DSO BIOLOGICAL DEFENCE PROGRAMME TEAM

DSO National Laboratories

CITATION

The Biological Defence Programme was initiated in the late 1990s. Over the past 20 years, the team has built up strong technical competency in the detection, diagnostics and protection against biological agents. The capability developed has contributed significantly to the well-being of the men and women in the SAF. Beyond the SAF, the team has also responded to national crisis including SARS in 2003, Ebola in 2014 and COVID-19 today. In the fight against COVID-19, the team developed rapid diagnostics and therapeutics solutions to support MINDEF, SAF and the Whole-of-Government's efforts. In recognition of its outstanding achievements and contributions, the team is awarded the DTP2020 Team (R&D) Award.

ABOUT THE DSO BIOLOGICAL DEFENCE PROGRAMME TEAM

The team brings together subject matter expertise (SME) in a wide range of technical domain areas^[1]. These SMEs work together to provide an integrated "force multiplier capability", which enabled an accelerated response to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 situation.

TECHNICAL INNOVATION AND OPERATIONAL IMPACT

The interdisciplinary approach of the team has enabled the building of two core competences in the area of (i) diagnostics and detection, and (ii) countermeasures, with a common mission to protect SAF personnel against all biological threats, thus enabling the SAF to stay operationally-ready at all times.

    a) Capability to Perform Live Agent Research

Two high containment laboratories were constructed in 2000 and in 2004 to enable live deadly bio resources to be safely handled, and research and development (R&D) to be conducted. The bio resources have also been used to perform and validate efficacy studies on countermeasures such as therapeutic antibodies, and to investigate bio resources transmission using in vitro models, akin to a ‘test-tube' environment. These capabilities allow critical information and solutions to be used by the SAF to safeguard the health of SAF personnel through enforcement of appropriate infection control measures, and exercising the treatment regime for emergency usage. Today, this capability is one of the few laboratories in Singapore that continue to perform R&D for live COVID-19 virus.

   b) Clinical Diagnostic Services Laboratory

The Clinical Diagnostics Service Laboratory was fully operationalised in 2006, as part of the Biological Defence Programme. A core team is on standby 24/7 to provide testing services and outbreak investigation for the SAF. Today, this laboratory provides COVID-19 testing for the SAF and WoG by assisting and guiding the set-up of MINDEF forward deployment labs.

   c) Antibody Therapeutics for Emergency Treatment

MINDEF recognised the critical need to develop emergency treatment options and hence initiated the Antibody Research group in 2004. The group started with the development of diagnostic antibodies against bacterial toxins before moving on to viruses like bird flu and dengue. This process honed DSO's capability to develop and discover antibody treatments. . In 2014, this critical need was recognised at the WoG level and the antibody production pipeline was supported by MINDEF and National Security Coordination Secretariat. The processes laid down by these efforts culminated in the accelerated development of COVID-19 human antibody therapeutics today.

PROFILE OF TEAM LEADER

^[1]These include including Molecular Biology, Advanced Diagnostics, Genomics, Virology, Bacteriology, Aerobiology, Antibody Discovery, Disease modelling, Recombinant DNA / RNA technology, Environmental Microbiology, Microscopy, Public Health and BSL3 competence.