Thumbs up given after feasibility study; centre will boost Singapore's biomedical capabilities
Chang Ai-lien Straits Times 9 Dec 12;
A national facility to provide large animals such as monkeys and pigs to research groups has been given the thumbs up, following an extensive feasibility study.
Researchers say the move will help speed up the development of new drugs and treatments, and take Singapore's biomedical capabilities up a notch.
Such a facility will enhance Singapore's overall capability in translating discoveries to the clinic, said Professor Wong Tien Yin, group director of research at SingHealth.
"It will increase our strength in pre-clinical research such as drug discovery, drug development, testing of biomarkers and medical technology, prior to first-in-man studies," said Prof Wong, who is also executive director of the Singapore Eye Research Institute.
Large animals are needed for such work because a compound that looks like a successful drug in the petri-dish or on a mouse might not work as well in larger creatures and humans, said scientists.
Before clinical trials on people, research on vaccines and diseases including glaucoma, myopia and HIV infection is carried out on monkeys such as macaques, which are genetically similar to humans.
In Singapore, the primates are being used in research projects on myopia, for instance, and to reverse age-related far-sightedness.
Pigs, with their physiology and anatomy relatively similar to humans, are used to test new drugs and medical devices such as artificial knee joints and dental implants, and for surgical training.
Details of the national large animal research facility are still being worked out, said the Ministry of Health. But according to earlier reports, up to $10 million, for a start, could be set aside to set up the facility for academic and commercial research.
According to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), there are 28 licensed facilities for animal research. They include those at the National University of Singapore, SingHealth and the Biopolis research hub in Buona Vista.
Generally, rats, mice and fish are used in experiments, although rabbits, dogs, pigs and monkeys are also used in some. Most are euthanised at the end of a trial.
Any research facility that uses animals for scientific purposes must obtain a licence from the AVA, which inspects each facility annually, said an AVA spokesman.
Research using animals has long been condemned by animal welfare groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
But scientists say that while they continue to develop alternatives to animal testing, in many cases it is still impossible for a computer or test tube to substitute a complex biological system when studying a disease, vaccine or drug for efficacy and side effects.
"Monkeys are more similar to us than mice, and pigs are closer in size," said one scientist, who declined to be named. "Sometimes, it's a necessary evil and there's no way around it."
To make sure animals are treated in an ethical manner, a research facility must comply with guidelines of the National Advisory Committee for Laboratory Animal Research for the proper care and use of animals for scientific purposes.
Its guidelines are aligned with international standards for laboratory animal welfare, said the AVA.
