SINGAPORE, Sept. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hummingbird Bioscience, a data-driven precision biotherapeutics company discovering and developing transformative biologic medicines for hard-to-treat diseases, today announced the official opening of its office and research facilities at the Singapore Science Park. Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Heng Swee Keat officiated the opening ceremony at The Galen on 23rd September 2022. Located at The Galen and The Aries buildings, Hummingbird Bioscience's 40,000 sq. ft. space holds more than 10 state-of-the-art laboratories integrated with office space.
"This is a significant milestone for the Hummingbird Bioscience team, which has come a long way since the company's inception in 2015," said Piers Ingram, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Hummingbird Bioscience. "The Hummingbird Bioscience team has grown to a current headcount of 150 responsible for the full range of drug discovery and development activities from target validation, antibody discovery, bioinformatics to clinical development. We look forward to welcoming more talented teammates at our new location."
Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) has supported Hummingbird Bioscience closely on its growth, including the development of its platform technology. SEEDS Capital, the investment arm of EnterpriseSG, has also co-invested in the company. Said Soh Leng Wan, Assistant Chief Executive Officer (Manufacturing & Engineering) of EnterpriseSG, "The Singapore biotech innovation scene has grown rapidly since our early investments into biomedical research. Today, there are more than 40 therapeutic biotechs in Singapore with many achieving good traction. In 2021, Singapore-based biotechs collectively raised more than S$860 million. Hummingbird Bioscience is an example of a biotech that has successfully fund raised and continues to build capabilities to develop its clinical-stage assets. This will generate new biotech job opportunities in Singapore."
Bolstering in-house capabilities
The pharmacology, mass spectrometry, analytical science, production, genomics, discovery, engineering, and microbiology labs will further enable the Hummingbird Bioscience team to accelerate its biotherapeutics research. Integrated with office space, the proximity allows for a collaborative environment across multiple disciplines.
"We will continue to build an interdisciplinary team that is motivated to solve complex scientific problems with creative solutions. Our integrated approach aims to accelerate the drug discovery and development process while reducing inherent risks," said Jerome Boyd-Kirkup, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of Hummingbird Bioscience.
Precision Oncology Symposium | X Marks The Spot: Treating cancer with precision
Prior to the opening ceremony, Hummingbird Bioscience hosted a precision oncology symposium titled 'X Marks The Spot: Treating cancer with precision'. Renowned scientists and oncologists shared their experiences in precision oncology and discussed key recent themes in a panel discussion.
Speakers:
- Dr. Thomas J. Lynch Jr., President and Director of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
- Prof. Chng Wee Joo, Director and Senior Consultant, National University Cancer Institute, Singapore, National University Health System
- Dr. Eric Rowinsky, Chief Medical Officer, Hummingbird Bioscience
- Dr. Jerome Boyd-Kirkup, Chief Scientific Officer, Hummingbird Bioscience
- Dr. Piers Ingram, Chief Executive Officer, Hummingbird Bioscience
About Hummingbird Bioscience
Hummingbird Bioscience is a data-driven precision biotherapeutics company discovering and developing transformative biologic medicines for hard-to-treat diseases. The Hummingbird Bioscience model combines computational and systems biology with wet lab drug discovery in a multi-disciplinary, collaborative environment spanning initial discovery through clinical development. We harness this integrated approach across target identification and patient selection, enabling our team to increase the efficiency of translating novel scientific insights while reducing the inherent risk in drug discovery and development. We are currently developing two clinical-stage assets: HMBD-001, a humanized anti-HER3 monoclonal antibody targeting a novel epitope on HER3, and HMBD-002, a humanized anti-VISTA IgG4 monoclonal antibody. Both programs are currently in Phase 1 studies. At Hummingbird Bioscience, our commitment to rigorous science, teamwork, and intellectual integrity underpins our passion to accelerate the journey of new drugs from concept to clinic.
For more information, please visit www.hummingbirdbioscience.com, and follow Hummingbird Bioscience on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.
