done to encourage workplaces to support paternity leave, particularly for low-income fathers who are less likely to take it. Fifty-three per cent of dads took paternity leave in 2022, and blue-collar workers were least likely to apply for it because of job concerns. Working fathers of Singaporean children who fulfil certain eligibility criteria can now take up to four weeks of government-paid paternity leave. Since April 1, they are also entitled to six weeks of shared paternity leave with their wives, if eligible. 'It's not just about two weeks of time. Fathers who take paternity leave also feel a sense of purpose and responsibility for this new person whom they brought into the world. That sense of fatherhood is critical and has a long-lasting effect,' says Prof Yeung. She is also a professor with the Department of Paediatrics at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine an d f ounding director at the National University of Singapore's Centre for Family and Population Research. Ms Sun Xueling, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Transport, calls this 'an important study supporting what we know anecdotally, that strong paternal bonds enhance children's cognitive and socio-emotional development'. She adds: 'Our recent moves to increase paternity leave to four weeks will allow more fathers to spend quality time with their newborns. The Government hopes to work collaboratively with employers to support new parents in their parenthood journey.' Dr Xander Ong says paternity leave is not just a perk for dads, but a critical investment in their child's future. He is seen here with his son, now aged two. PHOTO: COURTESY OF XANDER ONG Concurring, Dr Xander Ong, 41, chief executive of the non-profit Centre for Fathering, says that 'this research highlights that paternity leave is not just a perk, but also a critical investment in their child's future and the marriage'. 'It e ncourages us to rethink the role of fathers, showing that their presence has a measurable and positive impact. For society, we need to collectively support the involvement of fathers, especially during this crucial early childhood period,' he adds. The centre plans to introduce a 1000 Days Programme in 2026 that will provide resources, education and community support to help fathers navigate the critical first thousand days of their child's life. More dads involved from the start Fathers have increasingly become more hands-on parents in recent decades. The KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), where most babies in Singapore are born, sees steady participation from dads in its antenatal programmes, which have actively involved fathers since 1995, says Mr Melvin Tan, its chief communications officer. It works with the Centre for Fathering on its current programme for fathers. Almost half of fathers were present for their child's appointments at KKH's Department of Child Development from 2022 to 2023, says Dr Yeleswarapu Sita Padmini, head of clinical services in the department. More husbands are also asking doctors how to support their wives emotionally in the first weeks after delivery, says Dr Elizabeth Siak, head and consultant in KKH's Women's Mental Wellness Service at the Department of Psychological Medicine. She advises dads to support their wives after labour by taking over household chores, sharing night feeds and ensuring their partner gets enough rest, as well as spotting signs of postnatal depression. 'Just being present and emotionally available can deeply impact a new mother's well-being. This means listening without trying to fix everything, staying calm when things get overwhelming, and watching for signs that she might be struggling emotionally,' she says. Doting dads treasure time with newborns Some companies are also supporting fathers with generous paternity perks. Singapore-based proptech firm PropertyGuru has offered its Singapore employees 16 weeks of paternity leave since October 2023, which matches the Government's maternity leave entitlements. Twelve fathers out of its over 200 staff members here have benefitted from it . 'Our equal maternity and paternity leave policy recognises that childcare is a shared responsibility,' says Ms Helen Snowball, the company's chief people officer. Its paternity leave benefits vary from country to country, depending on local laws. Mr Pedro Pereira says his company's 16-week leave benefit allowed him to better support his wife, Ms Lily Jang, and their daughter, Ines, who was born in December 2023. PHOTO: COURTESY OF PEDRO PEREIRA Mr Pedro Pereira, 42, an engineering director with PropertyGuru, says the extended paternity leave was 'quite a blessing'. He and his wife, Ms Lily Jang, 32, who works in business development for a tech company, struggled with fatigue from looking after their daughter soon after she was born in December 2023. While they had a confinement nanny, the couple – who are Singapore permanent residents – were their baby's main caregivers. Mr Pereira would take on night duties, while his wife and the nanny slept. 'Being present during the labour and then seeing your child in those first weeks creates an affinity – you want to be involved in every moment. Since I've gone through this experience, I can understand why it would have such a positive impact (as the study shows),' he says. Some self-employed dads say they gladly took extended time off when their children were born. Mr Keith Low, 36, an associate director of financial advisory firm Finexis Advisory, took two weeks of paternity leave after his daughter was born in 2022 and four weeks for his son, who was born in 2024. He would also stay up for night feeds to let his wife recuperate. 'You may miss a promotion for the year, but it is better than missing your infant's first moments in this world,' says Mr Low, whose parents' divorce when he was 12 left him wondering if he could be a good father. 