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National awards for excellence in cancer research

Each year, the most promising internationally competitive translational and clinical research projects in the nation are recognised by Singapore’s National Medical Research Council (NMRC). The NMRC awards support individuals and collaborative research teams to take discoveries from the lab to meaningful clinical applications.

In 2022, three clinician-scientists from the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) received NMRC awards for their research efforts to better understand cancer and improve treatment options.

Research awards drive the innovation nation

Professor Toh Han Chong, Senior Consultant in the Division of Medical Oncology and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Partnerships at NCCS, is no stranger to the research arena.  For much of his career, he has led research teams to breakthroughs in understanding the mechanics of cancer development, immunology and inflammation.

In his latest coup, Prof Toh was awarded the top national award for a clinician-scientist, the Singapore Translational Research (STaR) Investigator Award 2022, in recognition of his work on liver cancer under the research project: PINNACLE.

PINNACLE (Precision ImmuNotherapy for Nash And Conquering Liver CancEr), seeks to understand the intricate ways in which molecules and mutations drive normal cells to become cancerous. It also aims to uncover how the evolutionary development of cancer cells is affected by its surrounding environment. Using what they discover, Prof Toh’s team will develop new and potentially more effective immunotherapies for liver cancer.

According to Prof Toh, research awards not only allow for deep and wide scientific exploration, but are also instrumental in propelling societal growth.

“Since the Renaissance, growing new knowledge, research and innovation have been key drivers of countries with the greatest economic growth,” said Prof Toh. “I am grateful for the support to pursue research and development, as it gives us the resources to further build on Singapore’s status as a leading innovation nation and to improve the lives of others.”

 

Prof Toh Han Chong (centre, top) and research team celebrate over dinner after receiving the prestigious NMRC  STaR Investigator Award

Science and a long-term view is needed to overcome unmet clinical needs

A leader of local and international multi-institutional research efforts, Professor Pierce Chow, Senior Consultant, Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary and Transplant Surgery, Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology, Singapore General Hospital and NCCS was awarded NMRC’s Open Fund-Large Collaborative Grant (OF-LCG) 2022 to lead the PLANet 2.0 (Precision Medicine in Liver Cancer across an Asia-Pacific Network) research programme. Prof Chow is also Vice Chair for Research at the Surgery Academic Clinical Programme, SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre.

Prof Chow sees the SG$25 million OF-LCG award as a testament to the multi-institution team’s strengths.  With members from NCCS, A*STAR’s Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI), National University of Singapore (NUS) and Duke-NUS Medical School, team PLANET 2.0 leverages each institution’s unique expertise in the fields of epigenomics, genomics, immunomics, metabolomics, proteomics, data science and clinical care to focus on liver cancer

The PLANet 2.0 research team first came together in 2016 for PLANet 1.0, a five-year multidisciplinary programme, also supported by the NMRC, that generated impactful insights into hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumour heterogeneity and novel mechanisms of disease development. PLANet 2.0 will conduct two clinical studies that will serve as proof-of-concept for PLANet 1.0’s translational findings, and allow the team to uncover predictive biomarkers for HCC. This is crucial to improving the treatment of HCC, as there are currently no known biomarkers for the disease.

“It takes science and a long-term view to overcome unmet clinical needs in patients,” said Prof Chow. “Research programmes I’ve led have been steadily working towards this goal from as early as 1997. This award demonstrates that long term clarity of vision and consistency of purpose, is required to achieve improved clinical outcomes.”

The PLANET 2.0 multi-institution collaborative research team celebrating their NMRC OF-LCG award from left to right: Prof Edward Chow, CSI; Dr Jianbin Chen, GIS; Dr Tam Wai Leong, GIS; Sim Yuki, NCCS; Chew Sin Chi, NCCS; Prof Pierce Chow, NCCS; Prof Patrick Tan, GIS; Prof Han Chong Toh, NCCS; Prof Roger Vaughan, Duke-NUS (Missing from photo: Prof Vinay Tergaonkar, IMCB)

A national mandate to pursue our research at a higher level

For clinician scientists at the beginning of their research career, the NMRC Transition Award (TA) is a stepping stone to build research capabilities. Assistant Professor Jason Chan, Consultant, Department of Lymphoma and Sarcoma, Division of Medical Oncology, NCCS was awarded the TA for efforts to better understand and refine the management, prognostication and treatment of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumours, a rare type of gastrointestinal tract cancer.

Rare cancers collectively account for a quarter of all cancers diagnosed. Asst Prof Chan and his team want to uncover the mechanics behind these little-understood diseases, which disproportionally affect adolescents and young adults.

The TA Award will support “STARLIGHT”, a research initiative led by Asst Prof Chan’s team, which aims to comprehensively investigate rare cancers to improve clinical outcomes.

“The Transition Award provides both funding and protected time, which are both needed to enable cutting edge research,” said Asst Prof Chan.  “With this award, we now have a national mandate to pursue our research at a higher level.”

 

Team STARLIGHT, led by Asst Prof Jason Chan (Top row, second from left), has a national mandate to pursue rare cancer research with their NMRC Transition Award

The true value of research awards

Research awards are often a recognition of hard work and years of effort, but their conferment also comes with an expectation to do even greater work. to It is thus fitting that STaR Investigator awardee, Prof Toh acknowledges that the real value of the NMRC Awards is that it allows him and other awardees to make a difference.

“It is truly a great honour and privilege for us to be able to make contributions, small or big, towards improving human health. If we can positively improve the lives of cancer patients – that is ultimately the biggest reward,” said Prof Toh.