- Leveraging cutting-edge tools in genomics, medical imaging and data science, five research teams from Duke and Duke-NUS have been awarded joint Research Collaboration Pilot Project grants.
- By comparing clinical cohorts and populations from Singapore and the US, researchers will study infectious diseases, corneal disorders, liver transplant outcomes, diabetes and lung cancer to uncover insights that drive disease and treatment differences across Asian and non-Asian populations.
Singapore, 15 December 2025—As global health systems brace for the next wave of infectious and chronic diseases, scientists are looking to human genetics, population differences, medical imaging and health informatics for answers. As an example, researchers have proposed that understanding how genetic variants shape disease susceptibility across populations could transform how the world prepares for future threats.
To investigate this possibility, one of the five projects awarded under this year’s Duke–Duke-NUS Research Collaboration Pilot Project Grants focuses on studies comparing cohorts in Singapore and the United States to determine genetic features controlling infection susceptibility. Co-led by Associate Professor Dennis Ko from Duke University School of Medicine and Assistant Professor Mart Matthias Lamers from Duke-NUS Medical School, this flagship project is titled "An Organoid Single-Cell GWAS Platform for Comparing Infectious Disease Susceptibility in USA vs. Singapore”.
To investigate how genetic differences influence vulnerability to respiratory pathogens, the scientists will grow nasal organoids—miniature models of the human nose—using cells from hundreds of donors from both countries. By exposing these cells to viruses, they will analyse how infection unfolds at the cellular level and build an atlas of human genetics susceptibility that could accelerate new drug discovery.
The other four projects will tackle high-impact healthcare challenges in liver transplantation, diabetes, lung cancer and eye disease:
| Project title: MIA-Lung: Multiplex IHC Atlas for Lung Cancer |
| Principal Investigators: - Assistant Professor Laura Alder, Duke University School of Medicine
- Assistant Professor Aaron Tan from SingHealth Duke-NUS Oncology Academic Clinical Programme
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| Project title: Uncovering Ancestry-Specific and Shared Genetic Risk Factors for Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy (FECD) in Asian and European Populations through Integrative Genomics |
| Principal Investigators: - Professor Yi-Ju Li, Duke University School of Medicine
- Professor Jodhbir Singh Mehta from SingHealth Duke-NUS Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Academic Clinical Programme
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| Project title: Comparative Outcomes in Liver Transplantation: A Two-Center Analysis of U.S. and Singapore Cohorts |
| Principal Investigators: - Professor Debra Sudan, Duke University School of Medicine
- Clinical Associate Professor Prema Raj Jeyaraj from SingHealth Duke-NUS Surgery Academic Clinical Programme
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| Project title: Comparative Imaging-Based Analysis of Adiposity Distribution and Diabetes Risk in Asian and Non-Asian Populations |
| Principal Investigators: - Assistant Professor James Jung, Duke University School of Medicine
- Associate Professor Nan Liu from Duke-NUS
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Diseases can often differ in how they appear, progress and respond to treatment across Asian and non-Asian populations—differences shaped by genetics as well as environmental and lifestyle factors. Studying diverse populations helps researchers identify the drivers of these variations and translate them into more accurate diagnoses and targeted treatments.
“Studying different populations helps reveal what drives disease variations and how care can be tailored to serve people more effectively,” said Professor Patrick Tan, Dean-designate and Senior Vice-Dean for Research at Duke-NUS.
“Thanks to advances in genomics and data science, large-scale analyses are now possible at an unprecedented level. Through its long-standing partnerships with Duke University and SingHealth, Duke-NUS is uniquely positioned to support scientifically compelling studies tapping on both the US and Singapore.”
More than 40 proposals were submitted this year and following a competitive review, five outstanding projects were selected. Each is jointly led by a Duke Principal Investigator (PI) and a Duke-NUS PI. The Duke PI will receive US$100,000 and the Duke-NUS PI will receive S$100,000 over two years.
Since 2009, the Duke-Duke-NUS partnership has supported over 70 projects[1] with more than S$8.5 million in funding—underscoring a long-standing commitment to advancing innovative research addressing urgent global health challenges.
[1] Excludes the five newly-awarded projects.