New imaging centre launched

The introduction of powerful clinical imaging research capabilities in Singapore will strengthen the connection between bench and bedside; the connection between technology and progress. Guest-of-Honour Mr Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Finance and Deputy Chairman of the National Research Foundation, was speaking at the opening of the Clinical Imaging Research Centre (CIRC) on 11 November during the Imaging for Health Symposium, held at NUS' Centre for Translational Medicine.

A joint venture between NUS and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), CIRC brings together scientists and clinicians to carry out world-class translational and clinical research as well as to support clinical trials in Singapore. It also aims to be a major training centre for graduate students in clinical imaging to meet the need for talent in the growing field.

CIRC is the first in Southeast Asia and one of the world's few clinical research sites to use the MR-PET, an innovative advanced medical imaging solution which combines two cutting edge imaging techniques and will allow researchers to better study disease pathways. With cyclotron and radiochemistry facilities, it is also the only clinical imaging research centre in Singapore able to produce and administer PET radiopharmaceuticals to human subjects.

Mr Heng (second from right) touring the state-of-the-art imaging facilities

The research at CIRC will focus on diseases of particular relevance to the health of the national and regional population such as tuberculosis, dementia and diabetes. The Centre will develop imaging capabilities in clinical areas including neuroscience, cardiology, oncology, metabolic and pulmonary disorders, and infectious diseases in order to better monitor disease progression, enhance the process of drug discovery and augment diagnosis and patient management capabilities. Currently, CIRC hosts more than 50 clinical research projects with investigators from 13 different institutions.

Given the widespread relevance of its research areas, CIRC has also established strong ties with international partners such as Johns Hopkins University, US; University College London, UK; and Massey University, New Zealand, as well as global industry players such as Siemens Healthcare and Kao Corporation, among others.

NUS Medicine Professor David Townsend, Director of CIRC, commented on the tremendous potential healthcare benefits the Centre could deliver to patients in Singapore and beyond. ""The research we do today will be the clinical routine of tomorrow, he added.

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