Industrial Seminar Series(ISS): Hummingbird Bioscience, ImmunoScape, Micron Technology and HTX

Hummingbird Bioscience and ImmunoScape

On 10 March 2022, the CEOs of biomedical companies Hummingbird Bioscience and ImmunoScape shared on the vibrant local biotechnology industry and the future in precision medicine at a virtual session for our Faculty of Science students.

Dr Piers INGRAM co-founded Hummingbird Bioscience in 2015 to leverage on rapid advancements in systems Biology and Immunology for application to drug discovery and development. The company’s proprietary Rational Antibody Discovery platform uses data-driven computational and systems Biology with the goal of selecting promising protein targets that are associated with dysregulated Biology and clinical diseases. This enables it to develop antibodies that bind to specific epitopes. The company has generated a deep pipeline of multiple wholly-owned clinical-stage assets.

Mr NG Choon Peng brought the audience through how ImmunoScape harnesses the power of the immune system to detect “foreign” molecules, including those found on solid tumour cells. In cancer patients, they look for therapeutically relevant T-cell receptors (TCRs) that are able to locate cancer cells and activate the host immune system to destroy the cancer cells. Their proprietary Deep Immunomics platform allows large-scale mining of patient samples to identify TCRs, for reinfusion into patients, hence activating the body’s own immune system against the solid tumours.

The CEOs offered a collective glimpse into the future of precision medicine, where highly specific molecules such as monoclonal antibodies and TCRs will target specific disease-causing molecules and cells.

Attendees raised questions on the scientific methodology, startup work culture, as well as apprenticeship and full-time employment opportunities at the companies. Moderator Prof DING Jeak Ling, from the Department of Biological Sciences, concluded the session on an inspirational note, by highlighting the rapid development of the local Biotechnology sector in the past few decades.

Micron Technology

On 7 March 2022, FOS Chemistry alumnus Mr KOO Haoming, a senior process and equipment engineer at Micron Technology, detailed his personal and professional journey at the forefront of research into the next generations of data storage solutions at Micron. His story also illustrated how the core competencies and analytical training from his science education proved highly relevant to his career.

Mr Ivan TAN from Micron’s University Relations also provided a bird’s eye view of Micron Technology, a key player in the $200 billion world memory market and a major employer in Singapore in the manufacturing sector. He introduced Micron Singapore as the global Centre of Excellence in the manufacturing and research of NAND technology, and its contributions to meeting global demand for more powerful memory solutions. Micron has emerged as one of the top employers of NUS Science graduates in Chemistry, Physics, Data Science and Analytics, and Applied Mathematics.

HTX (Home Team Science and Technology Agency)

On 16 February 2022, Life Sciences alumnus Mr Jason ANG, a forensics scientist with the HTX Forensics Centre of Expertise (CoE), kicked off his presentation with an overview of the CoE, which comprises crime scene management and investigation, forensic chemistry, forensic physics, and his own specialty: forensic Biology. He shared how his day-to-day work supports Home Team operations, by providing investigative leads that contribute to solving crimes. His research on forensic biology includes the development of the phenotyping Lab-on-Chip System, which uses DNA to reveal the biological and ethnic profiles of an individual. Jason concluded by sharing a variety of learning and development opportunities at HTX, such as conferences, courses and workshops, and cross-discipline studies.

The second speaker, Ms Daphne GOH, then went through her experiences working as an engineer at the Cybersecurity CoE, including how it enhances and secures the adoption of state-of-the art technology, operations and services across different Home Team departments. Her job also provides exposure to operational work and capability development, such as exploring innovative security technologies. She also shared her exciting journey as a HTX S&T Associate and the various opportunities she was exposed to.

HTX, a statutory board of the Ministry of Home Affairs, works at the forefront of science and technology to empower Singapore’s Home Team frontline and augment their operations.