The inaugural lecture on 13 August 2025 by Professor Chng Wee Joo, Yong Loo Lin Professor in Medical Oncology, also marked the 29^th anniversary of the Professorship. He explored how breakthroughs in multiple myeloma treatment and personalised medicine are improving patient outcomes for the world’s second most common blood cancer, once considered incurable.

“The main challenge in treating multiple myeloma was that the response to treatment doesn’t last. Twenty years ago, the median survival was three to four years. With improved treatments, remission rates for newly diagnosed myeloma patients are above 90%—and patients are living longer,” said Prof Chng.

Projecting that multiple myeloma patients could achieve survival of 20 years or more and even be cured following less than a year of treatment within the next decade, he attributed this remarkable progress to advances in understanding the biology and genomics of the disease, the dedication of clinician-scientists, strong clinical and administrative leadership, and robust partnerships with donors and industry—all of which accelerate multiple myeloma research.

Prof Chng Wee Joo delivered a talk on multiple myeloma at the inaugural edition of the NUS Medicine Inspire120 Professorial Lectures.

Prof Chng also discussed the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in tailoring optimal drug combinations for patients, and how lessons learned from myeloma pave the way for breakthroughs in other diseases. He explained, “Myeloma is an excellent model for personalised medicine due to the wide variety of drugs available for treatment. Additionally, myeloma monitoring relies on a blood-based biomarker, reducing the need for multiple repeated scans. This makes the use of AI, which requires multiple datapoints during the treatment course particularly feasible in identifying and prioritising the most effective regimens for individual patients, and also delivering the optimal drug doses during the course of treatment.”

A haematologist by training, Prof Chng is a renowned researcher in the fields of genomics, therapeutics and haematologic malignancies, with extensive experience spanning clinical practice, administration, and leadership. He is also Vice-President (Biomedical Sciences Research), Office of the Deputy President (Research and Technology) at NUS, Group Director, Research Office, National University Health System (NUHS), and a Senior Consultant in the Division of Haematology, Department of Haematology-Oncology, National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS).

Prof Chng was subsequently joined by Adjunct Associate Professor Chee Cheng Ean, Executive Director, NCIS, Professor Ashok Venkitaraman, Director, Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI) and Professor Goh Boon Cher, Deputy Director, CSI, and the Programme Chair at the NUS Centre for Cancer Research (N2CR), for a panel discussion on the future of cancer treatments and the importance of regional and international cooperation in overcoming them as a community.

Click here to watch Prof Chng’s Professorial Lecture.

Click here to watch the panel discussion.