Tracking the health of 100,000 Singaporeans to identify new ways to prevent diseases

Image: Minister for Health Mr Ong Ye Kung (fourth from right) and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Law Rahayu Mahzam (third from right), along with members from NTU and LKCMedicine senior management, as well as representatives from Mendaki and MOH, participated in the SG100K study.

The Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) at NTU Singapore, in collaboration with other healthcare institutions here, has embarked on a  landmark comprehensive population health study of 100,000 Singaporeans over a few decades to identify the social, environmental, lifestyle, and genetic factors associated with diseases prevalent in Singapore, such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer.

Called SG100K, the multi-institutional effort comes on the back of Singapore’s rapidly ageing population, which is contributing to an increasing number of people living with long-term health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer, and to steadily rising healthcare costs.

With tremendous differences in health risks between Western and Asian populations, a study like SG100K could pave the way for the development of better tools through precision medicine to predict and prevent chronic diseases among Singaporeans and other Asian populations.

In support of this endeavour, Singapore’s Minister for Health Mr Ong Ye Kung officially launched the SG100K study today, and enrolled as an SG100K participant.