Singapore Parkinson’s disease Translation Clinical Programme (SPARK)
Overview
Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects 3 in 1000 Singaporeans above 50 years of age. With our rapidly aging population, neurodegenerative diseases involving the brain pose a significant burden on our healthcare system. In the 2010 Singapore Burden of Disease Study, 35.5% of the entire burden of disease and injury in Singapore was borne by the elderly, aged 65 years and above. A high proportion of the years lived due to disability are due to neurodegenerative diseases.
SPARK, currently in its Phase II, is a national programme supported by the Singapore Ministry of Health’s National Medical Research Council under its Open Fund Large Collaborative Grant.
Our research programme aims to identify clinical, biochemical, imaging, and genetic biomarkers in clinical cohorts of patients that we have established in Singapore. We hope to develop a model to better stratify at-risk individuals and to manage, prevent and reduce PD progression. We are also involved in health services research to identify factors that influence healthcare costs and factors that can further improve quality of life for our patients. These research efforts involved multiple collaborators from both local and international clinical and academic institutions, industries, professional bodies and patient care organisations (e.g. MJ Fox Foundation, American Parkinson’s Foundation).
We aim to identify early disease biomarkers and novel targets and to conduct experimental therapeutic studies with the hope of bringing these targets to potential clinical trials. The following platforms are incorporated within SPARK to meet above aims:
News Release
The Straits Times, 27 October 2017. "Beautiful Science" section illustrate our Sci. Signal. Discovery.
The Team
From left to right: Prof Louis Tan, Research Director, NNI; Prof Lim Kah Leong, Vice Dean, LKC School of Medicine; Prof Tan Eng King, Deputy CEO (Academic Affairs), NNI; Prof Ng Huck Hui, Assistant Chief Executive, BMRC A*STAR; Prof Zhang Su-Chun, Programme Director, Duke-NUS Medical School.
Theme no. | Theme Title | Theme PIs and Institutions |
Theme 1 | Epidemiology/Health Services/Genetics | Prof Louis Tan Chew Seng, NNI |
Theme 2 | Pathophysiology & Non-Human Primate Models | Prof Lim Kah Leong, NTU LKC Medicine |
Theme 3 | Brain Organoids & Stem Cells | Prof Ng Huck Hui, GIS A*STAR |
Theme 4 | Regenerative Medicine | Prof Zhang Su-Chun, Duke-NUS Medical School |
Theme 5 | Clinical Trials & Novel Therapeutics | Prof Tan Eng King, NNI |
Our Scientific Advisory Board
Our Publications
Contact Us
Looking to collaborate with SPARK or have any queries?
SPARK grant manager, Ms. Ng Shin Hui, can be contacted at ng.shin.hui@singhealth.com.sg
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