Artikkelit

20.11.2024

Singapore s health innovations grow as a result of R&D ecosystem development and generous funding, Ella Suortti

Barriers like ageing population, increasing cost of healthcare, and resource fragmentation are drivers for health innovations. Existing healthcare infrastructure, IT expertise, and the level of trust between citizens and government are important factors for the success of new health innovation solutions. The healthcare ecosystem in Singapore is already wide and simultaneously evolving. The Consortium for Clinical Research and Innovation Singapore (CRIS), a subsidiary of Ministry of Health (MOH) Holdings, plays an important role in this landscape. CRIS brings together six national R&D initiatives, facilitating collaboration among them. These initiatives include: Singapore Clinical Research Institute (SCRI); National Health Innovation Centre Singapore (NHIC); Advanced Cell Therapy and Research Institute, Singapore (ACTRIS); Precision Health Research, Singapore (PRECISE); Singapore Translational Cancer Consortium (STCC); Cardiovascular Disease National Collaborative Enterprise (CADENCE).

These initiatives ensure funding for cutting-edge research and development projects. For instance, the National Health Innovation Centre offers funding calls under seven different categories, ranging from $45,000 to $1 million. Beyond funding, these initiatives provide support for healthcare innovators through guidance, talent development, strategic partnerships, commercialization, and mentorship.

It is clear that Singapore's healthcare ecosystem is vast and growing. There are not only initiatives under CRIS but the ecosystem includes other entities such as the National University of Singapore iHealthtech Institute for Health Innovation & Technology, MOH Health Innovation Fund, Centre for Healthcare Innovation, National Medical Research Council, and SingHealth DUKE-NUS Global Health Institute, among others.

Currently, Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) is transforming healthcare through three major development areas: applying AI in health institutions, developing predictive preventive care, and enhancing IT infrastructure systems. To achieve these goals, adding more to the long list above of healthcare R&D ecosystem practitioners, the MOH is working in partnership with the Health Promotion Board (HPB), Synapxe the national Health Tech agency, public healthcare clusters (National Healthcare Group, National University Health System, and SingHealth), and national clinical translational programs.

The role of AI

The Ministry of Health (MOH) in Singapore has decided to apply generative AI for routine documentation and imaging. Singapore believes that AI can help healthcare providers to deliver healthcare more efficiently. MOH is investing $200 million over five years into the MOH Health Innovation Fund for the development and testing of innovations, including those involving AI. Generative AI will be used to automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks, such as documentation and summarization of medical records. In terms of imaging, Singapore is currently studying how AI can make the workflow for reading breast cancer screening images more efficient and for patients to receive their screening results sooner. To support these imaging initiatives, a separate platform called AimSG has been established.

Developing predictive preventive care

The predictive preventive care initiative is focused on Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH), a genetic condition that affects body's ability to process cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart disease. FH can be managed through early detection and intervention. By mid-2025, the Ministry of Health (MOH) will start a national FH genetic testing program. Patients diagnosed with FH will receive clinic support for healthier lifestyles and cholesterol-lowering therapies. If an individual tests positive for FH, their family members will be encouraged to do the same genetic testing. The genetic testing for the patient and their family members will be subsidized up to 70% of the cost. Success with the FH program could lead to similar predictive preventive care measures for other major diseases, such as breast and colon cancers, diabetes, kidney failure, stroke, and heart attacks. These interventions will require multivariate AI models.

Building the IT Infrastructure

The Ministry of Health (MOH) is enhancing IT infrastructure by implementing Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems across public healthcare institutions to improve data accessibility and quality. Central to this is the HEALIX system, a cloud-based data infrastructure. HEALIX facilitates the secure sharing of up-to-date and anonymized clinical, socio-economic, lifestyle, and genomic data across healthcare clusters. This platform enables clusters to create, train, and deploy AI and Machine Learning models to enhance hospital operations and support clinical decision-making.

New policies will take place

The government of Singapore has recognized the importance of adopting cloud technology, and policymakers have implemented cloud-specific policies to regulate this technology effectively. These policies guide the implementation of cloud technology across various sectors, particularly in healthcare. Additionally, cloud policies address aspects such as data storage, standardization, sharing, privacy, and security. It is important to note that while cost-effectiveness is a critical factor for the government at the policy level, data security and privacy are key determinants at the hospital level.
Singapore has a document that shares good practices with AI developers and implementers. This document will be updated regularly to provide guidance on new technologies and ethical concepts. Additionally, it includes guidelines for clinical and non-clinical genetic testing. These new innovations have impacted citizens' insurance and employment. In collaboration with the Life Insurance Association, the Ministry of Health (MOH) ensures that genetic tests and their results do not prevent citizens from receiving insurance. New legislation regarding the use of genetic and genomic data also aims to prevent this information from affecting citizens' employment. However, these policies are still under consultation and will not be submitted to parliament for another one to two years.

Data security and privacy are also critical issues. To boost innovation, the MOH has developed TRUST (Trusted Research and Real-World Data Utilisation and Sharing Tech), a national secure platform for sharing datasets for research purposes. TRUST anonymizes patient data according to government standards, ensuring that researchers cannot download data and that all data is deleted after analysis. Singapore has a strong focus on ethics, data security, and equitable access to data.

Why scientists and companies choose Singapore?

Singapore's vibrant biotech ecosystem supports researchers and companies in delivering innovative, efficient, and effective healthcare solutions. The country has an attractive talent pool of researchers and partners, as well as strong manufacturing capabilities, making it an excellent environment for businesses. The government places a strong emphasis on startups, and with its support, a highly trained pool of multinational scientists and companies has access to high-quality infrastructure for developing innovative healthcare solutions. Singapore fosters an environment where experimentation and learning are encouraged and supported, inspiring collaboration and innovation among scientists, researchers, and companies. The country recognizes that its aging population will benefit from these innovative solutions, but also understands that useful health innovations and technologies are often unavailable to those in greatest need. To address this issue, Singapore dedicates significant brainpower and resources. Healthcare innovations not only benefit Singapore's population but also help build new brands, develop new healthcare areas, and create opportunities for international collaboration in healthcare research.

Text and photo: Ella Suortti (Mika Tirronen)
Photo: AI is applied in healthcare innovations. Presentation image from NTU Singapore-Europe Dialogue on Digital Trust and Safe AI.

More information and references:
https://www.moh.gov.sg/newsroom/transforming-healthcare-through-technology
https://www.edb.gov.sg/
https://www.cris.sg/
https://www.nhic.sg/about/what-we-do/
https://www.moh.gov.sg/others/health-regulation/emerging-regulatory-policy-issues
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/1/334