Research: A boost to Singapore's pandemic response

Assoc Prof Eric Yap from LKCMedicine, who is the Medical Director of the new lab, with co-founders of Pathnova Laboratories, Emeritus Professor Chan Soh Ha and Dr Ian Cheong
From left: Assoc Prof Eric Yap from LKCMedicine, who is the Medical Director of the new lab, with co-founders of Pathnova Laboratories, Emeritus Professor Chan Soh Ha and Dr Ian Cheong. 
 
We are into the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fight against the virus rages on. Medical researchers and scientists are not holding back in finding new ways to fight the virus.

Back in April 2020, a clinical diagnostic laboratory was set up by a team of researchers at LKCMedicine. The aim was to support Singapore’s effort to increase diagnostic testing capacity and commence COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing.  

As they continued their good work, a new partnership was formed with Pathnova Laboratories. The lab is now renamed the Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Pathnova Laboratories, a medical diagnostic company backed by Temasek Life Sciences Accelerator and headquartered in Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory. The partnership commenced on 1 March 2021 with Pathnova running the operations and NTU LKCMedicine supporting and hosting the lab.

The lab will tap on advanced technology like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data analytics to innovate and boost the country’s future pandemic response. 

Since March this year, Pathnova Laboratories @ LKCMedicine has scaled up its operations, and is heavily engaged by the Ministry of Health to analyse swab tests of more than 120,000 people. This includes the routine rostered testing of foreign workers residing in their dormitories. 

With a testing capacity of 2,000 tests per day, the lab is well prepared for large-scale testing and faster turnaround time made possible with automation and increasing the types of SARS-CoV-2 assays available. 

With its clear focus on serology, Pathnova has also extended its capabilities into COVID-19 serology testing at the diagnostic lab. Such tests could detect past infections or assess an individual’s antibody response post vaccination. 

As in all pandemics, COVID-19 will not be eternal. As the lab gradually and inevitably transitions out of the current pandemic, it will adapt the lessons learnt from pandemic testing to reimagine a new genre of lab that is flexible and scalable through open-source robotics and software automation. 

Such a lab will be scalable yet adaptable, for instance, in using smart digital processes to ensure quality and productivity of daily testing, while allowing scientific experts to make innovations and improvements on lab workflows. 

NTU Senior Vice President (Health and Life Sciences) and Dean of LKCMedicine, Distinguished University Professor Joseph Sung said, “As we have seen and experienced with coronavirus, viruses mutate and diseases evolve but fortunately, technology also evolves - often in our favour. By leveraging technology in molecular virology and partnering with the industry, we can work together towards strengthening Singapore’s future pandemic preparedness.” 

Mr Peter Chia, Chief Executive Officer, Temasek Life Sciences Accelerator, said, “We are pleased to work with a world-renowned health institution like LKCMedicine. It is our belief that such collaborative partnerships stem from quality science and passionate people working together, capitalising on the momentum from the international scientific community’s response to this crisis, to bring innovative solutions for public good. I would like to congratulate LKCMedicine and Pathnova for this partnership. We look forward to seeing more innovative solutions from them to benefit communities in Singapore and the region.” 

NTU Senior Vice President (Research) Professor Lam Khin Yong, said: “NTU’s collaboration with Pathnova Laboratories will allow our scientists to leverage their expertise in Artificial Intelligence technologies to tackle future pandemic challenges. We look forward to how this synergy between academia and industry will bring about meaningful results that contribute to the greater national effort in safeguarding population health." 


LKCMedicine Pathnova- The lab plans to tap advanced technology like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data analytics to innovate, boosting the country’s future pandemic responseThe lab plans to tap advanced technology like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data analytics to innovate, boosting the country’s future pandemic response.

Experts in genomics, computer science and bioengineering will support the lab by exploring ways to simplify and shorten complex protocols. It plans to create a new kind of molecular laboratory that will run on open-source hardware and software and fully integrated, reconfigurable, and resistant to supply chain bottlenecks. For example, the team will look at using advanced technology to accelerate innovation through data analytics and AI automation, activating robotics and mathematical algorithms to raise efficiency and lower operational costs. 

Pathnova Laboratories @ LKCMedicine is the only diagnostic service lab set up by an Institute of Higher Learning as a rapid response to the national health crisis. It brings together two excellent experts in the field - Associate Professor Eric Yap from LKCMedicine, who is the Medical Director of the new lab, and Dr Ian Cheong, Chief Scientific Officer, and co-founder of Pathnova Laboratories. 

Assoc Prof Yap, who has worked as a medical doctor and defence scientist, will delve into studying the patterns and effects of genetic variation in human, bacterial and viral genomes, and exploiting these differences for more accurate and rapid disease diagnosis. 

Back in April 2020, A/Prof Prof Yap and his team of researchers devised a way to speed up the COVID-19 PCR test, yielding results in just 36 minutes with limited equipment and capabilities. Their direct PCR test is used to look for COVID-19 genetic sequences in crude samples without the need for lengthy and manual RNA purification steps, which are needed in current PCR tests. 

Dr Ian Cheong, who is trained as both a lawyer and scientist, has a background in experimental therapeutics and diagnostics for cancer. In 2017, with support from Temasek Life Sciences Accelerator (TLA), he co-founded Pathnova Laboratories with Emeritus Professor Chan Soh Ha and Mr Jason Foo to develop scalable detection of nasopharyngeal cancer and autoimmune diseases through serological detection, accelerated with machine learning.