Speech by Mr Chee Hong Tat, Minister of State, Ministry of Health, at the 20th Anniversary Celebration Dinner of the Singapore Clinical Research Institute, 1 Sep 2016

Associate Professor John Lim, Chairman of SCRI

Associate Professor Teoh Yee Leong, CEO of SCRI

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good evening.

Introduction

1.    It is my pleasure to be here today with all of you at this celebration dinner organised by the Singapore Clinical Research Institute (SCRI) to commemorate 20 years of promoting clinical research in Singapore. SCRI started off in 1996 as the Clinical Trials and Epidemiology Research Unit (or CTERU), funded by the Ministry of Health through the National Medical Research Council (NMRC). SCRI is a national academic clinical research organisation, providing a suite of services covering protocol design, project management, trials monitoring, data management, and biostatistical analysis to support our clinical investigators in their research projects. SCRI also coordinates trials across public healthcare institutions in Singapore and overseas.

SCRI’s role as the National Academic Clinical Research Organisation

2.    SCRI also aims to develop intellectual leadership in trial design and operational expertise in Singapore’s biomedical sector through partnerships with the industry and clinical investigators.

3.    Traditionally, clinical research of new treatments for diseases has been driven and funded largely by pharmaceutical companies. Equally vital is another group of clinical trials known as “investigator-led trials”. These trials involve our local doctors and researchers taking the lead in generating new research ideas to address areas of clinical need. This includes the use of a commonly available generic drug for a new therapeutic indication. The pharmaceutical companies are not involved in such projects because these do not lead to the development of new drugs. However the research would benefit our patients by offering them additional treatment options with existing generic drugs.

4.    The number of clinical trials conducted in Singapore has been on the rise over the last decade. In terms of capacity building, NMRC has helped to develop over 100 Clinician Scientists in the public healthcare system through its human capital awards, with a longer-term aim of developing 160 Clinician-Scientists. They will add to Singapore’s research capabilities.

5.    Clinical trials have also become more complex in recent years. The use of biomarkers has enabled trials to focus on subgroups of patients who may benefit more from the newer targeted therapies, especially in the oncology space. Together with clinical data from countries in the region, we are now able to effectively study new treatment options for patients across Asia. Studies using combination therapy, where a few drugs are used together, instead of a single drug, is also becoming more common in late phase clinical trials.

6.    In celebration of SCRI's 20 years in clinical research, there are 10 awards to be presented tonight to the high impact investigator-led clinical trials of SCRI’s healthcare partners. Let me briefly highlight two projects.

7.    The first is a study conducted by the Singapore National Eye Centre and Singapore Eye Research Institute with SCRI from 2006 to 2010. Singapore has one of the highest rates of childhood myopia or short-sightedness in the world, with about 80 percent of teenagers becoming myopic by 18 years of age. The trial studied the use of Atropine in the treatment of myopia on 400 myopic children. It found that low doses of topical Atropine eye drops used daily could significantly help to slow the progression of myopia by 50 to 60 percent over a five-year period. The team is now studying if the eye drops can be used to prevent myopia in high-risk patients.

8.    The second is the Adult Dengue Platelet or “ADEPT” Study completed in 2014. This was led by Professor Leo Yee Sin of Tan Tock Seng Hospital and coordinated by SCRI. In dengue, patients may suffer from low blood platelet count and platelet transfusion is given as part of current clinical practice. This study showed that platelet transfusion is not necessary for the patient’s recovery in uncomplicated dengue cases. This finding helps our national blood service to conserve precious platelet supplies for patients who need such transfusions.

9.    SCRI is currently involved in several other investigator-led-trials in Asia with our public healthcare institutions. One of these led by the National Cancer Centre is a study of Aspirin, a commonly available painkiller, in prolonging the survival of colorectal cancer patients. Another study led by the National University Cancer Institute at NUHS is on the use of extensive post-surgery abdominal washout to reduce the recurrence of gastric cancer. I would like to extend my best wishes to these projects and hope their findings would benefit many cancer patients in Singapore and Asia in the near future.

Clinical Research Coordinators

10.    To successfully conduct clinical trials, Principal Investigators benefit from the support and expertise of Clinical Research Coordinators (or CRCs). There is a need to further develop CRCs who play a very important role in clinical research. MOH will be allocating funds to develop a core group of CRCs in our public healthcare institutions over the next five years. This will help CRCs to upgrade their skills in clinical research, and move our research capabilities to the next higher level.

Conclusion

11.    I am glad to see how much SCRI has grown in the past 20 years. Tonight’s dinner is a celebration of the Institute’s commitment to promoting and supporting clinical research to find better treatment options for our patients. It is also a testament to the vision and passion of its past and present scientific staff, management and board members.

12.    In closing, let me congratulate our awardees and wish SCRI all the very best in its future endeavours. May the Institute continue to benefit Singaporeans through its good work for another 20 years and beyond. Thank you.