The Nucleate Artery: Looking back at a year of innovation and…WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK!

We are The Nucleate Artery, a monthly newsletter focused on the latest biotech research and events in Singapore. Chat with us via our Slack community: @Liyana Ayub Ow Yong @Leong Kim Whye @Yeow Jiang @Ignacius Tay @Jiaqi Liang.

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The Nucleate Artery is 1 year old! We're celebrating this milestone with this special issue featuring some of our favourite innovations and interviews over the past year.  

We also want to make sure you’re getting the most value from reading The Nucleate Artery - so tell us via this feedback form how we can do better for you. It will take <3 min to fill, we promise!

We hope you enjoy this one as much as we enjoyed preparing it. Alright then, let's get to it!

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What has been brewing in our young and vibrant biotech landscape? 

🍽️ Digestibles

Here are some of our favourite innovations from the Digestibles section. 

In Digestibles, we scour recent publications for high-potential local life science research and summarise the content for you in a layman-friendly manner.

P.S. We added in some updates on what was reported - things move quickly in this space 💦

• Check out impactful local research in popular/major biotech themes/trends like AI, RNA technologies, and CRISPR.

  • Learn about bridge RNA discovered by a team at the Arc Institute, which has the potential to overcome the limitations of CRISPR technology

  • Alnylam Pharmaceuticals' highly anticipated trial readout for its RNAi drug for heart disease was overwhelmingly positive, cutting the risk of death and adverse conditions by at least 28%.

  • Venture capital firms like Flagship Pioneering and Arch Venture Partners continue to provide strong support for AI-driven drug discovery, with investments totaling billions.

• Our readership has shown great interest in local innovations in cancer research. Check out the June and April issues for more details!

  • Interius BioTherapeutics granted clearance for Phase I clinical trial of first-in-class in vivo CAR-T therapy

• No year in review is complete without mentioning one of the hottest topics in biotech: GLP-1 agonists for obesity and diabetes. 

  • This article by Labiotech will bring you up to speed on the hype surrounding this class of drug if you're not already in the loop. 

  • Medications for obesity and diabetes are on track to surpass oncology drugs as top-selling drugs by 2030.

  • Clinical trials are underway in 3 local hospitals to explore the use of the drug for treating fatty liver disease. We’re looking forward to reporting on the trial results in a future Digestible!

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🥡 Event Takeaways

Here are some of our most memorable takeaways from the Event Takeaway section. 

For Event Takeaways, we were on the ground reporting expert insights and sentiments from the local life science community.

• Read our exclusive insights from ClavystBio Connects about what can be learned from the innovation ecosystem in Kendall Square, and how its successes can be replicated in Singapore. 

  • Since then, there has been more conversations surrounding the local biotech ecosystem:

    • Biocentury reports that despite rising venture activity, most active investors were government-backed venture arms, and

    • FierceBiotech says “one-offs won’t move the needle” and urges founders to take a more assertive stance to make people pay more attention.

• Helping citizens stay healthy, longer, is a nationwide priority. Find out the concerns and implications surrounding popular research topic healthy longevity. Some good news: 

  • Panellist Mito Health, which offers longevity-specific health screenings, has recently joined Y Combinator, a prolific startup incubator. 

  • Panellist NalaGenetics, which offers “Southeast Asia’s most localised and comprehensive DNA test”, was a winner at the Zurich Innovation Championship 2024 - and the only winner from the Asia-Pacific region. 

• Networking jitters can take away from the value and experience you hope for in an event. Here are some tips that could help!

• Interested in gaining exposure to biotech industry roles like venture capital, biotherapeutic development and business development? The Ignite Workshops by Nucleate SG introduce you to the skill sets and knowledge required in these roles. This is what you missed from our workshop on life science venture capital. 

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💬 Slack Interviews

In our Slack interviews, we provide an alternate means of speaking with players in the biotech ecosystem. Intimate and casual, we facilitate conversations through our Slack platform.

• Find out how to add colour to your academic training with PhD-MBA graduate Dr Lim Cheng Kai, PhD, MBA

• Learn about the common misconceptions surrounding the work of an IP attorney with Dr Violet Lee from Marks & Clerk Singapore LLP in a two-part series: 1 and 2. 

• Interested in building a MedTech startup in Singapore? Learn from Dr Cailin Ng, PhD, CEO of HiCura Medical on her startup journey, her experience navigating healthcare regulations and more.

• Check out Dr Max Tham, PhD, CEO of tHEMEat Company’s, honest take on the challenges of the startup journey and finding proper market fit.

• Have a burning question for our talented interviewees? Connect with them on our Singapore Life Sciences Slack Community. 

Have some feedback about the issues that were referenced in this issue? Tell us how we can do better for you by filling in this feedback form. 

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🎧 Nucleate Singapore Pulse

Harnessing the power of antibody therapeutics with Hummingbird Bioscience’s Dr. Lisa Ooi

We interviewed Dr. Lisa Ooi, Senior Vice-President of Strategy at Hummingbird Bioscience. In this episode, Dr. Lisa Ooi dives into the science behind treating oncology with Hummingbird Bioscience's novel and differentiated antibody-based platform technology, and key considerations for advancing potential assets and technologies.

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📆 Events happening this month

Conference/Seminars

• The Art of Science: Engaging Audiences with Impactful Communication | SGInnovate

  (18 July, 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM, in person at Singapore 059911)

• Health and Biotech Social BBQ Event | Healthcare Coffees
  (19 July, 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM, in person at Singapore 109443)

• EDDC Annual Drug Discovery Symposium 2024 | EDDC
  (19 July, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM, in person at Singapore 138671)

• Singapore Cell and Gene Therapy Pan Asia Summit 2024 | ACTRIS
  (18-20 July, in person at Singapore 169856)

• International HealthTEC Week 2024 (IHW) | HealthTEC.SG
  (23-26 July, in person)

• SCRI Clinical Trials Symposium 2024 | SCRI
  (30-31 July, in person at Singapore 169856)

• Legal Literacy Tookit: Essentials for Startup Success | ClavystBio and NUS Alumni Ventures

  (7 August, 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM, in person at Singapore 118264)

• Tech Discovery Day 2024 - Roadshow & A*STAR Technology Platform Seminar | RSC A*STAR
  (14 August, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM, in person at Singapore 138671)

Competitions

• MedTech Actuator Origin Singapore Semi-final | MedTech Actuator
  (25 July,  6:00 PM - 8:30 PM, in person at Singapore 118222)

• Amgen Golden Ticket 2024 Awards | AMGEN & NSG BioLabs
  (17 July, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, in person at Singapore 118222)

Panel discussions

• Implementing QMS and regulatory strategies for Health/Medtech startups | HealthTEC.SG & co11ab
  (24 July, in person at Singapore 308232)

Opportunity

• Pitch and Demo Night | BetterSG
  (22 July, 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM, in person at Singapore 059911 & online)

• Falling Walls Lab Singapore | SGInnovate & Falling Walls Lab
  (Deadline 31 July)

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