Image credit: NCCS
Precision oncology firm, Lucence, with Diagnostics Development Hub (DxD Hub), hosted by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore and the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), officially launched UNITED 2.0, a S$6 million research collaboration to develop a next-generation, clinical grade cancer profiling test with the goal of advancing the future of precision diagnostics.
A landmark MOU between Lucence, Brain Tumour Society Singapore (BTSS), and DxD Hub creates a framework for patient input to guide R&D, ensuring future diagnostic tools align with patient needs and experiences. The MOU represents a formal commitment to keep the patient’s perspective at the heart of cancer research.
UNITED 2.0 builds on UNITED 1.0 by using dual WES and WTS for more comprehensive cancer profiling, identifying complex mutations and fusions, and leveraging AI for efficient genomic data analysis to support precision treatments.
Dr. Tan Min-Han, M.B.B.S., F.R.C.P., Ph.D., Founding CEO and Medical Director of Lucence. “By integrating AI with comprehensive DNA and RNA sequencing, we are turning massive amounts of complex data into clear, actionable answers that will help clinicians choose better treatments faster.”
Dr Weng Ruifen, Chief Executive Officer of DxD Hub said “UNITED 2.0 aims to enhance tumour profiling for clinical use by improving test design and reliability, with Lucence and NCCS ensuring a trustworthy test for confident clinical action”.
Assistant Professor Jason Chan, Director, Cancer Discovery Hub, NCCS explained "The latest collaboration enhances the original assay with advanced tumour sequencing technologies for deeper analysis, aiming to better support treatment of rare cancers or cases with exhausted standard options”.
Over the next three years, the UNITED 2.0 collaboration will work to bring the research closer to clinical application. Complementing this effort, the new partnership between Lucence, DxD Hub and BTSS reflects a shared commitment to keeping patient perspectives central to the future of cancer diagnostics.
