Page 1 of 4

IBN and Fortis Colorectal Hospital Establish Tissue Bank for

Colorectal Cancer Research

Singapore, July 18, 2012 – The Fortis-IBN TissueBank (FIT) for research and

development in colorectal diseases begins its work to accelerate translational research

in colorectal cancer.

FIT is the result of a S$4.5 million investment from a partnership between the Institute of

Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), the world’s first bioengineering and

nanotechnology research institute, and Fortis Colorectal Hospital (FCH), Southeast

Asia’s first hospital dedicated to the full spectrum of colorectal disease management.

Professor Jackie Y. Ying, Executive Director of IBN said, “This partnership is an exciting

collaboration between medical doctors and researchers from the private and public

sectors. Both IBN and Fortis have a strong track record of bringing advances from

research and innovation to clinical practice and industry. We are now working together to

develop and deliver novel technologies for colorectal cancer patients. This new initiative

will contribute to the biomedical enterprise in Singapore, and help us make a difference

to healthcare providers.”

Dr Jeremy Lim, CEO of FCH said, “Fortis Colorectal Hospital’s collaboration with IBN is

one of the many steps we are making towards contributing to the larger healthcare

community in Singapore and the region, and is part of our strategy to create value. We

hope that bringing doctors and researchers together will enable us to develop innovative

treatments for patients with colorectal diseases. This partnership represents our

commitment to not only being a leading hospital for colorectal care, but also a hospital

focused on creating and sharing new knowledge to benefit many more patients beyond

our doors.”

Page 2 of 4

Located at IBN, the biobank will store and maintain patient samples from FCH such as

tissue, blood and bodily fluids for research on various aspects of colorectal cancer.

Chaired by Dr Tan Min-Han (Team Leader and Principal Research Scientist, IBN;

Visiting Consultant, Medical Oncology and Cancer Genetics, National Cancer Centre

Singapore) and Dr Koh Poh Koon (Adjunct Clinician Scientist, IBN; Senior Consultant

and Director, Colorectal Surgical Oncology & Cancer Genetics Service, FCH), FIT will

focus on expanding the epidemiology of colorectal cancer in Singapore and Asia to

develop new approaches that can improve diagnosis, treatment and personalized

therapy.

Colorectal cancer affects the colon or rectum, and is the most common cancer in men

and the second most common cancer in women, after breast cancer, in Singapore.1 The

risk of getting colorectal cancer increases with age, and is more prevalent in people

aged 50 years or older. To date, a colonoscopy remains the primary test for doctors to

screen patients for colorectal cancer, and patients over 50 years are advised to go for a

colonoscopy once every ten years. Unfortunately, the misconceptions of pain and

discomfort surrounding the procedure have made it one that many patients would rather

avoid unless prescribed by their doctor.

“This research and development collaboration gives us the opportunity to explore the

frontiers of science and medicine, and discover alternative ways to detect and treat

colorectal cancer. I hope that the results we achieve will give new hope to future cancer

patients,” said Dr Koh Poh Koon.

“The Fortis-IBN TissueBank will allow us to investigate colorectal cancer in a well-

integrated clinical and laboratory environment, to improve diagnostics, surgery and

chemotherapy for this dreaded disease. We hope that this combination will enable us to

advance diagnostics and management for Asian colorectal cancer patients,” said Dr Tan

Min-Han.

IBN and FCH will work on the development of non-invasive technologies to offer a viable

alternative to conventional biopsy. The research areas of interest are cancer biomarkers,

advanced diagnostics such as circulating tumor cells, nanoparticle and exosome-based

1 National Registry of Diseases Office, “Trends of Colorectal Cancer in Singapore”, February 20, 2012.

Page 3 of 4

diagnostics, as well as colorectal cancer metabolism. The research projects will impact

and improve the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer.

With the rapidly rising numbers of colorectal cancer in Asia, IBN and FCH will also focus

on individualized therapy for Asian colorectal cancer patients. With such distinct genetic

and disease profiles of patients here in Asia, this collaboration aims to deliver the best

available care and research to colorectal cancer patients.

