Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Pathnova Laboratories, a medical diagnostics company supported by Temasek Life Sciences Accelerator and headquartered in the Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, contribute to Singapore’s COVID-19 through their partnership in a new clinical diagnostic laboratory -Diagnostic skills at.
Amid the ongoing global COVID-19 situation, the lab plans to use advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics to innovate and fuel the country’s future pandemic response.
The NTU Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory is located on the Novena campus of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) at NTU Singapore and was established in April 2020 by a team of academic researchers to support national efforts to increase diagnostic testing capacity and covid- 19 to begin polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing on July 1, 2020.
The partnership between NTU and Pathnova began on March 1, 2021, with Pathnova running the operations and NTU continuing to support and host the laboratory. Since then, the laboratory, now known as Pathnova Laboratories @ LKCMedicine, has expanded its operations and has been hired by the Singapore Department of Health to test smears from over 120,000 people, including routine tests for residents of dormitories for foreign workers.
With a testing capacity of 2,000 tests per day, the lab has prepared for large-scale testing and faster turnaround times through automation, and has increased the number of SARS-CoV-2 assays available.
Due to its focus on serology, Pathnova has also expanded its capabilities to COVID-19 serology tests in the diagnostic laboratory. Such tests are designed to detect past infections or to assess a person’s antibody response after vaccination.
Prepare for future pandemics
As the laboratory inevitably moves out of COVID-19, the vision is to use the lessons learned from pandemic testing to reinvent a new laboratory genre that is flexible and scalable through open source robotics and software automation.
Such a laboratory will be scalable yet adaptable, for example through the use of intelligent digital processes to ensure the quality and productivity of daily tests, while enabling scientific experts to innovate and improve laboratory workflows.
Mr. Peter Chia, Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Life Sciences Accelerator, said, “We are excited to partner with a world-renowned healthcare institution like LKCMedicine. We believe such collaborative partnerships are based on high quality science and passionate people who work together and capitalize. ” on the dynamics of the international scientific community’s response to this crisis to develop innovative solutions for the common good.
I would like to congratulate LKCMedicine and Pathnova on this partnership. We look forward to seeing more innovative solutions from you that will benefit the communities in Singapore and the region. “
Professor Lam Khin Yong, NTU Senior Vice President (Research) said, “NTU’s collaboration with Pathnova Laboratories will enable our scientists to use their expertise in artificial intelligence technologies to address future pandemic challenges. We look forward to how this science-industry synergy will produce meaningful results that add to greater national efforts to protect public health. “
Research into accelerated detection and diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2
Supported by experts from the fields of genomics, computer science and bioengineering, the Pathnova Laboratories @ LKCMedicine laboratory will explore ways to simplify and shorten complex protocols. The result is a new kind of molecular laboratory that runs on open source hardware and software, is fully integrated, reconfigurable and resistant to bottlenecks in the supply chain.
For example, the lab will look at advanced technologies to accelerate innovation through data analysis and AI automation, and enable robotics and mathematical algorithms to increase efficiency and reduce operating costs.
NTU Senior Vice President (Health and Life Sciences) and Dean of NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine), Distinguished University Professor Joseph Sung said, “As we have seen and experienced with the coronavirus, viruses and diseases mutate, but fortunately, so do technology evolves – often in our favor. By leveraging technology in molecular virology and partnering with industry, we can work together to strengthen Singapore’s future pandemic preparedness. “
As the only diagnostic service laboratory set up by a university institute as a quick response to national needs, the laboratory brings together two outstanding experts in this field.
It will be led by Associate Professor Eric Yap of LKCMedicine, the medical director of the new laboratory, and Dr. Ian Cheong, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder of Pathnova Laboratories.
NTU and Pathnova share a similar spirit. We build things lean and according to the first principles, with a view to scalable and consistent performance in real use. Our partnership was catalyzed in the melting pot by COVID-19. We look forward to the meaningful opportunity to work together to contribute to the safe reopening of Singapore. “
Dr. Ian Cheong, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder, Pathnova Laboratories
Assoc Prof. Yap, who worked as a doctor and defense scientist, studies the patterns and effects of genetic variations in human, bacterial and viral genomes and uses these differences to diagnose diseases more accurately and more quickly.
In April 2020, Assoc Prof. Yap and his research team developed a way to speed up the COVID-19 PCR test and get results in just 36 minutes with limited equipment and skills. Your direct PCR test is used to scan for COVID-19 gene sequences in raw samples without the lengthy and manual RNA purification steps required by current PCR tests.
Dr. Ian Cheong, who is trained as both a lawyer and a scientist, has a background in experimental therapy and diagnosis of cancer. In 2017, with the support of Temasek Life Sciences Accelerator (TLA), together with Professor Emeritus Chan Soh Ha and Mr. Jason Foo, he founded Pathnova Laboratories to develop scalable detection of nasopharyngeal cancer and autoimmune diseases through serological detection, the accelerated by machine learning.
Source:
Nanyang Technical University
