Singapore, 12 December 2015 – A*STAR’s Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech), The National University of Singapore (NUS), Select Biosciences South East Asia, and Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) jointly organised the Third Annual Lab-on-a-Chip (LOAC) Asia Conference and exhibition, focusing on Microfluidic technologies, Point-of-Care Diagnostics and Organ-on-a-Chip. Over 60 companies and 150 Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) attended the two day event held on the 19-20 November at The Education Resource Centre, University Town, NUS.
Singapore has witnessed various epidemic outbreaks in recent years such as SARS in 2003 and H1N1 in 2009. Quick and accurate diagnosing of the disease was crucial in saving the lives of many victims of such diseases. LOAC can speed up diagnosis and allow doctors to make quick decisions with regard to treatment.
This conference featured Plenary Speakers Prof David Weitz (Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and Applied Physics, Harvard University), Dr Johnson Zhang (Vice President and General Manager, PerkinElmer Asia-Pacific), Prof Jackie Ying (Executive Director, Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology), Dr Zhiping Wang (Director of Emerging Applications Division, SIMTech), Prof Prof Ai-Qun Liu, Nanyang Technological University, and Prof Chris Lowe (Emeritus Professor, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Cambridge). These Plenary Speakers are leading authority figures in this field and spoke on cutting edge topics such as Advanced Nanosystems for Diagnostic Applications, Microfluidics Manufacturing and Drop-based Microfluidics for Diagnostics research.
Lab-on-a-chip Applications
The microfluidic devices are miniaturised laboratories with diverse and widespread potential applications in drug delivery, point-of-care diagnostics, clinical diagnostics, pharmaceutical and life science research, and environmental quality monitoring. The polymer - based microfluidics device market is valued at an estimated US$1.08 billion in 2013 and is expected to reach US$2.7 billion by 2018, at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate of 20.3 percent.
Point-of-care (POCT) testing is to perform diagnostics at or near the place where patients receive treatment. Without having to transport sample to laboratories for testing, POCT allows for faster and more cost efficient means of diagnosis. This helps to reduce the delay timing between diagnosis and actual treatment, allowing doctors to have more time for the administration of treatment and possibly saving more lives. POCT, already a market that generates billions of dollars in revenue will continue to see significant growth given its wide uses and continually expanding application.
Organ-on-a-Chip makes use of a combination of microfabrication techniques used by the computer industry with modern tissue engineering techniques and human cells to imitate the functions of the human organ as well as its environment. This allows researchers to perform in-vitro testing that is highly similar to the human organ, speeding up the process of drug development and the predictive ability of researches on the effects of new drugs on the human body.
Said Dr Lim Ser Yong, Executive Director of SIMTech, “The conference and exhibition are ideal platforms to generate awareness of the trends, developments and technologies in microfluidics. SIMTech assists companies in R&D and to build up their capabilities to spearhead innovation, create and capture value in this emerging market. We have collaborated with SMEs and MNCs to develop manufacturing technologies for microfluidic applications, and through the SIMTech Microfluidics Foundry, we offer one-stop solutions for polymer microfluidic devices development from design, and prototyping to manufacturing.”
Mr Ang Chai Soon, Director, Manufacturing Division, WDA said: “Cutting-edge technology such as Lab-on-a-Chip is able to increase efficiency and productivity for the biomedical sciences industry. To make the most of such technologies, Singapore’s biomedical sciences workforce needs to be equipped with the relevant skills. WDA is therefore glad to partner SIMTech, NUS and Select Biosciences to ensure that our talent pool is future-ready.”
Quote from Paul Raggett, CEO, Select Biosciences South East Asia Pte. Ltd.
“LOAC and POCD have formed an integral part of our global event program for the last nine years, with annual Conferences and Exhibitions in Europe, North America and Singapore and satellite events in India. We also run associated Training Courses with industry partners alongside each conference and see the subject matter as a strong part of our event line-up moving forward, particularly with the expected growth in Asia.”
Quote from Prof Chwee Teck Lim, NUS:
“There are a number of researchers in NUS and Singapore working on LOAC devices, with some even translating them from bench to bedside and market. This conference, held here in NUS, provided a great forum for our local and foreign delegates not only to share about their latest inventions and findings, but also provided the opportunity to network and even collaborate. .”
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For media queries and clarifications, please contact:
Select Biosciences South East Asia Pte. Ltd.
Mr. Paul Raggett
CEO
Tel: +65 9186 3246
Email: [email protected]
Agency for Science, Technology and Research
Ms. Edith Lim
Senior Officer, Corporate Communications
Tel: 6826 7617
