Singapore opens CIPHER for Asian heart research

“When we grow a heart muscle cell from a patient’s own blood and watch it beat in a dish, carrying that patient’s disease, we are looking at something no animal model can replicate,” Chrishan said.

Derek Hausenloy, director of CIPHER, NHRIS and NHCS, said the cell platforms can be used to test drugs, as well as to improve heart function and metabolism.

“(With these platforms), we are able to see which patients are more likely to be responsive without giving the drug to the patient himself and exposing him to the potential side effects or a drug that may or may not work,” he said.

CIPHER was officially launched by Senior Minister of State for Health Tan Kiat How at the 6th NHCS Heart to Heart Gala at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore.

“We are placing greater emphasis on prevention, earlier intervention and helping Singaporeans stay healthy and independent for longer,” Tan said.

“Innovation can support this shift, but its value is not measured by how sophisticated a technology is. It is measured by what it changes for the very important people – the patients we cared for.”

In Singapore, about 23 people die from heart disease and stroke every day, with cardiovascular disease accounting for one in three deaths in 2025.

Hausenloy said: “Singapore is ideal for research (into the Asian heart) because of the varied ethnicity we have in our local populations – the Chinese, the Malays, and the Indians. This gives us an opportunity to really understand Asian cardiovascular diseases in an ethnic-specific context.”

Apart from using stem cells from the blood samples of patients, CIPHER has partnered with clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Medera Inc to develop Human Heart-in-a-Jar, a miniaturised bioengineered human ventricular chamber that allows researchers to replicate and study selected features of human heart disease.

The mini-heart model about the size of a fingertip – a first in Asia – offers a more physiologically relevant platform for testing potential treatments.

“By making these models, we want to identify specific drivers of the disease to find out why Asians have these unique cardiovascular phenotypes, identify new targets, and develop personalised therapies,” Hausenloy said.

Tong Ming Chuan Professorship in Cardiothoracic Surgery

At the centre launch, SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medicine Centre also announced its inaugural professorship in cardiothoracic surgery named after surgeon Tong Ming Chuan.

Tong, who is currently in private practice at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, is also a visiting consultant at NHCS.

When he was at the Singapore General Hospital from 1981 to 1992, he and his colleagues pioneered a number of cardiac surgery procedures, including the nation’s first heart transplant operation in 1990. He was part of the team that did the first lung transplant here in 2000.

The Tong Ming Chuan Professorship in Cardiothoracic Surgery – made possible by a $2.5 million gift from Tong – is aimed at advancing clinical excellence, driving surgical research and nurturing future surgical leaders.

The professorship, established under the Cardiovascular Sciences Academic Clinical Programme at SingHealth Duke-NUS, will be awarded by Duke-NUS Medical School.

Chief executive officer of NHCS Yeo Khung Keong said: “Through CIPHER and the Tong Ming Chuan Professorship in Cardiothoracic Surgery, we are making two complementary commitments to the future of cardiovascular care.

“CIPHER ensures the science we build is grounded in the biology of our patients and strengthens Singapore’s position as a biomedical hub. The professorship ensures that we have the surgical leaders to translate that science into care.”