29 May 2007

When Industrial Research Limited (IRL) signed an agreement with the Singapore-based Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) in December last year, it was a clear sign that scientific collaboration between the two countries wasn’t just good in theory.

Under the agreement, IMCB, a leader in stem cell research, will provide carbohydrate molecules that it has identified as having growth and differentiation effects on pluripotent stem cells to IRL, which, with its glycoactive and glycotherapeutic technologies, will provide chemical analysis of the molecules, making synthetic production for preclinical research and applications possible. The Singapore group – which is investigating ways to speed bone healing – does all the biology; the New Zealanders, the chemistry.

According to the Burrill & Company 2006 report on biotechnology, Singapore is becoming one of the fastest-growing markets for the life sciences sector and the sector accounts for 6% of the country’s GDP. The government has invested heavily in the Biopolis research centres and the opening of Phase II in 2006 grabbed global attention. Among leading pharma, Abbott, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Schering-Plough and Wyeth all have operations in Singapore and the big guns of biotechnology – including Genentech – are setting up shop on the island too.

So it makes sense that New Zealand, which IMCB’s Director Sir David Lane refers to as Singapore’s “scientific neighbour”, works towards establishing a presence there as well. To that end, Investment New Zealand has supported the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and its Investment Promotion Fund to bring some of Singapore’s top life sciences researchers to New Zealand to investigate biotechnology collaborations and opportunities. In addition to Lane, Professor Birgitte Lane, Director of the Centre for Molecular Medicine, Professor Ed Holmes, Deputy Chair for Clinical-Translational Sciences, Professor Judith Swain, Director of the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences and Professor Edwin Liu, Director of the Genome Institute of Singapore, will have visited New Zealand by the end of the year.

The visits – which each last a week to ten days – include appointments with New Zealand research leaders in corresponding fields at the Universities of Otago and Auckland and other research centres such as the Malaghan and Liggins Institutes. The visitors also call on the Deputy Prime Minister and senior government officials while in Wellington.

Michele Coleman, Research and Development Manager for the health sciences division at the University of Otago, arranged the visits to the University of Professor Liu in February and Professors Holmes and Swain in March.

“They were incredibly valuable meetings,” says Coleman. “Singapore has a huge amount of resources and equipment that we don’t have in New Zealand and it is looking for collaborations with people who have really good science.”

Singapore, says Coleman, can offer New Zealand scientists the use of machinery and resources in exchange for expertise. Already the idea is paying off. The visitors have kept in touch, Coleman says, and since the visits have invited one person from Otago University to be on an advisory committee in Singapore.

Investment New Zealand Biotechnology Investment Manager Michelle Sullivan is thrilled with the opportunity to showcase New Zealand science to the Singaporeans. “New Zealand has fabulous science and there is a great opportunity for collaboration with Singapore. New Zealand biotechnology has tended to focus on North America and Europe, but we are perfectly poised to take advantage of – and contribute to – the industry potential right here in the Asia Pacific.”

For more information, please contact:

michelle.sullivan@investmentnz.govt.nz

+64 9 966 9205