A*STAR https://www.a-star.edu.sg is Singapore’s lead public sector agency to spearhead research to advance scientific discovery and develop innovative technologies. The Institute of Microelectronics (IME) https://www.ime.a-star.edu.sg within A*STAR and One BioMed, an A*STAR spin-off, recently signed an agreement to develop a $9 million joint lab.
The aim is develop a point-of-care diagnostic kit capable of testing up to 20 types of infectious diseases simultaneously in just 20 minutes. In the future, doctors and patients will no longer have to wait for days for samples to be sent to a central laboratory for tests and costs for tests will be reduced substantially. So far IME’s lab-on-a-chip technology is able to compress multiple steps into a single step process housed within a chip or cartridge smaller than a smartphone.
Currently, One BioMed has combined capabilities across three diverse disciplines of semiconductor silicon photonics, chemistry, and biology to give the kit the sensitivity needed to accurately detect infectious diseases at a faster speed.
The new joint lab facility as part of the agreement is expected to be fully operational March 2019, will pilot produce the automated diagnostic kit, using IME’s lab-on-a-chip technology and One BioMed’s silicon biophotonics and solid phase nucleic acid purification platform technologies were originally developed at IME.
“As we complete the development of our first product, the goal is for One BioMed to be able to work closely with A*STAR on the path towards commercialization. We are grateful for A*STAR’s continued commitment to fostering an ecosystem for not only early stage R&D, but also advanced stage product development,” said Dr. Mi Kyoung Park, Founder and CEO One BioMed.