Celebrating Sydney Brenner's legacy
About 400 members of the local and international scientific community gathered for the Sydney Brenner Symposium
Singapore honoured Nobel Prize winner Dr Sydney Brenner with a two-day event in early October that consisted of a public lecture, symposium and an exhibition, that rounded off with a banquet dinner. The molecular biologist has played a key role in propelling Singapore onto the global biomedical research stage over the last 30 years. The event was jointly organised by the Agency for Science, Research and Technology (A*STAR), NUS and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), together with Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory in the US, where Dr Brenner’s archives are located.
About 1,300 guests attended the Nobel Laureate Public Lecture on 1 October featuring Dr James Watson, who spoke on “Stopping Incurable Cancers through Eliminating Their Anti-Oxidative Defenses”; Sir Richard Roberts, “A Crime Against Humanity”; and Dr Sydney Brenner, “Homo sapiens, A Unique Animal”. On 2 October, about 400 members of the local and international scientific community, who had gathered for the Sydney Brenner Scientific Symposium, also witnessed the inauguration of an exhibition on Dr Brenner’s life in science titled “A Heroic Voyage”. The exhibition, now located at Biopolis, will make an appearance at NUS and NTU in the coming months.
Gracing the Symposium was Guest-of-Honour Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Mr Teo Chee Hean, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Chairman of the National Research Foundation. The symposium was divided into three sessions with topics related to Brenner’s scientific breakthroughs. Senior Advisor to the NUS President and NUS Biochemistry Professor Barry Halliwell moderated a session.
Ms Ludmilla Pollock, Executive Director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Library & Archives explaining an exhibit to (from left): Mr Teo, Prof Tan and Mr Lim
“This is an appropriate time [to celebrate Dr Brenner’s contributions to science and Singapore] as 2015 is a special year for Singapore, as we commemorate our Golden Jubilee…In this relatively short period of time, Singapore has been transformed from Third World to First, and has actually become one of Asia’s leading science and innovation hubs,” said Mr Lim Chuan Poh, A*STAR Chairman at the Symposium’s opening.
Dr Brenner has made many contributions to Singapore’s research landscape. They include helping to establish the country’s first scientific research institute, the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology which was initially located at NUS; and the A*STAR Graduate Academy. He is also credited with the creation of research hub Biopolis. He was the inaugural recipient of the Honorary Citizen Award in 2003 from the President of Singapore in recognition of his contributions to the country.
The scientist’s pioneering work on the genetic code helped solve the relationship between DNA, RNA and the synthesis of proteins. His use of the nematode model, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2002, continues to provide insights into processes like cell division, differentiation, senescence and death.
Prof Tan (right) at the dinner banquet with Dr Brenner
At the closing dinner banquet, NUS President Professor Tan Chorh Chuan recounted the ways Dr Brenner had left his mark on Singapore. The first was the concept of a pot of money to fund “risky” ideas without trying to predefine what the deliverables should be. The Singapore Cancer Syndicate emerged out of this line of thinking. The second was the value of irreverence, which Prof Tan said “is very useful for us in Singapore to have Sydney provide well-considered contrarian views”. Thirdly, was Dr Brenner’s belief in young people, which has led to the formation of new laboratories to attract and train bright scientists and clinicians at NUS, National University Hospital and A*STAR.
At the symposium, Dr Brenner recounted his forays into science as a teenager, citing various highlights of his scientific journey. Even in his 80s, he continues to display the same amount of passion for science, saying “the time now is to work on people” and coined the term “anthropreneurs” to describe people who would venture into the new human sciences.
“The journey will continue, I hope, after I’m gone. I’ve often asked one request, which is in 2053, on the anniversary of the DNA publication, that I will be allowed to come back here, (for) one day. I don’t care where I am, whether I come down or come up, just to see what’s happened to the world,” he said.
Update: Exhibition panels from “A Heroic Voyage: Sydney Brenner’s Life in Science” will be on display at NUS, University Hall, Atrium (Lee Kong Chian Wing) from 11 to 28 January 2016. Opening hours are from 9am to 5pm on weekdays.
