Philips and Singapore Institute of Advanced Medicine Holdings open $100m biomedical hub

Its facilities are set to be completed by end-2019.

Royal Philips and the Singapore Institute of Advanced Medicine Holdings (SAM) opened the $100m Advanced Medicine Imaging (AMI) centre at Biopolis, an international biomedical research hub in Singapore.

According to an announcement, the new facility will provide specialised oncology care to the fast-growing number of people confronted with cancer in Southeast Asia. It will also facilitate scientific research and development and provide medical training targeted at upskilling the region’s healthcare professionals in the newest cancer therapies.

The AMI centre is equipped with advanced imaging systems and clinical informatics. The facilities, which will open in phases, are scheduled for completion by the end of 2019.

The facility will house two Philips Vereos PET/CT scanners that provide anatomical imaging and enhance lesion detectability with improved contrast and resolution.

It will also have Philips’ IQon Spectral CT, a new generation Computed Tomography (CT) solution that allows clinicians to characterize tumours with greater certainty than is possible with black and white images from conventional CT scans. "Philips’ IQon Spectral CT is also the world's first spectral detector-based CT that allows clinicians to do both in-depth spectral information on demand and retrospective analysis at low-dose – a direct benefit to patients," the announcement said.

The regional oncology centre also aims to promote clinical research for breakthroughs in cancer diagnostics by holding symposiums and workshops.