SINGAPORE, AUSTRALIA TO FOCUS RESEARCH EFFORTS ON EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES

TENGKU NOOR SHAMSIAH ABDULLAH SINGAPORE, Feb 27 (Bernama) -- Distinguished scientists from Singapore and Australia will present recent groundbreaking findings in infectious diseases and the use of new technology approaches to combat them at the inaugural A*STAR-NHMRC joint symposium over two days beginning Monday. Jointly organized by A*STAR and Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), this inaugural symposium will facilitate scientific exchange and provide a platform to forge research collaborations between scientists from both nations. This is a step towards further developing and strengthening our regional systems and capacity to detect, respond to and prepare for disease outbreaks and public health events. Following the symposium, NHMRC and A*STAR will identify key issues and develop a A$3.5 million joint grant call for research. The Agency of Science Technology and Research (A*STAR), chairman, Lim Chuan Poh said: "Despite advances in science and medicine, infectious diseases continue to emerge at a rapid pace which can lead to significant social and economic impact. "Global pandemic is a serious security threat that transcends borders and we need to adopt a transnational outlook and approach to be best prepared. "This symposium brings together the top minds from Singapore and Australia to examine this threat to human health. We are confident that the collaborations forged and discoveries made in our partnership with NHMRC will translate to greater medical discoveries and innovations that will bring benefit not only to Australia and Singapore, but the wider region," he said when commenting on the symposium here Monday. Prof Warwick Anderson, CEO of Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council said, "The symposium is an opportunity to forge research and development collaborations amongst Australian and Singapore-based researchers. "New technological approaches such as genomics, the sequencing and analysis of DNA and bioinformatics, the application of computing power to medical research are priority areas. "By sharing resources and knowledge, we can minimise research duplication and improve delivery of bench to bedside solutions for patients." The symposium will focus on influenza and tuberculosis, two major infectious diseases that affect the Asia-Pacific region with great societal impact. The 2009 flu pandemic in Asia, part of an epidemic in 2009 of a new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1, afflicted at least 394,133 people in Asia with 2,137 confirmed deaths. Asia has historically been the epicenter for the emergence of new influenza viruses, and experts believe that the next pandemic will begin there. -- BERNAMA