LAUNCH OF NATIONWIDE PREVENTIVE HEART HEALTH TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH PROGRAMME FOR SINGAPORE
Funded by a newly awarded S$25 million grant, Project RESET will bring together public healthcare clusters, medical schools, as well as industry and community partners to empower Singaporeans to take charge of their heart health through the roll out of new technologies
SINGAPORE — While many people believe they are in good health, an estimated one in three Singaporeans may have underlying early heart disease that remains undetected. An ambitious, large-scale study involving more than 10,000 individuals from the general population aims to gather evidence to map the extent of the disease, identify new biomarkers, as well as develop innovative preventive measures that Singaporeans could adopt.
Heart disease is a complex condition influenced by a range of factors that are not exclusively age-related. These include sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy diets, genetic predisposition and socioeconomic conditions. In Singapore, 23 people die every day from cardiovascular disease1. More than one out of three deaths in Singapore are due to heart diseases or stroke.
According to a recent paper published by researchers from the Cardiovascular-Metabolic Disease Translational Research Programme (CVMD TRP) at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) and the Department of Cardiology at the National University Heart Centre, Singapore (NUHCS) under the National University Health System (NUHS) in the Lancet Regional Health-Western Pacific, the number of heart attacks in Singapore is projected to rise nearly three-fold (194.4%) from 482 cases per 100,000 population in 2025 to 1,418 per 100,000 population in 20502. In 2025, it is predicted that four in 1,000 Singaporeans will have a heart attack. With the current forecast analysis based on the present metabolic burden in Singapore, one in 100 Singaporeans will have a heart attack in 2050. Researchers say that the upward projected heart attack trajectory can be halted by reducing upstream metabolic risks through the early detection and treatment of subclinical diseases, such as high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol, in vulnerable groups. Nationwide programmes focused on strengthening heart health can also potentially critically change the course of cardiovascular disease deaths.
Unmasking a hidden disease
Supported by a newly awarded S$25 million grant from the National Research Foundation, Singapore and the Singapore Ministry of Health’s National Medical Research Council3, Project RESET will bring together NUS Medicine, NUHS, NUHCS, National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS), National Heart Research Institute Singapore (NHRIS), Duke-NUS Medical School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), A*STAR’s Bioinformatics Institute (BII), Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), as well as industry and community partners, to study and implement the best ways to tackle heart disease in Singapore.
More than 10,000 Singaporeans will be invited to participate in the project, and have their heart, liver and metabolism assessed. Of these participants, 3,000 will be selected for a five-year follow-up programme where new technologies will be deployed and piloted.
Professor Roger Foo, Corresponding Principal Investigator of Project RESET, and Director of the CVMD TRP at NUS Medicine and the Cardiovascular Research Institute under NUHCS, said, “The different factors that contribute to heart disease will be investigated by capturing a variety of data points – from lifestyle information down to genetic variations – to provide a full diagnostic picture for each patient. This has never been achieved at this scale elsewhere before. Project RESET will also leverage artificial intelligence to develop effective preventive strategies and make preventive heart health more accessible and relevant to individuals.” Professor Foo is also Senior Consultant in the Department of Cardiology at NUHCS, and the Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Professor in Medicine.
Associate Professor Calvin Chin, Deputy Director of NHRIS and Senior Consultant, Department of Cardiology, NHCS, shared, “Singapore is in a unique and well-placed position to advance cardiovascular research, as its population comprises different ethnicities that broadly represent large parts of Asia. With the collective expertise from institutions across Singapore, Project RESET aims to increase our understanding of the complexities of cardio-metabolic disease and provide insights of different ethnic backgrounds, which will help us unlock research discoveries and develop new strategies to aid in early detection and prevention of cardiovascular disease, potentially benefitting local and the wider Asian populations.”
“Much of our understanding of health and disease comes from non-Asian sources. We are trying to change that at NUS Medicine. By delving deeper and getting a better understanding of how biology, natural history, lifestyles, genetic susceptibility affect therapeutic responses to diseases in Singapore, such as cardiovascular-metabolic diseases, we can potentially reverse disease trajectories not just in Singapore but Asia. I am confident that Project RESET will be a game-changer in advancing Asian heart health,” said Chong Yap Seng, Lien Ying Chow Professor in Medicine, Dean of NUS Medicine, and Deputy Chief Executive (Education & Research) at NUHS.
“One of the key aims of Project RESET is to reverse disease and empower individuals with holistic health insights from diverse data sources. Leveraging A*STAR's expertise in data science and infrastructure, the team will integrate big datasets such as those from clinical records, genomics and smartwatches, to provide a multi-dimensional view of health in Project RESET study participants. With the collaborative strength of our ecosystem partners, we're developing a data platform that will enable AI-powered predictions for a healthier future. We will also be profiling metabolic flexibility and investigating how it impacts heart health to alleviate the burden of disease and improve lives,” said Professor Dennis Wang, Theme Principal Investigator for Project RESET and Senior Principal Scientist from A*STAR.
Combining research excellence with real-world impact
Launched by Mr Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Health, on 27 September 2023, Project RESET is one of the initiatives that will be piloted at Health District @ Queenstown, where the study team will work closely with policymakers, urban planners and community leaders to create spaces that support the community’s physical, social and mental well-being, and reduce environmental factors that contribute to heart disease.
Professor Aaron Thean, Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost, NUS, said, “Through Project RESET, we strive to bridge the gap between academia and clinical practice, combining research excellence with real-world impact. By synergising expertise from various disciplines, we aim to create a transformative framework that will revolutionise heart disease prevention and care in Singapore.”