Wee Joo Chng, Group Chief Scientist at National University Health System, shared an update from Singapore Translational Cancer Consortium, on LinkedIn, adding:
“I passionately believe that Asia can be an epicenter for clinical trials at least for some diseases.
We have the patients, we have greater unmet medical needs, the region also now have top class science and innovation in biomedicine and AI and other domains, we have high quality infrastructure and people.
If we are strategic in growing our key opinion leaders (KOLs), build end to end capabilities and work together cohesively (in trial networks or consortiums), we can slowly shift the narratives and needle.
The work of the Asian Myeloma Network and others are clear examples that it is possible to attract more trials to Asia through trial networks centered in Asia.
The work of the Singapore Translational Cancer Consortium (STCC) has shown that building a national end to end platform with not only trial capability, but also integrated data and tissue platforms and biomarkers discovery capability can also be a game changer.
A key next step will be parallel evolution of regulatory frameworks, embracing of new trial endpoints, new study designs (eg synthetic data, digital twins as standard of care controls) and incorporation of AI. Are we ready to take a lead in these regulatory innovations?
No doubt, it will be a big challenge but I remain very optimistic that by all the relevant stakeholders working together, we will get there!”
Quoting Singapore Translational Cancer Consortium:
“How can Asia emerge as a leading global clinical trial destination?
The strategy lies in developing robust, connected ecosystem partnerships that harness the region’s collective capabilities and infrastructure to position Asia at the forefront of global clinical research.
This theme resonated across two sessions at SCRI Clinical Trials Symposium 2026 featuring STCC leadership, where they shared insights on fostering clinical trial networks to enhance trial efficiency and strengthen Asia’s position as a leading destination for clinical research.
Wee Joo Chng, Executive Director, STCC, spoke at the session, Positioning Asia as a Global Trial Hub, exploring how Asia can strengthen its role in the global clinical trial landscape. Discussions were centred on the opportunities for greater regional collaboration, attracting innovative trials and building Asia’s growing clinical research capabilities to advance breakthrough diagnostics and therapies for patients worldwide.
David SP Tan, Group Director, Partnerships and Innovation, NUHS and Platform Lead, STCC Business Intelligence and Development Platform, Asia Pacific Gynaecologic Oncology Trials (APGOT) Group Founding Chair and current APGOT Protocol Review Committee Chair, moderated the session on Operational Excellence and Ecosystem Partnerships, where speakers discussed strategies for conducting successful clinical trials across regional and global networks. Beyond infrastructure and workflows, the conversation emphasised the importance of strategic partnerships and stakeholder alignment to improve trial efficiency and delivery of high quality-clinical research.
These insights reflect STCC’s mission – bringing together expertise and resources across Singapore’s healthcare clusters, to support the conduct of oncology clinical trials and connections needed to drive impactful cancer research.”
