Recently in Singapore, ADVANcing Clinical Evidence in Infectious Diseases- ADVANCE-ID was formally introduced by its director, Prof. David Paterson, at the ADVANCE-ID Launch Symposium. More than 30 hospitals in Asia work together as part of the ADVANCE-ID network to undertake clinical research on infectious diseases.
To share knowledge about how nations can prevent and treat infectious diseases, over 100 thought leaders and experts from 17 different countries gathered at the NUSS Kent Ridge Guild House. The discussion focused on the threat posed by antimicrobial resistance in an era of dwindling supplies of new antibiotics. Panel talks and breakout sessions on research goals for physicians in ADVANCE-ID were also part of the two-day conference.
Prof. Kenneth Mak, Director of Medical Services at the Singapore Ministry of Health, gave the symposium’s opening remarks. Prof. Mak highlighted antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a pandemic that spreads slowly but can have a significant impact on healthcare systems and communities in his opening remarks. He said he was confident that the ADVANCE-ID initiative will lead to fruitful collaborations and exchanges, just as it will encourage high-caliber clinical research to produce workable solutions and fresh approaches to the AMR problem, inform upstream AMR-related policy strategies, and ultimately enhance health outcomes.
ADVANCE-ID was founded in March 2022 with funding from the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Duke-NUS Medical School, and the Wellcome Trust. This network’s implementation will also have an involvement of the Singapore Clinical Research Institute.