Singapore has been designated the Asia-Pacific regional hub of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH), giving the country a formal role in coordinating the organisation’s engagement across the region.
Precision Health Research, Singapore (PRECISE) was named GA4GH’s first Regional Hub Institution at the alliance’s 14th Plenary meeting on September 29. A memorandum of understanding was signed between GA4GH President Peter Goodhand and PRECISE Executive Director Professor Patrick Tan.
Under the new arrangement, PRECISE will serve as the focal point for GA4GH activities across Asia-Pacific for two years. It will help build regional connections, support local capacity and encourage greater participation in the global genomics community.
The partnership will also promote the adoption of GA4GH’s technical standards and policy frameworks, intended to support the responsible sharing and use of genomic data across different healthcare and research systems.
GA4GH said the regional hub model was created to strengthen its global reach while taking account of local and regional contexts. The organisation works with more than 600 organisations across healthcare, research, patient advocacy, life sciences and information technology.
Singapore has been involved in the GA4GH community for several years, including work on global genomics standards and cross-border research collaboration. PRECISE coordinates Singapore’s National Precision Medicine programme and works with research, clinical and industry partners on genomics and precision medicine.
