Singapore's Bold Step in Precision Medicine: Seer Joins PRECISE-SG100K for Proteomics Revolution
Singapore's research ecosystem is taking a giant leap forward with the recent collaboration between Seer, Inc. and Precision Health Research Singapore (PRECISE) to conduct deep proteomics analysis on 10,000 plasma samples from the landmark PRECISE-SG100K cohort. Announced on April 9, 2026, this partnership leverages Seer's Proteograph Product Suite to generate unbiased, high-depth proteome profiles, complementing efforts by Thermo Fisher Scientific and others. This move underscores Singapore's universities' pivotal role in building Asia's most comprehensive multi-omics dataset, positioning NUS, NTU, and Duke-NUS at the forefront of global precision health research.
The PRECISE-SG100K study, part of the National Precision Medicine (NPM) program Phase II, represents a national effort to sequence and phenotype ~100,000 residents from diverse ethnic backgrounds—primarily Chinese, Malay, and Indian. By integrating genomics with emerging proteomics data, researchers aim to uncover disease mechanisms, biomarkers, and risk models tailored to Asian populations, addressing long-standing gaps in Western-centric datasets.
Understanding PRECISE-SG100K: A Multi-University Cohort Powerhouse
PRECISE-SG100K aggregates data from four major prospective cohorts led by Singapore's top institutions: the Singapore Prospective Health Study for Risk Estimation (SPHS) at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, the Healthy Longevity Study (HELIOS) at NTU's Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, the Singapore Epidemiology of Eye Diseases (SERI-SEED) at Singapore Eye Research Institute, and the Singapore Heart Study (SingHeart) at National Heart Centre Singapore. These university-driven initiatives have recruited over 100,000 participants, collecting extensive phenotype data including questionnaires on lifestyle and medical history, physical measurements, ECGs, spirometry, DXA scans, eye exams, and whole-genome sequencing by A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore.
This rich dataset enables longitudinal tracking of health outcomes, from cardiometabolic diseases to cancer and neurodegeneration. Duke-NUS Medical School plays a key role in flagship projects like the SG100K Cognitive Health Programme and genetic analyses for Mendelian diseases, highlighting inter-university collaboration.
Seer's Proteograph: Enabling Deep, Unbiased Proteomics at Scale
Proteomics, the large-scale study of proteins—the functional workhorses of cells—has lagged behind genomics due to technological challenges. Seer's Proteograph suite addresses this with engineered nanoparticles that capture a broad range of proteins from complex samples like plasma, enabling detection of thousands of proteins per sample with peptide-level resolution. In PRECISE-SG100K, it will profile 10,000 samples, providing an orthogonal layer to genomic data.
- Unbiased discovery: Captures low-abundance proteins missed by affinity methods.
- High-throughput automation: Scalable for population studies.
- Integration with AI analytics: Links proteins to clinical phenotypes.
For Singapore universities, this means NUS and NTU researchers can now correlate genetic variants with dynamic protein networks, revolutionizing studies on diabetes prevalence or hypertension in Asians.
Thermo Fisher's Complementary Technologies Enhance Depth
Complementing Seer, Thermo Fisher contributes Olink Proximity Extension Assay (PEA) for targeted high-sensitivity protein measurement and Orbitrap Astral mass spectrometry for high-resolution discovery. This multi-platform approach on identical samples minimizes variability, boosting reproducibility for regulatory and translational use. NovogeneAIT Genomics handles processing, ensuring seamless data generation.
Singapore's higher ed benefits immensely: Duke-NUS can validate pharmacogenomic biomarkers, while NTU's longevity researchers explore protein aging signatures.
Singapore Universities Driving NPM's Precision Medicine Vision
The NPM program, launched 2017, is a whole-of-government initiative coordinated by PRECISE, involving NUS, NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Duke-NUS, A*STAR, NUHS, NHG, and SingHealth. Phase I (SG10K) sequenced 10,000 genomes; Phase II (SG100K) scales to 100,000 with multi-omics; Phase III focuses on clinical implementation.
NUS leads SPHS for risk estimation; NTU's HELIOS targets healthy aging. Flagship projects like SG100K_Med Alliance unite Duke-NUS, NUS, NTU for Mendelian disease analysis. This proteomics boost equips faculty and students with world-class data for theses, grants, and publications.
Scientific Impacts: From Biomarkers to Drug Targets
The proteomics data will link genetics to proteins, revealing Asian-specific disease pathways. Key applications:
- Biomarker validation for CVD, diabetes, cancer—prevalent in Singapore.
- Risk models for underrepresented ancestries.
- Drug target prioritization, e.g., cardiometabolic therapies.
- Orthogonal validation across platforms.
"Seer’s Proteograph was built for population-scale studies like PRECISE-SG100K," says Seer CEO Omid Farokhzad. PRECISE CSO John Chambers notes it will "link genomic variation to protein networks."
Career Opportunities in Singapore's Proteomics Boom
This collaboration opens doors for researchers at NUS, NTU, Duke-NUS. Postdocs in proteomics, bioinformaticians analyzing multi-omics, and faculty leading driver projects (e.g., HLA-autoimmune links at NUS) will thrive. Students can access data via calls for proposals, fueling PhDs and collaborations.
Singapore's investment positions its universities as hubs for precision medicine talent.
Future Outlook: Data Access and Global Influence
Data access via PRECISE committees prioritizes national priorities. Flagship projects already underway at Duke-NUS, NUS, NTU. Longitudinal follow-up will track outcomes, powering AI models for prevention. For more, visit the PRECISE-SG100K page.
Singapore's unis are set to lead Asian precision health, attracting global talent.
This proteomics push exemplifies how university collaborations drive Singapore's health future, offering actionable insights for researchers worldwide.
