The Singapore Translation Cancer Consortium –visiting NHRI Zhunan Campus
Agenda
Date: 27, March. 2025
Arrival at 10:00am
10:00-10:20: Introduction of NHRI Campus
10:20-10:40 MOU signing ceremony （The 1st conference room）
10:40-11:10 visit Biobank
11:10-12:00 visit Core Facilities
12:00-13:00: Lunch break （R2-3042 conference room）
The STCC – NHRI Scientific Meeting at Zhunan campus, NHRI
Venue: R2-3042 conference room, NHRI, 35 Keyan Road, Zhunan
Date: 1:00 pm, 27 March, .2025
Agenda
1:00-1:10 pm: Opening remark, Dr. Yi-Rong Chen and Dr. Tan Ern Yu
1:10-1:30 pm: Introduction of NHRI biobank, Dr. Shiu-Feng Huang
1:30-1:50 pm: Introduction of STCC, Dr. Sharon Loh
1:50-2:00 pm: Discussion
2:00-2:20 pm: Finding new therapeutic options for triple-negative breast cancer （TNBC） and diet-induced obesity （DIO）, Dr. Hsin-Ling Hsu
2:20-2:40 pm: The role of polygenic risk scores in advancing breast cancer risk prediction, Dr. Ren-Hua Chung
2:40-2:50 pm: Discussion
2:50-3:10 pm: AI and High Performance Computing for cancer imaging and treatment planning, Dr. Maxim Solovchuk
3:10-3:20 pm: discussion
3:20-3:40 pm Dr. Tan Ern Yu
3:40-3:50 pm discussion
3:50-4:00 pm Closing by Director Su-Hao Lo and Dr, Tan Ern Yu
Visitors from STCC
Associate Professor Tan Ern Yu, Platform Lead, Cancer Database and Tissue Banks
Dr. Sharon Loh, Senior Manager, Business Intelligence and Development
Mr. Kiraely Adam, Wong, Manager, Cancer Database and Tissue Banks
Speakers of NHRI:
Dr. Shiu-Feng Huang, Biomedical Director, NHRI Biobank
Dr. Hsin-Ling Hsu, Investigator, Institute of Molecular and Gnomic medicine
Dr. Ren-Hua Chung, Investigator, Institute of Population Health Sciences
Dr. Maxim Solovchuk, Associate Investigator, Institute of Biomedical engineering & nanomedicine
The National Health Research Institutes （NHRI） in Taiwan and the Singapore Translational Cancer Consortium （STCC） have formed a landmark partnership to promote cancer research in Asia.
This collaboration, formalized through a memorandum of understanding （MoU）, will draw on the strengths of both organizations to strengthen cross-border partnerships in biobanking and translational cancer research.
The partnership will enrich STCC’s cancer tissue specimen repository as a resource that will empower researchers from Singapore and Taiwan to co-access anonymized biospecimens and foster translational research collaborations with a key focus on Asian-prevalent cancers, such as lung and liver cancer.
This collaboration to establish a joint cancer sample catalogue will also allow researchers from both sides to uncover novel cancer mechanisms and targets and accelerate the development of new cancer therapies to improve patient outcomes. It also highlights the importance of global collaboration in addressing the complex challenge of cancer.
NHRI was established in 1996. It is a non-profit academic research institution whose purpose is to improve the health and well-being of people, enhance the level of medical and health care, develop medical technology, and cultivate medical talents. In order to promote research progress on the causes of cancer and the development of new therapeutic drugs, NHRI biobank has collaborated with multiple hospitals in northern, central, and southern Taiwan to collect clinical, pathological, and epidemiological data on liver and lung cancer specimens and patients in Taiwan, hoping to increase understanding of the expression of tumor-related genes in the Taiwanese population and promote the development of the biotechnology and medical industry.
“We very much look forward to this collaboration accelerating translational research on lung and liver cancers, which are particularly common in Asian populations,” said Dr. Huey-Kang Sytwu, Director of NHRI. “By exchanging cross-border cancer sample data, we can stimulate innovative ideas and promote more impactful research to address cancer challenges in the region.”
STCC was established in 2020, as a consortium to synergise cancer research capabilities in Singapore. STCC brings together unmatched basic, clinical, and translational talent in Singapore to create globally significant peaks of excellence in selected Asian cancers.
“The collaboration between NHRI and STCC is a significant step forward in advancing our understanding of cancer,” said Professor Chng Wee Joo, Executive Director of STCC. “Only by integrating our expertise and resources can we meaningfully develop new treatments and improve the health of patients in Asia and around the world.”
