SCIEX, a global leader in life science analytical technologies, and the Protein and Proteomics Centre (PPC) under the Department of Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Faculty of Science, today announced plans to launch the first of its kind proteomics and mass spectrometry training centre in Southeast Asia in 2018, aimed at training the next generation of scientists to advance biomedical research and proteomics studies across Asia Pacific.

PPC and SCIEX have established a strong partnership since the inauguration of PPC at NUS Faculty of Science in 2000. More recently in 2015, SCIEX launched its first regional Centre of Distinction with PPC.  As part of the partnership, PPC and SCIEX have also been co-organising workshops on iTRAQ quantitative proteomics, proteomics database search and bioinformatics data analysis for the past five years and have seen a growing need for such training to be provided regularly. This new collaboration addresses this industry gap by offering curricula designed to impart in-depth knowledge of proteomics and mass spectrometry to the next generation of scientists.

"SCIEX and PPC at NUS Faculty of Science has built a strong relationship over the years, and has received great response from the scientific community in the field of protein and proteomics. With strong support from SCIEX, PPC has been successful in providing core-facility support and services to the scientific research community and established a good reputation among scientists across the region. One of PPC's key expertise is in advanced research on proteins that could be used as disease biomarkers. Our work lay the foundation to spark future innovations in the biomedical sciences. We are confident that our collaboration with SCIEX will help to nurture future scientists who will bring about greater advancements in biomedical research," said Professor Yu Hao, Head of the NUS Department of Biological Sciences.

The training centre is also aligned with the local government's SkillsFuture initiative, which encourages lifelong learning. It will provide fit-for-purpose courses aimed to develop and enhance skillsets of local scientists and working professionals who wish to improve their competencies in the field of proteomics and mass spectrometry.

Mass spectrometry and proteomics technologies are widely applied to the biomedical and environmental research fields, and making a great impact in the industry.  There is also an increasing demand for scientists and professionals with such expertise.

"We are very excited to work with PPC at NUS Faculty of Science on the first training centre of its kind in Southeast Asia," said Maha Guruswamy, Vice President & General Manager, Asia Pacific, SCIEX. "The centre will also drive a boost in the regional outreach within Asia Pacific, catering for the scientific community outside Singapore while stimulating more cross-border collaborations and partnerships."

"SCIEX has a strong standing in Singapore, with our state-of-the-art global manufacturing centre for Mass Spectrometry and Liquid Chromatography producing 95% of our global units together with our Asia Pacific customer support and SCIEX Centre. In 2015, we launched the Centre of Distinction together with NUS to be at the forefront of advanced cancer discovery and development in the Asia Pacific region," said Inese Lowenstein, President of SCIEX. "The launch of the new training centre is another milestone that reflects our dedication to enable Singapore and the region based researchers and scientists to upgrade their skills sets and to eventually strengthen our scientific presence for the advancement of biomedical research and improving lives."