From left to right: Professor Jackie Y. Ying and Dr Tan Min-Han of IBN, with Dr Koh Poh Koon and Dr Jeremy Lim of Fortis Colorectal Hospital, at the Fortis-IBN TissueBank.

END

For interview requests or media queries, please contact:

Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology

Elena Tan Nidyah Sani Phone: 6824 7032 Phone: 6824 7005 Email: elenatan@ibn.a-star.edu.sg Email: nidyah@ibn.a-star.edu.sg

Ogilvy Public Relations

Jodie Nei Samantha Kudus Office: 6213 7851 Office: 6213 9963 Email: jodie.nei@ogilvy.com Email: samantha.kudus@ogilvy.com

Page 4 of 4

About the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology Established in 2003, the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) is spearheaded by its Executive Director, Professor Jackie Yi-Ru Ying, who was a Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

(1992‒2005). In 2008, Professor Ying was recognized as one of “One Hundred Engineers of the Modern Era” by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers for her groundbreaking work on nanostructured systems, nanoporous materials and host matrices for quantum dots and wires. Under her direction, IBN conducts research at the cutting-edge of bioengineering and nanotechnology. Its programs are geared towards linking multiple disciplines across engineering, science and medicine to produce research breakthroughs that will improve healthcare and our quality of life.

IBN’s research activities are focused in the following areas:

Drug and Gene Delivery, where the controlled release of therapeutics involve the use of functionalized polymers, hydrogels and biologics for targeting diseased cells and organs, and for responding to specific biological stimuli.

Cell and Tissue Engineering, where biomimicking materials, stem cell technology, microfluidic systems and bioimaging tools are combined to develop novel approaches to regenerative medicine and artificial organs.

Biodevices and Diagnostics, which involve nanotechnology and microfabricated platforms for high-throughput biomarker and drug screening, automated biologics synthesis, and rapid disease diagnosis.

Pharmaceuticals Synthesis and Green Chemistry, which encompasses the efficient catalytic synthesis of chiral pharmaceuticals, and new nanocomposite materials for sustainable technology and alternative energy generation.

For more information about IBN, please visit: www.ibn.a-star.edu.sg.

About Fortis Colorectal Hospital Fortis Colorectal Hospital (FCH) is Singapore and Southeast Asia’s first and only hospital dedicated to colorectal diseases management.

As Fortis Healthcare Limited’s 76th hospital in Asia, FCH brings together the expertise of leading colorectal surgeons in Singapore, in the delivery of world-class medical and surgical specialist services specific to colorectal diseases. The hospital combines the best of technology and medical expertise, with dedicated and personalised patient care, to offer patients an optimal experience and surgical outcomes.

FCH also has outpatient practices (Fortis-Novena Colorectal Centre) at the Novena Specialist Center which comes with a fully fully-equipped investigative laboratory to advance medical research and treatment of colorectal diseases.

Assuming a leadership position in colorectal diseases management, FCH will also emphasise education and research, in addition to clinical care. As the only colorectal hospital in Southeast Asia, FCH recognises its duty to create and share knowledge that will benefit other colorectal practices and colorectal patients. www.fortiscolorectalhospital.com

                                                                                          

Glossary of Terms

Biomarkers: A specific biological feature that can be used to measure the presence or progress of disease or the effects of treatment. For example, 'carcinoembryonic antigen' is a marker of cancer of the colon.

Cancer Metabolism: Cancer cells have different metabolism or energy level compared to normal cells, and drug efficacy can be investigated by providing an understanding of how cancer cells are powered in terms of energy compared to normal cells.

Circulating Tumor Cells: Cancerous cells that circulate in the bloodstream after being detached from a tumor; and these cells can be isolated for research and drug discovery.

