Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore is planning to launch a nationwide research initiative on lung health, in order to understand the unique characteristics of lung diseases in Singapore and improve their prevention, treatment and care services.

The Academic Respiratory Initiative for Pulmonary Health (TARIPH), which will be spearheaded by NTU's Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine), aims to address this pressing gap in knowledge for the Singaporean population and Asian patients.

This will allow medical decisions, practices and interventions to be tailored to Asians and the individual rather than the disease. It will develop new DNA-based tests for common lung infections.

TARIPH will also study the economic and social costs of respiratory disease in Singapore and examine how to improve the ways chronic lung disease patients access care.

The findings from TARIPH could aid policymakers and the healthcare sector in determining strategies and implementation of medical interventions, healthcare delivery and access, health promotion and disease awareness in Singapore, and potentially throughout Asia.