SINGAPORE and ALISO VIEJO, Calif. – April 19, 2023 – LifeStrands Genomics and Ambry Genetics have joined forces to provide clinical genetic testing services in Singapore. Together, they have been chosen to support the Clinical Implementation Pilots (CIPs) for Phase II of Singapore’s National Precision Medicine (NPM) programme through an open tender commissioned by Precision Health Research, Singapore (PRECISE) – the central entity implementing NPM.
LifeStrands signed a strategic agreement with all public sector health care institutions in Singapore, and will provide support to three CIPs for patients with familial hypercholesterolemia, familial and hereditary cancers, and primary glomerular diseases. As part of the agreement, LifeStrands will provide the testing menu from Ambry Genetics and sequence the samples in its accredited laboratory, while Ambry Genetics will provide data interpretation and reporting.
“Genetic factors account for up to 30% of health. Modern technologies such as next generation sequencing and the appropriate interpretation of any genetic variants identified provides an opportunity to better diagnose or predict diseases. Rapid diagnosis will allow appropriate therapies to be offered to patients quickly while better prediction allows us to take steps to prevent disease from occurring. Clinicians in the Singapore public hospitals are evaluating the use of genetic tests to improve the health of Singaporeans in a number of different areas as part of the National Precision Medicine Programme. This programme cannot succeed without the ability to carry out high quality genetic testing and appropriately interpreting these tests. We are delighted that LifeStrands Genomics has partnered with Ambry Genetics to offer these tests in Singapore,” said Professor Tai E Shyong, Chief Medical Officer, PRECISE. He is also a Senior Consultant in the Division of Endocrinology at the National University Hospital and Professor at the National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and Duke-NUS Medical School.
“We are honored to be part of this major initiative to advance precision medicine for Singaporeans,” said Dr. Camille Cyncynatus, Head of Business Development for Genomics and Life Sciences at Pathology Asia, LifeStrands’ holding company. “Through our partnership with Ambry, we are bringing the most advanced clinical genomics science to Singapore. We believe that this collaboration will not only enable individuals to receive the right treatment at the right time and place, but will also drive further discoveries in the field of precision medicine through the PRECISE programme.”
“The core of our company’s mission is to enable widespread access to high quality genetic testing globally, and we are glad to support PRECISE with its goal of enhancing precision medicine in Singapore,” said Tom Schoenherr, CEO of Ambry Genetics. “To achieve this, we have tightly integrated our teams with those of our local partner LifeStrands, and together we will help gather the genomic data needed by PRECISE that will ultimately lead to the earlier identification of people at risk of cancer and other target diseases.”
Precision medicine in Singapore aims to understand how genomic, phenotypic, lifestyle and clinical factors contribute to the health of Singaporeans. It also supports the responsible use of health data in clinical applications with the longer-term goal of addressing Singapore’s health care challenges in a sustainable and clinically cost-effective way.
About LifeStrands
LifeStrands Genomics (LSG) is a Singaporean laboratory and a subsidiary of the Pathology Asia group, a leading diagnostic service provider in Southeast Asia, headquartered in Singapore. The Pathology Asia group includes leading diagnostic laboratories in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and Indonesia and its own proprietary digital health platform.
LSG delivers clinical grade genetic and genomic services, and its mission is to drive the adoption of Clinical Genomics and transform the way it is delivered. LSG is also investing in R&D of new assays tailored to the Southeast Asian population and its medical needs. For germline testing, LSG is partnering with Ambry Genetics to deliver high quality tests in Southeast Asia.
About Ambry Genetics
Ambry Genetics, a subsidiary of REALM IDx, Inc., translates scientific research into clinically actionable test results based upon a deep understanding of the human genome and the biology behind genetic diseases. It is a leader in genetic testing that aims to improve health by understanding the relationship between genetics and diseases. Due to its unparalleled track record of discoveries over 20 years, as well as to its growing database that continues to expand in collaboration with academic, corporate and pharmaceutical partners, Ambry Genetics is first to market with innovative products and comprehensive analysis that enable clinicians to confidently inform patient health decisions.
About Precision Health Research, Singapore (PRECISE)
Precision Health Research, Singapore (PRECISE) is the central entity set up to coordinate a whole of government effort to implement Phase II of Singapore’s 10-year National Precision Medicine (NPM) strategy. NPM Phase II aims to transform healthcare in Singapore and improve patient outcomes through new insights into the Asian genome and data-driven healthcare solutions. NPM Phase II will also enhance the breadth and depth of the Precision Medicine-related industry by attracting and anchoring overseas companies in Singapore, while yielding new opportunities for home-grown companies.
PRECISE is a business unit under the Consortium for Clinical Research and Innovation Singapore (CRIS), a subsidiary of Ministry of Health Holdings. NPM Phase II and PRECISE are supported by the National Research Foundation Singapore and the Singapore Ministry of Health’s National Medical Research Council.
For more information, visit www.npm.sg.
Media Contacts:
Mickie Henshall
Chief Marketing Officer
REALM IDx
mhenshall@realmidx.com
Azmir Abdullah
Manager, Corporate Communications
Pathology Asia
azmir@pathologyasia.com
Precision Health Research, Singapore
Clarissa Ho
Strategic Communications
clarissa.ho@precise.cris.sg
