Thursday 26 March 2009

S'pore institute focuses on super antibiotic for eyes

Researchers patent two potential drugs that mimic the body's natural defences

By Liaw Wy-Cin
The Straits Times

SINGAPORE has joined the global race to create a super antibiotic by mimicking the action of the body's natural defences. Local eye researchers recently patented two potential drugs which seem to act against resistant bacteria in eye infections.

The Singapore Eye Research Institute (Seri), which hopes to test the drugs on humans in about two years, joins at least 45 laboratories and eight drug companies worldwide that are working on replicating the effects of proteins called defensins.

Defensins do not work like normal antibiotics, which attack key spots in bacteria to stop them from multiplying. Instead, these immune system proteins merge with the surfaces of bacteria and cause them to rupture. Professor Roger Beuerman, Seri's deputy director, explained it this way: 'Defensins work in a non-specific way. It takes much longer for bacteria to develop resistance because they have to change their whole surface.'

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria mutate to withstand even the strongest drugs for illnesses ranging from tuberculosis to pneumonia. The eye institute, in partnership with some universities and hospitals in Singapore, is believed to be the first to have come up with man-made defensins for eye infections. Most research worldwide focuses on skin and lung infections.

Prof Beuerman is working with Dr Chandra Verma, of the Bioinformatics Institute under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star), to come up with computer models of potential antibiotics, which Seri researchers then create and test. Seri's two potential drugs have shown a lot of promise, and were found in animal tests to kill off even notoriously difficult to treat methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, bacteria.

Defensins, discovered in 1985 by a team of scientists in the United States, have been found in skin infections and in the tears of infected eyes. They were hailed as the answer to multi-drug resistant bacteria, but because the actual proteins created in the body take too long to work, researchers have modified them in the laboratory to create a fast-acting variant.

Dr Michael Entzeroth, senior vice-president of drug discovery at A*Star's Experimental Therapeutics Centre, said: 'This is a new therapeutic way to overcome drug resistance and treat patients who would otherwise be very difficult to treat.

'With defensins, scientists have found a new mechanism of action that is also a defensive strategy developed by the body.'

Prof Beuerman is hoping his centre's new antibiotics can treat eye infections rampant in Singapore. Our tropical climate is loved by bacteria, and the high number of contact lens users here are the most prone to developing eye infections. Up to 40 contact lens wearers seen by Singapore General Hospital in the past two years risked going blind after they contracted infections, said Dr Lim Li, senior consultant ophthalmologist at the Singapore National Eye Centre.

Two companies are already testing potential products on people. American biotech company PolyMedix is developing defensin-based antibiotics for heart and blood vessel diseases, while British drug maker Sinclair Pharma is testing another for acne. If the drugs make it past the testing phases, it will be three to five years before they reach the market.

Monday 23 March 2009

S'pore tops eye research

Lianhe Zaobao

Dec 20, 2008

我国眼科研究 人均产量世界第一

● 陈颖佳

  新加坡虽然是弹丸小国,但眼科研究的成就受到全球瞩目。根据上个月发表的研究报告,新加坡的眼科研究人均产量位居全球第一,超越了澳大利亚、英国和美国等科技大国。

  英国和爱尔兰研究员统计了2002至2006年之间,在顶尖眼科刊物发表的学术文章,从而计算各国的眼科研究产量,并在11月份的《国际眼科》期刊发表数据。

  总产量最高的三个国家分别为美国、英国和日本。但是,在计算统计研究产量对人口的比例,以断定研究资源的效应时,研究人员发现新加坡每100万人口就发表20.49篇研究报告,排名世界第一。

  排在第二至第四位分别冰岛、澳大利亚、以色列。总产量最高的美国则排名全球第七位,每百万人口,发表了11.99篇研究报告。

  全国眼科中心院长陈长慧教授受访时指出,我国的眼科研究有超过90%是由新加坡眼科研究所(SERI)进行。

  新加坡眼科研究所一共有67名职员,包括12名全职研究员,每年的研究经费只有600万元,其中一半还是研究人员通过公开竞争,争取到的研究经费。

  国际咨询团进行的评审显示,无论是研究数量或者素质,全国眼科中心和新加坡眼科研究所都能和预算较高的英美眼科研究中心抗衡。

  陈长慧说,约翰霍普金斯大学的威尔莫眼科研究中心(Wilmer Eye Institute)拥有180名全职研究员,常年研究预算高达2000万美元,发表的刊物被引用的数次与新加坡眼科研究所其实不相上下。

