Outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Dengue and Zika virus usually strike quickly and suddenly, causing devastating health impact. However, finding a vaccine or a cure for these diseases typically takes years, sometimes decades, which is far too long to effectively respond to an infectious disease outbreak. By then, much damage would have been done, on both social and economic levels.

The Tanoto Foundation has made a gift  towards the setting up of the Viral Research and Experimental Medicine Centre @ SingHealth Duke-NUS (ViREMiCS), which aims to accelerate the translation of drugs and vaccines to combat infectious diseases so as to reduce the time needed for new drugs and vaccines to reach those in need during epidemics and outbreaks.

ViREMiCS will form a one-stop shop for academia and industry partners to conduct seamless pre-clinical to early phase clinical evaluation of vaccines and drugs. When established, it will be the first academic research facility in Singapore to provide ISO-accredited molecular tools to develop new vaccines and drugs for patients.

Signing the Letter of Understanding on 28 March 2017

ViREMiCS is led by Associate Professor Jenny Low, a clinician-scientist and Senior Consultant from Singapore General Hospital's (SGH) Department of Infectious Diseases and Professor Ooi Eng Eong, Deputy Director of Duke-NUS Medical School's Emerging Infectious Diseases Programme.

ViREMiCS will form a one-stop shop for academia and industry partners to conduct seamless pre-clinical to early phase clinical evaluation of vaccines and drugs.

"We are tremendously grateful to the Tanoto Foundation for partnering with us on this journey. ViREMiCS is capable of bringing about a complete paradigm shift in the way we conduct clinical trials for vaccines and drugs for infectious diseases," said Assoc Prof Jenny Low. "We are excited to be pioneering this field of translational research, which we believe, will have tremendous impact on the scientific landscape of this area of work both in the region and globally," added Prof Ooi Eng Eong.

Belinda Tanoto, member of the Tanoto Foundation Board of Trustees, said, "The gift to ViREMiCs not only extends our footprint in healthcare research, but also translational medicine benefiting a global community that is at risk during an epidemic. We look forward to seeing the achievements and breakthroughs of ViREMiCs."