SINGAPORE: Cancer research in Singapore is all set to take a quantum leap with the setting up of the Cancer Research Centre of Excellence.

The National Research Foundation and the Ministry of Education (MOE) are providing S$172 million over the next seven years for the centre's programmes.

The Asia Pacific region sees nearly half of the world's cancer deaths.

And as the population ages in Singapore, the medical fraternity said that the burden of cancer is also expected to rise.

Medical experts said there are several good reasons to enhance and expand cancer research in Singapore.

Firstly, cancer is the number one cause of death in the country. Also, it is believed that by 2020, Asia will carry the world's bulk of cancer burden.

Thirdly, it is believed that cancer and some cancer drugs behave differently in Asia against those in Europe and North America.

At present, cancer research is being done in the hospitals, universities and at A*STAR and its institutes.

But there's no institution here which focuses its energies entirely on cancer research.

Hence, the setting up of the Cancer Research Centre of Excellence at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

Professor John Wong, Dean, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at NUS, said: “We have reached the point where we have captured the world's imagination and the next big step would be to see whether we can make a quantum impact to attract top faculty to provide the platform for our really bright local talent to get the mentorship to get to world class.

Mr Wong continued: “For such a disease to have world class research developing overnight rapidly in Singapore is going to benefit Singapore and the whole region".

An immediate priority for the new institution is to make an impact on basic cancer research.

Professor Daniel Tenen, Director of the Cancer Research Centre of Excellence, said: "One of the areas that we are working is in leukaemia. As part of the study, we study how normal blood develops because in leukaemia you have abnormal blood development.

“So if you focus on how to treat a patient with leukaemia today, you might focus on what kind of drugs we have and how we deliver. But we are trying to understand what are the basic genes involved in normal blood development and what goes on leukaemia and then try to develop drugs."

And with Singapore home to three different ethnic groups - the Chinese, Malays and Indians, the cancer research centre of excellence hopes to help develop therapies relevant to nearly half of the world's population. - CNA/vm