  他指出,眼科研究所通过资源分享来削减研究成本,从而取得高超的研究效率。

虽然隶属眼科中心,眼科研究所实际上是一个临床医学研究网络,为来自各个公共医院的眼科医生,以及新加坡国立大学、南洋理工大学、杜克—国大医学研究生院和各个科研机构的研究人员,提供一个相互合作的平台。

  陈长慧说,新加坡两年前最早发现博士伦(Bausch & Lomb)生产的隐型眼镜清洗液是导致眼角膜感染的原因,并在第一时间发布警告,叫国人暂停使用该产品,并向全球敲响警钟。这是因为前线的医疗人员和实验室的研究人员通力合作,才能及早确定问题。

   眼科研究所接下来希望继续吸引顶尖的眼科研究人员落户我国,例如原籍中国和印度、但正在英美国做研究的眼科临床科学家。陈长慧说:"我们未必能提供最优 渥的薪金待遇,但是科研人员知道,他们到新加坡发展,是有机会争取到数百万元或数千万元的研究经费。这种发展空间是钻研眼科的研究人员梦寐以求的。"

  新加坡眼科研究所十年前成立,原本的宗旨是展开近视研究,协助减少我国的近视人口比例。后来,研究所在眼角膜移植和青光眼研究取得重大的成就。我国就是首个成功使用眼表层干细胞培植人造眼角膜,成功进行移植手术的东南亚国家。

Saturday 14 March 2009

Obama lifts stem cells ban

After eight years of frustration, stem cells researcher are celebrating President Barack Obama's breakthrough act last Monday. The United States president lifted restrictions on embryonic stem cells research, reversing his predecessor George W. Bush' ruling in 2001.


Mr Obama's executive order is expected to give a huge boost to stem cells research in the US, which has floundered in the last eight years in comparison with other countries, like the United Kingdom and Singapore. The Bush-era ban restricted collaboration between scientists of different countries, which is a key part of research.

President Bush had restricted the research on religious and moral grounds, arguing that embryos are life. But Mr Obama argued against it, saying: "Our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values. It is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda — and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology."


Stem cells research is seen as the new medical frontier, with hopes that it can cure diseases like macular degeneration. The road ahead is long, but at least a key step in taken in the right direction.

Tuesday 3 March 2009

Understanding Artificial Vision

Around 80 MDS members and friends from the RP Society attended the first MDS meeting of 2009 at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre. We signed up 4 new members, and 24 renewed their membership during registration. We are most grateful to Prof Au Eong Kah Guan, of the Singapore International Eye Cataract Retina Centre, for his fascinating talk on “Artificial Vision”. Prof Au Eong is also our MDS advisor, and has been instrumental in growing our support group. The large turnout testifies to members’ interest in the topic!


Prof Au Eong did a great job of “translating” this highly technical subject into concepts and terms which left us all with a better understanding of what “Artificial Vision” means, what is the current stage of medical research, and what we can anticipate in future. He explained that retinal prostheses are currently being developed to provide some sight to subjects blinded from outer retinal degenerations, such as advanced Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a genetic eye disease that causes blindness.

An American company, Second Sight® Medical
Products, Inc. is currently, the leading developer of retinal prostheses. The company conducted its first clinical study - on its devise, Argus I - in 2002. During that study, six RP volunteers were implanted with the Argus I system.

Results were encouraging, and the enrollment for the ArgusTM II Retinal Implant study has recently been launched in the United States, Europe and Mexico for people with advanced RP. The Argus II consists of a 60-electrode grid that is surgically implanted on the retina. These electrodes transmit information acquired from an external video camera that is mounted on a pair of eyeglasses worn by implanted subjects.


Prof Au Eong cautioned that there is a long way to go before patients will be driving and reading the fine print with such devices. While it is true that medical advances are steadily being made, he ended his talk on a note of caution. It is very important to maintain realistic expectations. So perhaps in the lifetimes of our younger members, some of our hopes for artificial vision can be realised.