The SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre has unveiled SPADE (Spatial Profiling and Disease Exploration), a pioneering research platform designed to advance precision diagnostics and treatment. The initiative, launched on 25 September, is a collaborative effort led by the National Cancer Centre Singapore, with support from Singapore General Hospital and Duke-NUS Medical School. It is backed by a S$6m grant from the SingHealth Joint Office of Academic Medicine.
SPADE integrates clinical, biomedical, and computational expertise to explore disease development and patient treatment responses. This platform aims to translate research insights into precise diagnostics and therapies. The launch also marked the signing of a Research Collaboration Agreement with biotechnology firm 10x Genomics, enhancing SPADE’s spatial biology capabilities.
Spatial profiling technologies, which allow for the detailed study of cells, genes, and proteins within their environment, are central to SPADE’s mission. These technologies provide comprehensive insights into disease progression and treatment responses. SPADE’s collaborative environment combines the strengths of clinical and pathology expertise from SingHealth with Duke-NUS’ capabilities in biomedical discovery, computational biology, and artificial intelligence.
Assistant Professor Jason Chan, Principal Investigator of SPADE, highlighted the significance of the collaboration with 10x Genomics, stating that it provides access to cutting-edge technology essential for understanding disease complexities. Professor Enrico Petretto, co-principal investigator, emphasised the role of computational biology and data science in interpreting the vast data generated by spatial profiling.
SPADE envisions a future where diagnostics and treatments are more personalised, potentially reducing the need for repeated biopsies and enabling the identification of multiple drug targets. The platform also aims to develop a spatial tissue atlas to train AI models for predictive disease simulations. This initiative represents a significant step towards personalised medicine, benefiting patients in Singapore and beyond.
