Singapore — the Biopolis of Asia

[ SPECIAL FEATURE ]

Singapore The Biopolis of Asia

976 ■ Volume 11 > Number 14 > 2007 www.asiabiotech.com [ SPECIAL FEATURE ]

Biopolis Conceived in 2001, the idea of a Biopolis in Singapore was to be make the country an international Biomedical Sciences Cluster advancing human health in research and development, manufacturing and healthcare delivery (See Fig.1). Singapore aims to be the focal point for scientifi c talent and biomedical research, as well as to attract and groom top talents to pursue world- class research here. Developed by JTC Corporation (JTC) at a cost of S$500 million, Phase 1 of the Biopolis comprises a seven-building complex linked by skybridges and offers a built-up area of 185 000 sqm. It is situated in the south-western Fig.1. Singapore’s startegy for its biomedical industry. part of Singapore, near the National University of Singapore and the National University Hospital. The Biopolis is part of a master Currently, occupancy at Biopolis DNA sequencing; proteomics and plan for a much larger 200-hectare Phase 1 is 95%. It is home to 2 000 NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance); development known as one-north scientists, researchers, technicians FACS (fl ow activated cell sorting) and there are provisions for expansion and administrators. The research service;X-ray; histology facility; to cater to a growing demand from community is fully supported and confocal, microarray and high biomedical companies. The seven by state-of-the-art infrastructure content screening services. All these buildings are designed in such a way including shared resources and services and faciliteis are readily that they promote human interaction services catering to the full spectrum accessible to all the scientists in the and the exchange of ideas in public of R&D activities. community. spaces. The seven buildings are A unique feature of the Biopolis Chromos, Helios, Centros, Genome, is its shared facilities. The Biopolis Matrix, Nanos and Proteos. Two Shared Facilities has resources new research buildings (Neuros and to manage and provide scientific Immunos) have just been completed equipment, services and supplies to under Phase 2 of the Biopolis, yielding researchers. Core services, comprising an additional 37 000 sqm of built-up glassware washing, media preparation area. and lab supplies are available. The Chromos and Helios are media preparation service provides dedicated to biomedical players from in-house production of a variety of the the private sector while the other fi ve most commonly used tissue culture (Centros, Genome, Matrix, Nanos and bacterial culture media. The lab and Proteos) house the biomedical supplies service stocks a wide range research institutes of the Agency for of chemical, plastics and glassware Science, Technology and Research that will enable users to reduce both (A*STAR), Singapore’s lead agency for purchasing delays and cost. Other scientifi c research and development. services currently available include

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Who’s Who at the Biopolis Research Institutes in Biopolis A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) A*STAR Bioinformatics Institute (BII) A*STAR Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) A*STAR Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI) A*STAR Centre for Molecular Medicine (CMM) A*STAR Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd (ETPL) A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) A*STAR Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN ) A*STAR Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) Chemical Synthesis Lab A*STAR Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) A*STAR Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) Applied Biosystems Asia Pte Ltd Bio*One Capital Pte Ltd Bioethics Advisory Committee (BAC) BioVenture Centre Pte Ltd British High Commission Science and Technology Ofﬁ ce Health Sciences Authority (HSA) Economic Development Board Biomedical Sciences Group (EDB BMSG) Environmental Health Institute

Companies in Biopolis Davos Life Science Pte Ltd ES Cell International Pte Ltd (ESI) GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Center for Research in Cognitive & Neurodegenerative Disorders B Square Lab Pte Ltd CombinatoRx Singapore Pte Ltd Helix Life Science Illumina (S) Pte Ltd Inventa Technologies (S) Pte Ltd Invitrogen (Singapore) Pte Ltd Lloyd Wise Molecular Acupuncture Pte Ltd Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD) Oxygenix Singapore Pte Ltd Proligo Singapore Pte Ltd Regional Emerging Diseases Intervention Centre (REDI) RIKEN Singapore Representative Ofﬁ ce Seiko Instruments Inc Singapore Representative Ofﬁ ce Singapore Bioimaging Consortium Singapore Stem Cell Consortium Singapore Tissue Network SingVax Pte Ltd Swiss House Takeda Singapore Pte Ltd Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Vanda Pharmaceuticals Pte Ltd Veeco Asia Pte Ltd Waseda-Olympus Bioscience Research Pte Ltd

978 ■ Volume 11 > Number 14 > 2007 www.asiabiotech.com [ SPECIAL FEATURE ]

Tuas Biomedical Park Genentech Singapore Pte Ltd Singapore, producing active pharma Tuas Biomedical Park is the When fully operational in 2010, ingredients for the company’s key manufacturing hub for the biomedical the facility will provide 1000 liters products such as VIOXX and industry in Singapore. Located in of capacity for the production of SINGULAR. Tuas View, the westernmost tip of E. coli derived products. It will Singapore, Tuas Biomedical Park be Singapore’s first microbial- Novartis Singapore currently occupies a land area of based biopharmaceutical Pharmaceutical Manufacturing 183 ha. It is designed for bulk manufacturing facility. Pte Ltd active pharmaceutical and bio- When fully operational in 2008, pharmaceutical manufacturers. Key GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals (S) Pte the new S$310 million facility will infrastructural provisions of power, Ltd focus on the bulk production of water, telecommunication, gas and When fully operational in 2009, the products such as anti-hypertension sewer requirements are available new S$300 million facility will focus drug Diovan, abdominal discomfort in the park. Companies in Tuas on the bulk production of vaccines treatment drug Zelnorm and new Biomedical Park includes global like meningitis and pneumonia. This cancer drug Gleevec. pharmaceutical giants listed below. is the fi rst bulk vaccine plant for GSK Prior to the Development of Tuas in Asia Pacifi c. Pfi zer Asia Pacifi c Pte Ltd Biomedical Park, these multinational A primary production plant biomedical companies operated in Lonza Biologics (S) Pte Ltd specialising in active pharma Jurong Industrial Estate and other A joint venture between Lonza ingredients (API). parts of Singapore. Group and Singapore’s Bio* One Capital. It is Lonza’a second large Wyeth Nutritionals (Singapore) Abbott Manufacturing scale mammalian manufacturing Pte Ltd Singapore Pte Ltd plant in Singapore. Expected to Wyeth Nutritionals specializes in When fully operational in 2008, the be operational in 2011, the plant pediatric nutritionals. new S$450 million facility will focus will have up to four mammalian on the bulk production of nutritional bioreactor trains, each with a products like Grow. fl exible capacity of between 1000 to 20 000 litres and includes CIBA Vision Asian Manufacturing purifi cation units. and Logistics Pte Ltd Site will house a contact lens Merck Sharp & Dohme manufacturing facility and include a (Singapore) Pte Ltd replenishment center for warehousing Took up 12 ha of land for its and distribution. first primary production plant in