| Yawning
Bread. November 2006
Stem Cell Research in Singapore by biomedical scientists in Singapore
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The recent article entitled Bad rep
costs posted on Yawning Bread
portrays stem cell research in Singapore somewhat negatively and proffers
the opinion that this scientific effort will be short-lived and costly,
with considerable financial resources wasted on highly paid foreign
talent. It is further implied that the stem cell research effort in
Singapore might "flop" just as the media hub did in the early
‘90s. We think that these assumptions are based on misinformation, and
would like to present an insider’s view that is much more positive about
research being carried out in Singapore by foreigners and locals alike.
Firstly, one must attempt to understand the overall context of the biomedical industry, and recognize that Singapore has a long-standing track record in the success of biomedical research. Not only is Singapore a major manufacturing center and Asian hub for several pharmaceutical giants, but our country also has both a flourishing health care industry and biomedical research sector. In fact, the contribution of the whole biomedical sector to the Singapore GDP is 5-10% (banking is around 20%). Two decades ago, the Singapore government in our minds rightly pushed the development of this area by investing heavily in biomedical research and education. Simply put, one can’t have one without the other: to maintain a biomedical manufacturing/R&D/hospital sector, one also needs to have a strong academic research and education basis in the long run. Not many know that the oldest research institute in Singapore, the Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology (IMCB), was founded 1987 and is now an internationally recognized institution, comparable to and competitive with major US or European counterparts. Consequently, the quote "In the last few years we've been pouring money into this, in an attempt to make Singapore one of the key R&D centers for this promising field of research." is really outdated by many years: Singapore is on the world map as a trusted center of biomedical research and specifically stem cell research, as noted in recent publications in Science, Nature, the New York Times, and in a GlobalWatch report (refs #1-4). One important accomplishment for Singapore was hosting a Keystone Symposium that focused on stem cell research (ref #5); this was the first time such a prestigious scientific conference was held outside of North America. In conclusion, we already are, rather than attempt to be, a center of biomedical research in Asia, with stem cell research as one important pillar. It may be unknown to most Singaporeans and was not cited in the Yawning Bread article, but a number of prominent research breakthroughs in the competitive field of human embryonic stem cells originated in Singapore. Ariff Bongso (NUS) and his team isolated the first human embryonic stem cells in 1994, and this accomplishment is certainly recognized in the global community as uniquely Singaporean (ref. #1 and references herein). His group was subsequently able to grow these stem cells in the absence of contaminating mouse "feeder" cells, a support layer (or bed) for growing human ES cell colonies (ref. #1). More recently, a Singapore-based stem cell company was the first to produce clinical-grade, "clean" human embryonic stem cells - a huge leap forward in this long-term effort to bring stem cell-derived therapies into the clinic eventually (ref. #6). In addition, publications in the stem cell field by investigators outside the US clearly outnumber US publications in recent years, which can be attributed to strict federal laws about the distribution of public monies for hES research that were enacted regrettably out of religiously biased Republican administration. This phenomenon is depicted in the figure below reproduced from reference #7. Note the widening gap between "Non-US hES cell publications" and "US hES cell publications".
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This
Figure demonstrates the widening gap between "Non-US hES cell
publications" and "US hES cell publications" (marked with
*). Modified from reference #7 with copyright permission obtained.
"The United States is falling behind in the international race to make fundamental discoveries in hES cell–related fields. If such discoveries can be translated into therapeutic and commercial opportunities, publication disparities may place US corporations and, more importantly, patients at a disadvantage." (ref #7). We propose that the opposite is true in Singapore: corporations and patients are possibly placed at an advantage because the government strategically invests and nourishes stem cell research. Even more drastically, the UK Think-tank GlobalWatch concluded in a 2004 report on stem cell centers in Asia (emphasis by us): "Researchers in China, Singapore, and South Korea are as talented as their UK counterparts. They are probably better funded and equipped. The perspective is more long-term in all three countries than in the UK. The mission concluded that the challenge to Western pre-eminence in stem cell science from China, Singapore and South Korea is real." (ref. #4) An important question to ask is then: how "Asian" is the stem cell community in Singapore? This can be determined easiest from the just-established Singapore Stem Cell webpage, where the (still incomplete) list of 39 featured researchers shows that 22 are of Asian origin, many of which are in turn Singaporean (ref. #8). Although the relationship established in the Yawning Bread article between the Singapore "stem cell niche" and the prohibitive legislation of the Bush administration is certainly valid, we would entirely disagree with the quote that the very moment the law in the US changes "...many …scientists we've spent a fortune attracting are going to head back to America". This is because firstly, we do not believe that the legislation in the US will change anytime soon; the next presidential election is sill two years away. Secondly even when laws are changed and stem cell research resumes in the US on a larger scale, this could as well indirectly benefit Singapore as an already established stem cell center – investment and public interest in the whole stem cell sector would increase worldwide, strategic alliances would be formed etc. Lastly, as mentioned above, most stem cell researchers here are not from the US, but of Asian origin or therefore well-rooted in Singapore. Concerning the pay of Scientists in Singapore, we wish to comment on a quote that gives the false impression that expat scientists are motivated to come to Singapore merely out of pecuniary considerations: "...throwing money frenziedly in the hope of attracting scientists to relocate here". In fact our pay in Singapore is not much different from comparable positions in Europe or the US, if at all it is lower than in the US where salaries have increased substantially within the last year, and with a recently revised US tax code it will become even less attractive for Americans to remain abroad in countries without a tax treaty (ref. #9). Of course, the income tax in Singapore is lower as compared to the US/Europe. But, expatriates spend considerable money for their children’s education and for a full health insurance that actually covers all illnesses even while traveling or visiting one’s home country, then there is no social net, and some direct taxes are significantly higher compared to US/Europe (cars and alcohol, for instance). In addition, as the Singapore dollar lost almost 20% against the Euro the last few years, hence retirement savings are shrinking which will make repatriation not easier. A recent survey by a local HR company published in the Business Times found that most scientists working in the Singapore biomedical industry are paid local, rather than expat, salaries (ref #10), and typical expatriates in the Biomedical industry, especially with PR-ship, do not receive housing allowances. And as recently reported in the New York Times, US expatriates double-taxation rules changed, with the result that the income tax for typical US employees tripled (ref #11). Yes, we are well-paid - as well as we would be paid in our home country - yet we clearly are not over-paid, and never have we observed money been thrown on us in frenzy. Finally, the "deadening
cultural and intellectual climate" in Singapore is mentioned.
This point is acknowledged from a certain angle, yet we should not compare
Singapore to Boston or Cambridge! If we would more fairly compare
Singapore to, say Carolina or Bavaria, or to any other random place in
"the West" where biomedical research is done on a similar scale,
Singapore in fact shines brightly as a great international place to work
and live. The academic and cultural scene here is good and getting better
each year, despite all vilifications. And curiously, the average
Singaporean seems to know about biomedical sciences and does appreciate
stem cell research with a positive attitude - a mindset that proves to be
quite rare, yet again, in Bavaria or Carolina.
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References
Addenda None
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