Colon (Large Intestine): The distal portion of the digestive tract after the small intestine responsible for fluid absorption. Colonoscopy: An invasive procedure involving the use of a flexible fibre-optic camera inserted through the anus to visualize the inner lining of the colon and rectum. Apart from visualization, it also allows for sampling (biopsy) of any abnormal growths from the colon or rectum. A biopsy is performed on the extracted tissue to check for colorectal cancer or precancerous growths. Small polyps can also be removed completely using this technique for cancer prevention. Although the procedure usually takes less than 15 minutes and is relatively painless, a mild sedative is given when necessary.

Exosome-Based Diagnostics: Biofluid-based molecular diagnostic tests, such as through the use of blood, which is less invasive compared to conventional biopsies,

Small Intestine: The part of the intestines that runs between the stomach and the large intestine. Rectum: The storage area at the end of the colon that holds the stools until they are ready to be evacuated through the anus.

JACKIE Y. YING BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jackie Y. Ying was born in Taipei, and raised in Singapore and New York, and graduated with B.E. summa cum laude in Chemical Engineering from The Cooper Union in 1987. As an AT&T Bell Laboratories Ph.D. Scholar at Princeton University, she began research in materials chemistry, linking the importance of materials processing and microstructure with the tailoring of materials surface chemistry and energetics. She pursued research in nanocrystalline materials with Prof. Herbert Gleiter at the Institute for New Materials, Saarbrücken, Germany as NSF-NATO Post-doctoral Fellow and Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow. Prof. Ying has been on the

Chemical Engineering faculty at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) since 1992, and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1996 and to Professor in 2001. She is currently the Executive Director of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), Singapore, and an Adjunct Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT. IBN is a new multidisciplinary national research institute founded in March 2003 to advance the frontiers of engineering, science and medicine; it has grown to over 150 research staff and students under Prof. Ying’s leadership. Prof. Ying’s research is interdisciplinary in nature, with a theme in the synthesis of advanced nanostructured materials for catalytic and biomaterial applications. Her laboratory has been responsible for several novel wet-chemical and physical vapor synthesis approaches that create nanocomposites, nanoporous materials and nanodevices with unique size-dependent characteristics. These new systems are designed for applications ranging from the production of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals, the efficient use of energy and resources, the control and prevention of environmental pollution, the targeted delivery of drugs, proteins and genes, to the generation of biomimetic implants and tissue scaffolds. Prof. Ying has authored over 300 articles, and presented over 340 invited lectures on this subject at international conferences. Prof. Ying has been recognized with a number of research awards, including the American Ceramic Society Ross C. Purdy Award for the most valuable contribution to the ceramic technical literature during 1993, David and Lucile Packard Fellowship, Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award, Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, Royal Academy of Engineering ICI Faculty Fellowship, American Chemical Society Faculty Fellowship Award in Solid-State Chemistry, Technology Review TR100 Young Innovator Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Allan P. Colburn Award for excellence in publications, World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, and Chemical Engineering Science Peter V. Danckwerts Lectureship. She was elected a member of the German National Academy of Sciences, Leopoldina in 2005 as the youngest member of the Academy. She was named one of the “One Hundred Engineers of the Modern Era” by AIChE in its Centennial Celebration, and honored with the Great Woman of Our Time Award for Science and Technology by Singapore Women’s Weekly. She was the first recipient of the Singapore National Institute of Chemistry-BASF Award in Materials Chemistry. She received the Service to Education Award from the Ministry of Education, Singapore. She led the invention on MicroKit, which received the 2011 Asian Innovation Silver Award

