SINGAPORE, May 19 Japan’s Fujitsu on Wednesday officially opened a new bio-medical research facility in Singapore that will use an aptamer technology for diagnosis of diseases commonly found in Asia, making it the first facility in the world to do so.
The facility would be run by its subsidiaries, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd and Fujitsu Asia Pte Ltd,and with the cooperation of Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).
The facility would explore improvements in the diagnosis of diseases such as prostate and gastric cancer, cardiovascular diseases and dengue through the development of aptamers, according to A*STAR’s Biomedical Sciences Division Senior Vice President, Dr Muhammad Tani Tabiin.
Speaking at a press conference here, Muhammad said initially four Singaporean researchers from the Experimental Therapeutics Centre, Singapore National University, National University Hospital and the Cancer Science Institute, would be attached to the Fujitsu facility.
The facility’s Director Dr Shozo Fujita said aptamer came to be known recently as an alternative to antibodies, and is manufactured chemically, not biologically.
He explained that it thus ensures, higher consistency and overall quality, resulting in a more efficient and cost effective diagnostic process.