New Cancer Research Centre of Excellence: Targeting cancers afflicting Asians

16 October 2008

Mrs Tan Ching Yee, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education unveiling the plaque at the official opening of the Cancer Research Centre of Excellence, with NUS President-designate Prof Tan Chorh Chuan (left) and Prof Daniel Tenen, the Centre’s Director and Saw Swee Hock Centennial Professor in Medical Sciences (right).

The Cancer Research Centre of Excellence (CRCE) will build new capacity for interdisciplinary, collaborative approaches to address the most challenging and significant research problems in cancer -- with focus on cancers that afflict Asian populations. It will also provide outstanding training for students and young investigators in multidisciplinary team environments, said Prof Daniel Tenen, Saw Swee Hock Centennial Professor in Medical Sciences at the Centre’s official opening (15 Oct).

Prof Tenen, CRCE’s Director, also said the Centre will serve as a point of interaction among higher education institutions, government, industry and the private sector. “An integral part of the centre’s plan would be to take these nation-wide, multidisciplinary and mutisectorial research partnerships to connect excellent research with industrial know-how and strategic investment,” he said.

Giving an update of the Centre which was announced earlier in March this year, Prof Tenen said the Centre has made good progress. “A number of outstanding scientists have joined us, bringing our total staff strength to 125 researchers. We have also identified projects that the Centre will focus its research efforts on. We have a great team, and I am confident that we can make a strong impact in cancer research in the future,” he added.

NUS President-designate Prof Tan Chorh Chuan presenting Prof Saw Swee Hock a Chinese calligraphy artwork in appreciation of his generous contributions to Medical Sciences.

At the opening ceremony graced by Mrs Tan Ching Yee, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, NUS President-designate Prof Tan Chorh Chuan congratulated the leaders, faculty and staff of CRCE. The launch, he said, marked yet another milestone in the University’s quest for excellence. “G-10-10 is our rallying call to grow 10 great programmes or departments in the next 10 years. The Cancer RCE brings us a major step closer to realising this aspiration,” said Prof Tan.

“At the heart of it, G-10-10 is all about people – talented and creative faculty. Faculty who are excellent scholars and researchers, who inspire students, and attract the best and the brightest to work with them.”

Currently located at the Centre for Life Sciences at NUS, the CRCE premises are home to 125 researchers and three core facilities. It was established with funding of $172 million from the National Research Foundation and the Ministry of Education over a period of seven years.

Nobel Laureate Sydney Brenner giving his address at the opening of CRCE. Among the audience are Prof John Wong, Dean, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (3rd from right) with Prof Fu Xin Yuan, Head, NUS Department of Biochemistry on his right; Prof Yoshiaki Ito, Yong Loo Lin Professor in Medical Oncology and Deputy Director, CRCE (2nd from right) and Prof Daniel Tenen, Saw Swee Hock Centennial Professor in Medical Sciences and Director, CRCE (extreme right).

The ceremony was followed by a plenary address by Prof Sydney Brenner, Nobel Laureate who is also Scientific Advisor to Chairman, Agency for Science, Technology and Research. - Knowledge Enterprise