from the Wall Street Journal Asia. She is recipient of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB) Jubilee Medal in 2012. Prof. Ying serves on the Advisory Board of the Society for Biological Engineering. She was appointed by the U.S. National Academy of Engineering in 2006 to serve on the blue-ribbon committee that identified the grand challenges and opportunities for engineering in the 21st century. She serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of Molecular Frontiers, a global think tank that promotes molecular sciences. Prof. Ying is the Editor-in-Chief of Nano Today. Under Prof. Ying’s leadership, Nano Today underwent a successful transition from a magazine to a journal, witnessing major increases in the Impact Factor from 5.929 in 2007 to 15.355 in 2011 (Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports®). Nano Today now ranks 2nd among the 66 journals in the ISI Nanoscience and Nanotechnology category. In addition, Prof. Ying is Advisory Editor for Materials Today and Molecular and Supramolecular Science, Honorary Editor of Biomaterials and Biodevices, and Associate Editor of The Nanotechnology and Nanoscience. She serves on the Honorary Advisory Board of Journal of Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, and the Editorial Board of Journal of Porous Materials, Nanoparticle Science and Technology, Journal of Metastable and Nanostructured Materials, Journal of Experimental Nanoscience, Biomolecular Frontiers, International Journal of Molecular Engineering, Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology, Materials Science and Engineering C: Materials for Biological Applications, Journal of Biomedical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Nano Research, Cambridge Series in Chemical Engineering, Macromolecular Bioscience, Biomicrofluidics, ACS Nano, The Open Catalysis Journal, Nano: Letters and Reviews, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology – Asia, American Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Nano Energy, Nano Energy and Nano Environment, and Journal of Molecular and Engineering Materials. She was Editor for Advances in Chemical Engineering, Associate Editor of Acta Materialia, Scripta Materialia and Nanostructured Materials, and Guest Editor for Materials Science and Engineering A, Nanostructured Materials, AIChE Journal, and Chemistry of Materials. She served on the Editorial Board of Journal of Electroceramics, Applied Catalysis A: General, Journal of Nanomaterials, Biomedical Materials: Materials for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, and Letters in Organic Chemistry. She was a member of the International Advisory Board of University of Queensland Nanomaterials Centre (Australia), Leibniz-Institut für Festkörper- und Werkstoffforschung Dresden (Germany), and National Research Council Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences (Canada). She was a founding member of the Board of Directors of Alexander von Humboldt Association of America. Prof. Ying is an Honorary Professor of Jilin University (China) and Sichuan University (China), and an Adjunct Professor of National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University (Singapore). Prof. Ying has over 120 patents issued or pending, and has served on the Advisory Boards of 6 start-up companies and 1 venture capital fund. One of the spinoff companies that she co-founded, SmartCells, Inc., has developed a technology platform that is capable of auto-regulating the release of insulin therapeutic depending on the blood glucose levels. Merck acquired SmartCells, Inc. in 2010, with potential aggregate payments in excess of $500 million to further develop this technology for clinical trials.

DR TAN MIN-HAN BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY TEAM LEADER AND PRINCIPAL RESEARCH SCIENTIST

Dr Tan Min-Han received his medical degree from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 1998 and was conferred the MRCP diploma in internal medicine from the Royal College of Physicians, UK in 2002. He completed his specialty medical oncology fellowship training at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) and was awarded a Ph.D. for studies of the molecular epidemiology of kidney cancer from NUS. He completed two fellowships in laboratory and clinical cancer genetics at the Van Andel Research Institute, Michigan and the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio. Currently, Dr Tan is Team Leader and Principal Research Scientist at the

Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Singapore, with clinical responsibilities as a visiting consultant at NCCS, where he specializes in clinical cancer genetics and the management of urological and breast cancers. He has published in journals including Nature, Cancer Cell, American Journal of Human Genetics, Cancer Research, Clinical Cancer Research and Nature Reviews Urology. He is a member of several international research and clinical collaborations, including the Singapore Breast Cancer Screening Project involving 167,000 women, and has received multiple international and national awards for his contributions to research, teaching and clinical service. Dr Tan's research interests centre on novel and practical cancer diagnostics and biosensors, cancer metabolism, tissue engineering and cancer epidemiology. Model cancers of interest include kidney cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer. His clinical interests focus on optimizing management of urologic and breast cancers using rational clinical models.

