Appointment of Associate Professor Ravindran Kanesvaran as Co-Director, STCC from 31 October 2024

Associate Professor Ravindran Kanesvaran will be appointed as the Co-Director, of the Singapore Translational Cancer Consortium (STCC) from 31 October 2024 for a term of three years. A/Prof Ravindran is Chairman of the Division of Medical Oncology of the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS). He currently chairs the Office of Population Health at NCCS as well.

He is an Associate Professor at Duke-NUS Medical School and Distinguished Professor of Geriatric Oncology at Duke – NUS Medical School. A/Prof Ravindran is actively involved in clinical research and is a key opinion leader globally in both genito-urinary (GU) cancers and geriatric oncology. He is on the global steering committee of numerous phase 3 RCTs in GU cancers. He has published over 240 peer reviewed manuscripts in leading cancer journals. He was the past President of the Singapore Society of Oncology (SSO) and the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) and is currently the Vice-Chairman of the Singapore Cancer Society.

Together with Executive Director STCC, Prof Chng Wee Joo, A/Prof Ravindran will continue the key initiatives in Phase 2 which include the formation of multidisciplinary tumour groups to catalyse research proposals, the coordination of translational and preclinical research projects through a centralised pipeline, and the development of a tumour model catalogue.

We warmly welcome A/Prof Ravindran and look forward to his leadership going forward.

Professor Lim Soon Thye completes term of office as Co-Director, STCC on 30 October 2024

Professor Lim Soon Thye, who is Co-Director of STCC will complete his term of office on 30 October 2024. Prof Lim Soon Thye has been STCC’s Co-Director since November 2019. Together with Prof Chng Wee Joo, Executive Director, STCC, he has led STCC through the foundational Phase 1 including the establishment of four joint platforms and spearheaded initiatives aimed at streamlining workflows across institutions, and at optimising resources and expertise, making them more accessible to researchers.

Specifically, under his stewardship, STCC has established noteworthy partnerships including collaborations with esteemed institution such as the Victorian Cancer Biobank in Australia, industry giant Roche, and the national platform DxD Hub. Additionally, STCC led Singapore’s inclusion in the global immuno-oncology alliance (imCORE). Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with international partners such as HDR UK have further solidified STCC's presence on the global stage.

Beyond building partnerships, STCC has also commenced initiatives aimed at standardising biobanking practices, compiling ecosystem-wide research capabilities in a molecular assays catalogue, establishing the STCC research warehouse as a central data resource, and facilitating multi-site clinical trials. These efforts have contributed significantly to enhancing the cancer research ecosystem in Singapore.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Prof Lim for his dedication and guidance to the team at STCC.