'B eing involved doesn't stop after paternity leave. It is what we consistently do for the children before their teenage years that will also lead to them being better people in future.' Besides bonding with their newborns, fathers say paternity leave gives them a chance to rekindle their relationship with their wives. Mr Pereira says: 'Childbirth was not easy for her, and neither was the lack of sleep from the constant feedings. To have your partner reassuring you and making you feel loved, goes a long way in the recovery process.' Emcee and part-time 91.3 radio DJ Kyle Ravin says taking two months of paternity leave allowed him to 'fall in love' with his wife, Ms Natasha Vijaya, all over again. Their daughter, Nicolette, was born in April 2024. PHOTO: COURTESY OF KYLE RAVIN Emcee and part-time 91.3 radio DJ Kyle Ravin, 36, whose daughter was born in April 2024, adds: 'Taking paternity leave allowed me to fall in love with my wife more.' He stopped work a couple of weeks before his baby was due and took a total of two months off. He and his wife, public relations account director Natasha Vijaya, 30, chose to care for their newborn by themselves, with minimal supervision from her mother during the first two weeks. That shared suffering through sleepless nights to bring up their child the way they wanted brought them closer. He says: 'Paternity leave was another honeymoon with my wife because it showed us that we are good teammates an d p artners.' Stephanie Yeo is senior correspondent at The Straits Times' Life section. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
10-06-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
Immune differences among Asians as striking as between men and women: A*Star-led study
The landmark initiative comprehensively mapped out immune cells from five Asian countries. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI Immune differences among Asians as striking as between men and women: A*Star-led study SINGAPORE – While it is widely accepted that men and women would have major biological differences on a molecular and cellular level, a landmark study led by A*Star has found similarly significant variations between different Asian ethnicities as well. For one, the immune-related blood markers among different ethnicities in Asia also have 'massive differences', said Dr Shyam Prabhakar, the senior author of the study. The landmark initiative comprehensively mapped out immune cells from five Asian countries, which could potentially lead to more accurate medical diagnosis and personalised treatments for Asians. The study was led by researchers from A*Star Genome Institute of Singapore (A*Star GIS), who worked with collaborators from South Korea, Japan, Thailand, and India. They analysed over 1.2 million immune cells from blood samples of 625 healthy donors across Singapore, Thailand, Korea, Japan and India. The resulting Asian Immune Diversity Atlas (Aida) was published in scientific journal Cell in March 2025, and is set to be presented at scientific conference 2025 Human Cell Atlas General Meeting held between June 9 to 11 at SingHealth Academy. Dr Prabhakar, associate director at A*Star GIS' Single Cell & Spatial Technologies, said biomedical research has typically focused on Europeans. This means that diagnostic approaches developed based on such data often do not translate accurately for other ethnicities, like Asians. He said it was 'really shocking' to discover that the difference in blood properties among different Asian ethnicities are as striking as the ones between men and women. 'It is well-established that you have to have men and women in your cohort (for drug trials) ... because we understand this biological difference,' said Dr Prabhaka. ' T he data is suggesting that the same applies to ethnicity. You cannot do your drug trial on one ethnicity and say that the results apply to al l .' An example is with an immune cell known as CD4+ T naive cells, which can be used to indicate inflammation in the body caused by the ageing process. Researchers found that age affects these cells differently in Chinese, Malay and Indian Singaporeans. This means that as people from these groups get older, their risk of inflammation-diseases may not be the same. Therefore, different screening strategies for different ethnic groups in Singapore will be necessary. Another example is blood tests that are used to detect if a person may have an infectious disease or a serious condition like leukaemia. These tests often measure the proportion of different white blood cells like lymphocytes and monocytes to diagnose patients. But researchers have found that healthy immune reference ranges for people in different countries, across ethnicities, can differ significantly. Dr Prabhakar said that while the Aida study established that there are biological differences between different ethnicities, further research will need to be done to determine how diagnostic criteria can be refined. Going forward, the A*Star researchers hope to comprehensively map out cells from other organs such as the skin, colon and the gastric system for Singapore. They will also be studying how different ethnicities in Singapore could have different susceptibilities to diabetes. It's hoped that with such insights, different cohorts of patients will have a better understanding of their disease risk. '(Knowing) disease risk is our best way of reducing healthcare costs, because if you know accurately who's at high risk, then you can prioritise the person and get them to come into the clinic more often. Early detection is the best way of curing and reducing healthcare costs,' said Dr Prabhakar. Lee Li Ying is a correspondent on the health beat at The Straits Times. She has a keen interest in mental health, health technology, ageing and reproductive care. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