 Dr Jeremy Lim MBBS, MPH, MRCS (Edin), MMed (Surg), FAMS  CEO  Fortis Colorectal Hospital      

 

 Dr Lim is CEO of Fortis Colorectal Hospital, a subsidiary of Fortis Healthcare Limited, private healthcare services group focused on Asia and also holds the position of Executive Director of  the  Lien Centre  for Palliative Care,  a Duke‐NUS  think  tank devoted  to  end‐of‐life  care research and education. His previous roles in the Singapore public healthcare system include Senior Consultant  in the Ministry of Health, Director Research and Education  in SingHealth and Chair of the SingHealth Centre for Health Services Research.   In addition, Dr Lim is an active commentator on health policy locally and internationally with writings  in Straits Times, Business Times and Today newspapers  locally as well as various academic  publications. He  is  chair  of  the  steering  committee  for NIHA  (NUS  Initiative  to Improve Health  in Asia), an  initiative to strengthen health policy research and education  in Asia.   Dr  Lim  is  an  alumnus  of  the  Yong  Loo  Lin  School  of  Medicine,  National  University  of Singapore where he completed both undergraduate medical and graduate surgical training (Masters  in Medicine [Surgery]). He completed the Masters  in Public Health programme at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health under the aegis of the Fulbright programme and the Senior Management Programme, Civil Service College Singapore. Dr  Lim  serves  in  the community in a number of roles including President of the Fulbright Association (Singapore) and Chair of the Meridian Junior College School Advisory Committee.  

Dr Koh Poh Koon MBBS (Spore), MMed (Surg), FRCSE (Gen) FAMS  Senior Consultant Director, Colorectal Surgical Oncology & Cancer Genetics Service Fortis Colorectal Hospital    

 

 Dr  Koh  Poh  Koon  is  a  General  Surgeon  with  sub‐specialised  interests  in  Colorectal  Surgery.  In addition  to general  surgical procedures, his  subspecialised  surgical expertise  relates  to  the use of minimally‐invasive  laparoscopic  (including  single‐port)  as well  as  robotics‐assisted  techniques  for disorders  of  the  colon  and  rectum,  with  emphasis  on  anal  sphincter‐preservation  surgery.  He received  advanced  training  in  surgical  management  of  Inflammatory  Bowel  Diseases  (IBD)  in Edinburgh, UK  (2002  ‐ 2003) as well as  the world‐renowned Cleveland Clinic  in Ohio, USA  (2006  ‐ 2007).  He was  a member  of  the multidisciplinary  care  team  at  the  IBD  Center  in  SGH  and  has lectured at national and  international forums on various aspects of IBD surgery. He  is a member of the  Asia  Pacific  Consensus Workgroup  on Management  of  Inflammatory  Bowel Disease  in  2011, formed under the auspices of the APAGE (Asia Pacific Association of Gastroenterology) and helped in the creation of the Asia Pacific Consensus statements for management of IBD.   He  also  has  specialized  interests  in  the  clinical management  of  patients  and  their  families with Hereditary  Colorectal  Cancers.  He  was  the  founding  Director  of  the  Colorectal  Cancer  Genomic Health Service at SGH which provided comprehensive multi‐disciplinary care for those at high risk of developing colorectal cancers. Dr Koh has special  research  interests  in genomic and metabonomic profiling of  colorectal  cancers and  is a member of  the  International Mismatch Repair Consortium (IMRC)  researching  into  the  genetic  basis  of  Lynch  Syndrome  via  a  world‐wide  collaborrative research  project.  He  is  an  Adjunct  Clinician  Scientist  at  the  Institute  of  Bioengineering  and Nanotechnology (IBN) of A*Star and continues research at the Fortis‐IBN TissueBank there.   He  started  his  own  private  practice  in  2011  at  Capstone  Colorectal  Surgery  Centre  in  Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre. In Feb 2012, he started a group practice at Novena Colorectal Centre with 3 other colorectal surgeons and is now in partnership with Fortis Healthcare Singapore to set up the Fortis  Colorectal  Hospital  (FCH)  which  began  operations  in  May  2012.  This  is  Singapore  and Southeast  Asia’s  first  and  only  hospital  dedicated  to  the  full  spectrum  of  colorectal  disease management and surgery. Dr Koh  is Senior Consultant Surgeon and Director of Clinical Services at FCH. He also heads the Surgical Oncology and Cancer Genetics Services at FCH.