Singapore has made a significant investment in healthy longevity research with the opening of a new Clinical Trial Centre at NUS Medicine, marking a decisive move in the global race to extend healthspan. The 350-square-meter facility, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, is dedicated to translating geroscience into clinical practice through precision geromedicine—an emerging field that combines biomarker-driven diagnostics, digital monitoring, and systems biology to tailor interventions to individual biological age and health trajectories.
Precision Geromedicine Framework
At the core of the Centre's approach is what Professor Andrea Maier, Oon Chiew Seng Professor in Medicine and Director of the Academy for Healthy Longevity, describes as an interdisciplinary gerodiagnostics framework. This system assesses biological age and the function of multiple physiological and organ systems simultaneously.
"The framework enables standardised evaluations across different levels, from molecular, clinical, psychological, behavioural, to social biomarkers of ageing, providing comprehensive, system wide analyses of participant health and intervention impact," Maier explained. "With the Centre, we aim to generate high-quality evidence needed to extend healthspan, while training a new cadre of clinician-scientists to translate geroscience from bench to bedside."
The facility's comprehensive capabilities include ophthalmological and dental evaluations, sleep and behavior monitoring, full-body DEXA scanning, and an investigative product repository. A dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) machine for non-invasive assessment of bone mineral density and body composition is expected to arrive soon.
Multimodal Clinical Trials
The Centre is pioneering a new generation of multimodal clinical trials that combine interventions and measurements across multiple organ systems simultaneously. This approach addresses aging as a network phenomenon involving multiple physiological systems interacting over decades, rather than isolating single interventions as traditional clinical trials do.
"Our approach to move towards multimodal trials combining interventions and measurements across multiple organ systems simultaneously allow us to understand and tailor interventions to achieve synergistic outcomes," Maier noted.
Currently, the Centre is conducting four trials, including PROMETHEUS, a precision geromedicine feasibility trial combining exercise, supplements, and lifestyle coaching with 20 participants expected by the end of 2025. The SIRT6 Activator trial explores the DNA-repair potential of fucoidan from brown seaweed, while CEDIRA, a double-blind study, examines how multivitamins might influence biological age in adults whose biological markers outpace their chronological years.
Another ongoing study focuses on the effect of daily multivitamin and mineral supplementation on biological age in relatively healthy middle-aged individuals over a one-year period, with 205 out of 400 target participants already recruited.
Addressing Biological Age Variability
The research addresses a fundamental challenge in aging science: the significant variation in biological aging among individuals of the same chronological age. "If you put two 40- or 50-year-olds next to each other, you will see huge differences, even though they have the same chronological age… biologically, they are very different, because the pace of ageing can be different," Maier observed.
"The question is, can we measure the pace of ageing – why they age, how much they age, and where the ageing process actually occurs?" This precision approach aims to develop personalized interventions based on individual gut microbiome profiles and other biological markers.
Educational Integration and Workforce Development
Beyond research, the Centre serves as a training ground with an integrated educational model that immerses students and clinicians-in-training in active trials. Participants gain hands-on experience in data collection, biological sampling, and translational research methods, addressing the growing demand for professionals fluent in both clinical practice and aging biology.
Professor Chong Yap Seng, Dean of NUS Medicine, emphasized the facility's dual purpose: "The Clinical Trial Centre strengthens our ability to translate our research into real-world solutions that improve care, policy, and population health. By integrating geroscience research and education into one facility, we are building the talent and the evidence base required to benefit our aging communities here and around the world."
Collaborative Network and Industry Partnerships
The Academy has established partnerships with industry leaders including Abbott, Haleon, L'Oréal, and Danone, as well as start-ups like AMILI and DoNotAge, and patient advocacy organizations including APOS. This cross-sector collaboration reflects the understanding that healthy longevity depends on alignment across consumer health, regulation, and public engagement.
Singapore's Longevity Research Landscape
The new facility joins Singapore's growing ecosystem of healthy aging research institutions. The Centre for Health Longevity, led by Professor Brian Kennedy, opened in 2022 under the National University Health System, while a Healthy Longevity Research Clinic began operations at Alexandra Hospital in 2023, staffed by a multidisciplinary team including physicians and health coaches.
Dr. Laureen Wang, who heads the Alexandra Hospital clinic, noted that while Singaporeans are interested in longevity medicine, many lack complete understanding of the field, with opinions often shaped by social media. She emphasized the need for proper regulation and frameworks in this emerging area.
The opening of NUS Medicine's Clinical Trial Centre represents Singapore's strategic positioning in the global longevity research landscape, combining infrastructure, education, and collaboration to translate geroscience theory into practical medical applications.
