SG hospital secures $4.5m grant to combat deadly autoimmune disease

Systemic sclerosis results in the death of one in two patients within four years of diagnosis.

A multi-centre, interdisciplinary team of researchers, led by Singapore General Hospital, has been awarded a $4.5m (S$5.77m) IAF-PP grant from A*STAR to improve the diagnosis and treatment of systemic sclerosis (SSc).

The Singapore Systemic Sclerosis Precision Medicine Project, or SYSMIC, will focus on analysing and integrating data from patients’ genes, immune systems, proteins, and gut bacteria, over the next five years.

In line with this, the project will leverage artificial intelligence and multi-omics platforms.

SSc, a life-threatening autoimmune disease, results in the death of one in two patients within four years of diagnosis.

Participating institutions include SingHealth Duke-NUS Translational Immunology Institute, a joint institute under the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, Duke-NUS Medical School, National Neuroscience Institute, and Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Meanwhile, participating hospitals include Tan Tock Seng Hospital, National University Hospital, and Sengkang General Hospital.

S$1 = $0.78