A talk with Yeoh Keat Chuan

May 18, 2009 – 11:55 am by Chris

I had an opportunity to sit down with Mr. Yeoh, executive director, biomedical sciences, for the Singapore Economic Development Board. Singapore’s Biopolis, established in 2000 and continuing to expand (the third phase expansion of 400,000 square feet will be ready in 2010), serves as model of success for biotech hubs. The country has thus far invested more than S$5 billion in building industrial, human, and intellectual capital. More than 50 biomedical sciences companies are carrying out R&D activities in the densely populated island (4.66 million people in an area about 3.5 times larger than Washington, D.C., according to the CIA factbook). The activities comprise drug discovery, translational and clinical research, and medical technology innovation.

According to Mr. Yeoh, one of the factor’s contributing to the country’s success as a biotech hub is its ability to acculturate international companies to the Asian market. “We like to say that we are Asia 101,” he says.

Mr. Yeoh says more companies are establishing translational research centers in Singapore – Schering-Plough being one of most recent, because of several factors. “Obviously, we’re a country that you can’t do large-scale clinical trials in,” Mr. Yeoh says. But the close-knit relationship between the country’s university hospital and national hospital with the public and private sector R&D programs, as well as the ethnic diversity of the population – Chinese, Indian, and Malay – makes Singapore very attractive to companies doing translational research.

“We think this differentiates Singapore [from other biotech hubs] quite effectively,” Mr. Yeoh says.

Mr. Yeoh says the country is expanding its “microcosm of Asia” approach by funding research for specific diseases more prevalent in Asia – gastric cancer; dengue; schizophrenia; metabolic diseases; and opthalmology. Each area is being provided S$25 million. The government’s interest in funding these specific areas of research is because of the significance of these therapeutic areas in Asia and particularly Singapore.

For example, there are more cases of gastric cancer popping up among the Chinese, Mr. Yeoh says. Diabetes is becoming a problem, particularly as the middle class expands, and Indians seem to be more predisposed to the disease. Dengue is endemic in all of Asia. As for schizophrenia, Mr. Yeoh says the focus of research is on cultural factors rather than disease mechanisms. “In Asia, people don’t like to talk about mental illness,” he says.

Opthalmology research will be looking at diseases mechanisms and culture, Mr. Yeoh says. “With corneal disorders, particularly in surgery, recovery is complicated, there seems to be more incidences of scarring in Asians,” he says.

And there seems to be a cultural difference between Westerners and Asians in how they remove their contact lenses. New lenses might have to be developed for the Asian market. “Ciba Labs has set up a research program to look into that,” Mr. Yeoh says.

Most of all, Singapore views itself as a politically stable place for biotech companies to set up shop, with a focus on investing in human capital development, Mr. Yeoh says. Because of the country’s extremely low birth rate, immigration is welcomed, with 50,000 green cards issued annually. “How many governments think beyond a single term of administration?” he says. “With biotech, it has to be a long-term commitment.

And how welcoming does talent from overseas find Singapore? The answer might be in looking at Dr. Alex Matter, who was head of Novartis’ Institute for Tropical Diseases in Singapore. Dr. Matter, who spearheaded the discovery of Gleevec, has retired from the institute to head Singapore’s Experimental Therapeutics Center (you can go here to read the official press release and here to read an interview in Singapore’s The Straits Times).

“As the discoverer of Gleevec, Alex could have retired, but he chose to join us,” Mr. Yeoh says.