Leadership Transition at the Advanced Cell Therapy and Research Institute, Singapore (ACTRIS)

ACTRIS announces appointment of next Executive Director and Chief Medical Officer

Appointment of Associate Prof Aloysius Ho as Executive Director, ACTRIS from 1 March 2025

Associate Professor Aloysius Ho Yew Leng will be appointed as the Executive Director, ACTRIS from 1 March 2025 to 31 August 2027.

A/Prof Ho served as Executive Director (Designate), ACTRIS from 1 September 2024 to 28 February 2025.

A Senior Consultant Haematologist at the Department of Haematology, Singapore General Hospital (SGH), A/Prof Ho brings with him a rich experience in malignant haematology, haematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation and cellular therapies. He is also well versed in laboratory quality management and quality outcome measures, making him a choice leader for ACTRIS for the next phase.

A/Prof Ho also currently serves as the Medical Director of Singapore Cord Blood Bank. He is also the immediate past Head of SingHealth-Duke Blood Cancer Centre which brought together specialists from SGH, National Cancer Centre Singapore and KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital to unify the delivery of care for patients with blood cancers.

As the next Executive Director of ACTRIS, A/Prof Ho will provide executive leadership and guidance to lead ACTRIS as a premier institute to advance cell therapy and research. He will have the responsibility of directing ACTRIS in strengthening its clinical and research pillars, as well as establishing sustainable business models.

Through strategic collaborations and ongoing consultations with stakeholders and agencies such as healthcare clusters, medical experts, academic institutes, industry partners, and advisory boards, A/Prof Ho will lead ACTRIS in paving the way for ground-breaking research that aims to advance cancer treatment and regenerative medicine in the Singapore and the region.

We warmly welcome A/Prof Ho and look forward to his leadership in guiding ACTRIS to become the national and regional Centre of Excellence for discovery, process development and manufacturing of cellular-based therapeutics.

Appointment of Adjunct Associate Professor Yap Eng Soo as Chief Medical Officer, ACTRIS, from 1 March 2025

Adjunct Associate Professor Yap Eng Soo will be appointed as the Chief Medical Officer, ACTRIS from 1 March 2025 to 28 February 2028.

Adj A/Prof Yap served as Chief Medical Officer (Designate), ACTRIS from 1 Jan 2025 to 28 February 2025.

Adj A/Prof Yap is a familiar figure in ACTRIS, having been part of its original Implementation Office (IO) Team formed by Ministry of Health, Singapore (MOH). Specialising in thrombosis / haemostasis and benign haematology, he is the clinical quality manager for the NUH FACT-accredited Haematopoietic Cell Therapy Programme and served as the Deputy Director of the Tissue Engineering and Cell Therapy (TECT) lab at National University Hospital (NUH).

Presently, Adj A/Prof Yap is the Head & Senior Consultant, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Director of Haematology Services, Department of Medicine at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. He also serves as Senior Consultant, Department of Haematology-Oncology, National University Cancer Institute Singapore and Laboratory Medicine, NUH.

He also holds an academic position as Adj Assoc Professor with the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore and was the past President of the Singapore Society of Haematology.

We warmly welcome Adj A/Prof Yap and look forward to his leadership alongside Executive Director, ACTRIS, A/Prof Aloysius Ho.

Adjunct Associate Professor Danny Soon completes term of office as Interim Executive Director, ACTRIS on 28 Feb 2025

Adjunct Associate Professor Danny Soon, who is the Interim Executive Director, ACTRIS will complete his term of office on 28 February 2025. 

Under Adj A/Prof Soon’s stewardship, ACTRIS launched a state-of-the-art cell therapy process development and manufacturing facility to meet the increasing clinical demand for cell and gene therapy (CGT) treatments in Singapore. The largest national facility of its kind, the facility will support hospital services, academic institutions for research and biotech start-ups. During his term, Adj A/Prof Soon led ACTRIS in preparing for a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) accreditation for the facility. 

Adj A/Prof Soon oversaw the process of ACTRIS securing the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 (RIE 2025) – Human Health and Potential (HHP) funding from the National Medical Research Council (NMRC). In addition, Adj A/Prof Soon also provided strategic guidance for staffing initiatives and drove portfolio development efforts.

Recognising the need for specialised expertise in CGT, ACTRIS, together with the National University of Singapore, introduced a Professional Certification Programme, the ‘Professional Certificate in Principles and Practice of Cell Therapy with Emphasis on CAR-T’, later renamed ‘Professional Certificate in Immune Effector Cells in Cell Therapy’. The programme has provided formalised training to build talent in areas such as immunotherapy and regenerative medicine to meet manpower needs in CGT.

Following the conclusion of his term, Adj A/Prof Soon will be appointed as Senior Advisor, ACTRIS for the following six months from 1 March 2025 to 31 August 2025. In this role, he will support Executive Director, ACTRIS, A/Prof Aloysius Ho in engaging with ecosystem stakeholders, providing strategic insights and strengthening collaborations, in line with the role he already plays in his concurrent appointment as Chief Executive Officer of the Consortium of Clinical Research and Innovation, Singapore (CRIS).

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Adj A/Prof Soon for his years of invaluable contributions to the formation, development and growth of ACTRIS.

Assistant Professor Francesca Lim completes term of office as Chief Medical Officer, ACTRIS on 28 Feb 2025

Assistant Professor Francesca Lim, who is Chief Medical Officer, ACTRIS will complete her term of office on 28 February 2025. 

Over the last two years, Asst Prof Lim has been instrumental in supporting the ACTRIS team in establishing quality systems, optimising facility processes, and strengthening scientific leadership. As the Head of SingHealth Duke-NUS Cell Therapy Centre and a member of MOH’s Clinical Services Strategy for Cell Therapy Committee, Asst Prof Lim fostered critical connections within the clinical community and brought valuable insights into clinician perspectives. She also served as a strong advocate for ACTRIS in the local healthcare ecosystem.

As CMO, Asst Prof Lim was instrumental in leading the pioneer team in launching ACTRIS’ state-of-the-art cell therapy process development and manufacturing facility to meet the increasing clinical demand for cell and gene therapy (CGT) treatments in Singapore. 

Asst Prof Lim led ACTRIS in various clinical aspects and workflows in the lead-up to preparing the facility for the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) accreditation. 

Recognising the need to nurture expertise in CGT, Asst Prof Lim has graced several engagements at major conferences such as the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH) and the Annual Congress of the Asia-Pacific Bone Marrow Transplantation Group (APBMT) to share insights with aspiring clinicians in the field of CGT.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Asst Prof Lim for her years of dedication and guidance to the team at ACTRIS.