5th James Best Distinguished Lecture on Precision Medicine Draws Record Turnout
The 5th edition of the James Best Distinguished Lecture by LKCMedicine, featuring renowned genomicist Professor Michael Snyder, drew the largest audience on 25 May 2025 since the series was launched three years ago. Held at the Ong Tiong Tat and Irene Tan Liang Kheng Auditorium at LKCMedicine’s Novena Campus, the highly anticipated lecture attracted 550 esteemed researchers, faculty, students, and healthcare professionals eager to gain insights into the future of precision medicine.
The event commenced with an opening address by LKCMedicine Dean Professor Joseph Sung. While noting the importance of Professor Snyder’s work in precision medicine, he also highlighted the significant developments of precision medicine in Singapore.
“Through our SG100K programme, pioneered by Health for Life in Singapore (HELIOS), LKCMedicine is a major contributor in the field of precision medicine. Together with Precision Health Research Singapore (PRECISE), we co-lead the National Precision Medicine (NPM) programme to improve the understanding of genetic diversity within our multi-ethnic population,” said Professor Sung.
Before the evening’s main event, former LKCMedicine Dean, Professor James Best, after whom the lecture series is honoured, delivered the citation for Professor Snyder. Professor Best highlighted Professor Synder’s illustrious career where he is the current Director of the Center for Genomics and Personalised Medicine at Stanford University. Professor Snyder has an extensive background in biomedical research, with over 900 publications and 17 start-ups, making significant contributions to transforming healthcare through precision medicine.
“Professor Synder’s innovative work utilises Big Data generated by technologies including genomics, proteomics and wearable devices. These are used to monitor diseases onset and progression in real-time, so he has been, and still is at the forefront of the personalised medicine movement,” highlighted Professor Best.
Professor Snyder kicked off his lecture with a question that resonated with many in the audience – “How many of you have had bad experiences with the healthcare system?” In response to the audience, he opined that today’s system practises “sick care” rather than “healthcare” noting that treatment is offered only when one falls ill rather than preventing the illness in the first place.
As he continued to explain the importance of both precision and preventive medicine, Professor Snyder delivered a captivating lecture on the transformative role of multi-omics in healthcare. His presentation explored how integrating genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and other molecular data can revolutionise disease detection, prevention, and treatment.
Professor Snyder also emphasised the power of Big Data in personal health monitoring. He said, “Our genome only accounts for about 16% of our lifespan. Instead, other factors such as lifestyle, activity, food, mental health, and environmental exposure all impact our health. We know this intuitively, but now we can quantify most of these.” His pioneering research, which includes the use of wearables and deep molecular profiling, has paved the way for groundbreaking advancements in precision health.
During his presentation, Professor Snyder touched on various aspects of ageing and metabolism, noting that everyone ages differently and that metabolic phenotypes vary among individuals. He highlighted how lifestyle parameters can serve as predictors of distinct metabolic characteristics, offering insights into personalised health management. Additionally, the lecture addressed the role of genetic information in assessing disease severity, underscoring the impact of genetics on health outcomes.
Following the lecture, an engaging Q&A session, moderated by LKCMedicine epidemiologist Assistant Professor Marie Loh, allowed attendees to delve deeper into the implications of Professor Snyder’s research. As participants asked a variety of questions, ranging from how to increase lifespan to using real-world applications, they also expressed appreciation for the opportunity to interact with a leading expert in the field of precision medicine.
LKCMedicine’s Assistant Professor Shen Xiaotao, who serves as the Director of the Singapore Phenome Centre, previously worked under Professor Snyder as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Stanford University. His research focused on bioinformatics algorithm development for multi-omics data, with applications in precision medicine, wearable technology, and microbiome-metabolome integration.
“This is the first James Best lecture that I have attended. I think it is very important for both students and faculty to know the latest developments in the world through a lecture like this. A lot of people can learn from Professor Synder’s insights, especially since he is a pioneer in precision medicine.”
LKCMedicine’s Vice-Dean (Research) Associate Professor Sanjay Chotirmall was pleased with how the lecture series fosters a community spirit, particularly in an academic environment.
He said, “Today’s lecture brought together the old and the new. We are moving towards data science, Big Data, but importantly, doing it at a personal level, which the lecture exemplified. The biggest thing associated with the ageing theme is that we had a lot of young people in the audience. One of the things that the James Best Distinguished Lecture series has done is to bring together the LKCMedicine community – our students, staff, and developing researchers, who really are going to be researchers of the future.”
Phoon Yan Xin, Vice-President (Wellbeing) of the LKCMedicine 12th Students’ Medical Society, was particularly interested in how advancements in technology are merging with healthcare.
She expressed, “One of the most fascinating takeaways from this lecture was the potential for early detection of illnesses, like Lyme disease, using smartwatches equipped with pulse oximeters to monitor blood oxygen levels and heart rate. This intersection of innovation and medicine feels incredibly relevant to our evolving society, showcasing how collaborative efforts across sectors can drive meaningful improvements in public health.”
The lecture piqued the curiosity of Ms de Mello, 64, a patient partner for the Office of Patient Engagement (OPEN) Voices.
“One question that the lecture brought up for me was that if precision medicine can be applied to every single person in Singapore or if it is meant to target a certain group. Nevertheless, it was mind-blowing to know that in today’s world, we have so much at our disposal. Preventive medicine and personalised medicine, I believe, is the way to go", said Ms De Mello.
The overwhelming turnout for this year’s lecture underscores the growing interest in precision medicine and LKCMedicine’s commitment to fostering knowledge exchange with global leaders in medical science. As the James Best Distinguished Lecture series continues to grow, it cements its place as a cornerstone event for the medical community, inspiring the next generation of healthcare innovators.
The James Best Distinguished Lecture features eminent professors who are global leaders in their respective fields. Through this platform, LKCMedicine aims to play a vital role in bringing together thought leaders and industry experts to address thought-provoking issues in medicine, with the perspective of fostering dialogue and advancing discourse in the transformation of medicine, medical education, and research. Launched in 2022 as part of the School’s 10th Anniversary Distinguished Visitor Programme, the programme runs for five years and is made possible by a generous S$500,000 donation by a local donor who wishes to remain anonymous.
