Editorial Features

  Two start-ups are using precision oncology to transform cancer medicine in Singapore and provide better outcomes for patients.   From 2014 and 2018, nearly 75,000 Singaporeans1 were newly diagnosed with cancer. Such a surge in cases represents the country’s largest uptick in the last five decades—and foreshadows what looms ahead. But Singapore is prepared. […]

  Precision oncology removes the guesswork in cancer care and allows doctors to tailor treatment to individual patients.   For every White person of European descent with natural killer T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL), up to five Asians will be diagnosed with the same disease. Though aggressive, NKTCL is typically a rare type of cancer, so its […]

Through multiomic sequencing, researchers have uncovered the molecular mechanisms governing angiosarcoma, a blood and lymph vessel cancer, opening doors for treatments guided by precision medicine.   Typically, a bruise isn’t something that would cause much worry. But sometimes, what looks like a mere blemish may be a sign of something more serious: a rare but […]

The discovery of an Asian variant of the NOTCH3 gene opens the doors for a precision medicine approach to young-onset dementia.   Have you ever been teased by your friends because you left your earphones at home or you forgot someone’s birthday? You must be getting old, they joke. While forgetfulness is often dismissed as […]

  By using the genome as their guide, clinicians and researchers can enhance diagnosis and treatment in cardiac diseases.   For most of his young life, ‘Peter’ was a happy and healthy boy. That was until he turned 11 and began to experience repeated episodes of full-blown blackouts during exercise. Peter was soon diagnosed with […]

  Through whole-exome sequencing, scientists now have a clearer look at the genetic mechanisms that govern exfoliation syndrome, a common cause of blindness in the elderly.   Don’t be fooled by its name, exfoliation syndrome has nothing to do with the removal of dead skin cells. Instead, the syndrome is characterised by the build-up of […]

  It’s not true that genomic sequencing has relegated family history taking to the backseat in health risk assessments. In fact, comprehensive family history data can complement genomic analysis and advance precision medicine. When it comes to defining what family means, it’s all relative. Around the world, familial relationships can have different connotations. Consider the […]

   Debilitating and life-threatening rare diseases can remain undiagnosed for years, sometimes even for life. Precision medicine could change that.                                                                          […]

  Clinicians like Saumya Jamuar are laying the groundwork to harness the diagnostic potential of genomic sequencing technology to improve the lives of children with rare diseases. (Photo Credit: KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital ) The beginnings of cardiac surgery in the mid-twentieth century would see a child with a hole in his heart sent […]

  With several different subtypes, causes and therapies, diagnosing and managing diabetes have become a complicated problem. Precision medicine could hold the answer. Diabetes is a serious issue in Singapore, where 400,000 people suffer from the chronic disease. By 2030, however, that number is set to increase by 50 percent to 600,0001, driven by changing […]