1. The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) announced today that Professor Sir David Lane, Chief Scientist of A*STAR, and Professor Birgit Lane, Executive Director of the A*STAR Institute of Medical Biology (IMB), would resume full-time appointments at A*STAR come September this year. This is a welcome move by the two eminent scientists who have a long and deep association with A*STAR, and who have been contributing to Singapore’s biomedical sciences research efforts in their various roles in the organisation since 2002.   

 

2. Said Mr Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman of A*STAR, “I am delighted that David and Birgit have chosen to resume their full-time commitment to A*STAR. They have contributed enormously to A*STAR over the years and have always been valued members of the R&D community here. Their decision to anchor their research activities in A*STAR and Singapore underscores their continued excitement with the biomedical sciences R&D journey that we started nearly a decade ago”.  

 

 

3. When Prof David Lane, well-known as the co-discoverer of the tumour suppressor gene, p53, resumes his full-time appointment at A*STAR, he plans to expand his lab and to delve deeper into the translational aspect of p53 research, so as to bring the findings closer to the clinic. He will also be able to mentor and train more PhD students and post-docs in his lab, and thus influence the next generation of Singaporean scientists. At the same time, Prof David Lane will also continue in his non-executive role as Chief Scientist of A*STAR and engage scientists in scientific discussions at the A*STAR-wide, cross-council level.  

 

4. Said Prof David Lane, “I am very excited about continuing my work in A*STAR full-time, and especially welcome the opportunity to spend more time on research, and train more young PhD students and post-docs. I expect the many spontaneous interactions I will have with my colleagues will spawn interesting ideas, and, who knows, another grand discovery! I also look forward to working closely with Chairman of A*STAR, Mr Lim Chuan Poh, and my other colleagues across A*STAR to help shape the research agenda, and advance A*STAR’s scientific excellence and international standing”.

 

5. Prof David Lane has been associated with A*STAR since 2002 when he was the Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB). He came to Singapore and took over the reins of IMCB as its Executive Director from 2004 to 2007, and became Chairman of A*STAR’s Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) and founding Chief Executive of Experimental Therapeutics Centre (ETC) in 2007, before moving on to take on the role of Chief Scientist in Apr 2009. In addition to his responsibilities in A*STAR, Prof David Lane will continue in his current position as Chief Scientist for Cancer Research UK, one of the world’s leading cancer charities, on a part-time basis.  

 

 

6. Prof Birgit Lane will resume her full-time role as Executive Director of IMB, the research institute which she helped to establish, and which she has been helming since its inception in 2007. Said Prof Birgit Lane, “I am looking forward to returning to IMB full-time. This is a very exciting time for the new Institute.  We are recruiting excellent new colleagues to Singapore and IMB is becoming steadily stronger.  I am honoured to be part of this and to work with my great IMB colleagues to help consolidate IMB’s position of building bridges between basic science and clinical medicine”. 

 

7. Prof Birgit Lane has plans to continue expanding IMB’s research portfolio in cancer, epithelial and stem cell biology and work with scientists in IMB to focus their research on issues relating to the interface between basic and clinical sciences, particularly in area of human diseases.  She said, “My aim is to see good science being translated into something useful, something with practical outcomes, which could be in the form of a drug, a diagnostic or simply, having a better understanding of a disease”.

 

8. Known internationally for her work on keratins, Prof Birgit Lane has a long-standing interest in the function of the keratin cytoskeleton in epithelia and its importance in disease.  Her work at A*STAR began with the then Centre for Molecular Medicine (CMM) where she was a Programme Director and subsequently the Executive Director in 2006. In 2007, she became the founding Executive Director of IMB. As the Executive Director of IMB, Prof Birgit Lane has been building the institute from scratch, attracting top scientific talent to work with her there. She also holds adjunct appointments the Departments of Pathology and Biochemistry at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, and at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. She is also an Honorary Visiting Consultant at the National Skin Centre, Singapore.

 

9. Mr Lim added, “I am pleased that A*STAR remains an attractive place for research. We have been able to bring our friends, who have seen A*STAR grow over the years, to continue to work alongside us in the A*STAR leadership, and contribute to R&D and the Singapore economy. The participation of top scientific talent in our research institutes helps to create a vibrant world class and international R&D community in Singapore. We continue to welcome top talent from all over the world to join us in pushing the envelope of research at A*STAR and to make an impact on Singapore and the world”.

 

 

Enclosed in the PDF:

Annex A - Curricula Vitae of Prof Sir David Lane and Prof Birgit Lane

Annex B - IMB Factsheet

 

 

Evelyn Ho

Deputy Director, Corporate Communications

Agency for Science, Technology and Research

Tel: 6826 6273 (O); 9682 6922 (Hp)

Email: evelyn_ho@a-star.edu.sg

 

Joshua Woo

Assistant Head, Corporate Communications

Agency for Science, Technology and Research

Tel: 6826 6442 (O); 9616 1682 (Hp)

Email: joshua_woo@a-star.edu.sg