Director’s Message
Director's Message
It is an extraordinary time for clinical research and scientific exploration. The genomic revolution has brought the human genome into the hands of the common person. Yet, with long-read sequencing, we are still uncovering myriads of structural variants in the human heart that we have never seen before. Beyond simply reading our DNA, the tools for editing or writing DNA are now also accessible to all. Editing a gene or a variant gives us the route to figuring out gene function and variant significance. Gene editing approaches, “fixing disease at the level of the gene”, are already making their way slowly into the clinic. Finally, altering cell states using epigenetic factors and transcription factors is the third revolution at the convergence of biomedical science today, altogether representing the cornerstones in our aspirations for regenerative medicine for heart disease.
The burden of cardiovascular metabolic disease remains alarmingly high in Singapore and the world over. While decades of human endeavour have given us a longer lifespan on earth today, the effort against chronic disease has not been as successful. In Singapore, our lifespan is 85 years, but our health span is only 74, which means that many Singaporeans live the last 11 years of their life in chronic ill health, much of it being overwhelmingly heart-related. Moreover, heart disease is not only confined to the older age group. Too frequently, we witness the tragedy of a younger person struck unexpectedly with a heart attack or suffering from heart failure. Looking ahead to the year 2050, ~40% of Singapore’s population will be over the age of 65. The next 27 years to 2050 is not such a long time away, in comparison to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which was 34 years ago. There is a pressing urgency for us to contribute to the fight against heart disease before it is too late.
The Cardiovascular Metabolic Disease Translational Research Programme is dedicated to mobilising our collective talent and resources for comprehensive research, encompassing molecules, DNA, RNA, cells, clinical trials, computational and data science, implementation, behavioural and social science. Actively engaged in national and international collaborations, some of our largest projects have very ambitious aims. Above all, our projects offer the finest training for young scientists who aspire to make a tangible impact on heart disease, at both the local and global scale. Thank you for taking the time to learn about our programme.
Please browse our web pages and get in contact to find out more.
Roger Foo, MD MBBS FRCP FACC FAMS
CVMD TRP Director