Partnering and Investing in Singapore's Biotech Ecosystem

​Join us for an exclusive dinner panel and networking session at BIO 2024, hosted by Enterprise Singapore and NHIC. This event will highlight Singapore's biotech sector, fostering partnerships, innovation, and investment opportunities. Enjoy insightful discussions with industry leaders and network with key business executives over a dinner featuring authentic Singaporean cuisine.

Panelists:

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​Khoo Shih
Khoo Shih is the Chief Executive Officer of ClavystBio, a life sciences investor and venture builder set up by Temasek to accelerate the commercialization of impactful health solutions. Prior to this, she was Managing Director of Life Sciences Investments at Temasek. With a Ph.D. in Genetics & Development from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and a B.Sc. in Microbiology from the National University of Singapore, Khoo Shih has a robust background in life sciences and investment management.

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Pauline Tay
Pauline leads the National Health Innovation Centre (NHIC) as Director, facilitating the innovation, development, commercialisation and adoption of health technologies at public healthcare clusters in Singapore. Prior to this, she helmed the Innovation and Enterprise Directorate at the National Research Foundation of the Prime Minister’s Office, developing key signatures in Singapore’s tech ecosystem, such as the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH), SGInnovate, Deep Tech Venture Funds and Accelerators, international and public-private partnerships. Pauline has also served in industry as the Chairperson of Technology, Innovation and Productivity at the Singapore Business Federation, Executive Director and Head of Innovation Partnerships at UBS, and COO/CSO at Celligenics. Pauline is technically trained with a PhD in stem cell biology/regenerative medicine and spent 15 years at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

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Tuyen Ong
Tuyen Ong joined Flagship Pioneering in 2020, where he serves as both a CEO-Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Ring Therapeutics. Tuyen is an accomplished biotechnology and pharmaceutical executive with extensive experience in company growth, R&D, and gene therapy. He is passionate about driving progress in life sciences and bringing innovation to patients, having led the development of breakthrough treatments for retinopathies and rare diseases.

​He was most recently Senior Vice President, Head of the Ophthalmology Franchise at Biogen, and was Chief Development Officer at Nightstar Therapeutics until it was acquired by Biogen in 2019. While there, he was involved with the company’s NASDAQ IPO, corporate and gene therapy strategy, as well as investor and M&A activities.

​Prior to this, Tuyen served as Chief Medical Officer at PTC Therapeutics, where he was responsible for progressing its pipeline of therapies for rare and orphan diseases. He also served as a joint steering committee member overseeing the development of Risdiplam for the treatment of SMA. He held leadership roles at Bausch and Lomb, where he played a lead role in the company’s filing of new drug and device applications, and at Pfizer, where he served as global clinical lead across several therapeutic disease areas.

​Tuyen was awarded his M.D. from University College London and his M.B.A. from New York University Stern School of Business. He is a member of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and a Churchill Fellow.

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​Hugo Saavedra
Hugo Saavedra is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of KYAN Technologies, a leading innovator in the biotech industry. With over 15 years of experience, Hugo has held significant leadership roles, including VP & Regional General Manager of Latin America at Mundipharma and Chief Commercial Officer at Hello Health Group. He has a strong background in global marketing, general management, and strategy consulting. Hugo holds an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management and completed executive education at INSEAD. He is dedicated to bridging the cancer care gap and advancing personalized medicine.

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​Alessandro Falcone
Alessandro Falcone, MD, is the Head of JLABS Singapore at Johnson & Johnson, where he fosters innovation in the biotech and medtech industries. With a distinguished career, he previously held roles such as Executive Director of Breast Cancer Oncology R&D Strategy at AstraZeneca and Senior Director in R&D at GSK. Alessandro holds an MSc in Experimental and Translational Therapeutics from the University of Oxford and an MBBS in Medicine from UCL. He is passionate about advancing healthcare innovation and building the Singapore ecosystem.

​Moderator:

​Irene Cheong

​Ms. Irene Cheong leads the Human Health & Potential and the Venture Creation & Growth teams at A*STAR Innovation and Enterprise (I&E) Division. Her teams work closely with our scientists to enable deep tech startup formation and growth and develop win-win partnerships with industry that result in technology translation and commercialization.

​Ms. Cheong also heads the Diagnostics Development (DxD) Hub, a national diagnostics productization platform hosted by A*STAR. DxD Hub is dedicated to developing clinically validated diagnostics products and digital health solutions to achieve positive health impact and economic growth for Singapore.

​Before joining A*STAR, Ms. Cheong led the Industry Liaison Office (ILO), which is the commercialization and business development arm of the National University of Singapore (NUS). She drove deep tech startup acceleration programs, industry consortiums, and managed intellectual property for licensing for NUS and partners like MIT. She also has international experience from industry, government, and venture capital, having worked locally, in the USA, and in Europe.