The Li Ka Shing Foundation (LKSF) and Temasek Trust (TT) have committed S$12 million to bring innovative non-invasive ultrasound-based histotripsy tumour clinical trials to Singapore.
The National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) and the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS) will each receive one Histotripsy System – the first of such to be available in Southeast Asia. The funding from LKSF and TT will also support a clinical trial in Singapore for patients with liver, kidney, and pancreatic cancers, advancing regional cancer research and innovation.
Developed by US medical company, HistoSonics, the HistoSonics Histotripsy System generates microbubbles that rapidly expand and collapse, producing shock waves that break down tumours at the cellular level. This approach does not require surgery, and can non-invasively destroy tumours, including those that cannot be surgically removed.
Unlike surgery, radiotherapy, or traditional ablation, histotripsy requires no incisions or radiation, offering a painless, scarless, and bloodless treatment.
The application for the clinical trial using the HistoSonics Histotripsy System is being prepared. Professor Brian Goh Kim Poh, Head of Hepatopancreatobiliary and Transplant Surgery, NCCS and Singapore General Hospital, and principal investigator of the trial, will work alongside a team of oncologists, interventional radiologists and researchers from both NCCS and NCIS.
The clinical trial is slated to commence later this year, with a targeted enrolment of 40 patients who meet the trial criteria and are reviewed by a multi-disciplinary team.
To drive long-term impact in the region, the funding from LKSF and TT will be disbursed through a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) managed by TTFA, the philanthropy advisory services arm of TT. Through the DAF, TTFA aims to attract additional capital from other donors over time to sustainably support the next phase of cancer research.
