Building a Vibrant and Resilient Healthcare System: Insights from Dr. Basil Lui by Taeyoung Kang

Dr. Basil Lui, a pivotal figure in establishing Singapore as a leading hub for medical sciences and biotechnology in Asia, provides valuable insights into fortifying the healthcare system. With investments across diverse healthcare sectors such as precision medicine, digital health, and more, Dr. Lui illuminates how these endeavors have bolstered Singapore’s resilience and global healthcare advancements.

 

Strategic Investments in Healthcare Innovation

Dr. Lui highlights EDBI’s strategic investments in companies like Moderna and Doctor Anywhere, emphasizing the role of long-term planning in fostering Singapore’s healthcare resilience. EDBI’s early investment in Moderna, before the pandemic, facilitated Singapore’s access to cutting-edge mRNA vaccine technology, showcasing the importance of strategic foresight in mitigating healthcare challenges.

 

Ecosystem Building and Talent Development

Singapore’s emergence as a biotech hub is attributed to decades of concerted efforts in research and talent development. Dr. Lui emphasizes the role of ecosystem development, citing Singapore’s political stability and long-term planning as crucial factors. The attractiveness of Singapore’s ecosystem has attracted talent and biotech startups, positioning the nation as a global leader in biomedical innovation.

 

Vision for Future Healthcare

Dr. Lui outlines Singapore’s pragmatic approach to healthcare, with a growing emphasis on healthy living to alleviate the strain on healthcare infrastructure. Leveraging advancements in technology, such as wearable devices and AI-driven monitoring, Singapore aims to empower individuals to take charge of their health proactively. By promoting healthy lifestyles and leveraging technology, Singapore seeks to ensure its aging population can live well and age gracefully, reducing the burden on healthcare services.

 

Harnessing Technology for Healthcare Transformation

The integration of technology, including AI and wearable devices, holds immense potential in revolutionizing healthcare delivery. Dr. Lui highlights the benefits of continuous monitoring and personalized health insights in encouraging healthier lifestyles and early intervention. By leveraging technology to empower individuals and optimize healthcare resources, Singapore aims to build a resilient healthcare system capable of addressing the needs of its aging population.

 

A Future-Ready Healthcare System

Dr. Basil Lui’s insights underscore the importance of strategic investments, ecosystem building, and technology integration in shaping Singapore’s healthcare landscape. With a focus on innovation, talent development, and proactive healthcare strategies, Singapore aims to build a vibrant and resilient healthcare system capable of meeting the evolving needs of its population.

 

Reflection: Embracing Technology for Healthcare Sustainability

Acknowledging the transformative potential of technology in healthcare, Singapore is preparing to address challenges posed by an aging population. By embracing innovations such as AI and wearable technology, Singapore aims to empower individuals and optimize healthcare delivery, ensuring a sustainable and resilient healthcare system for the future.

 

About Dr. Basil Lui

Dr. Basil Lui is the Founding Partner of AGP. Prior to this, he was an Advisor and Managing Partner at EDBI where he oversaw investments in Healthcare and Emerging Technologies. Dr. Lui was a key member of EDBI’s Investment Committee for ~50 investments with 10 exits. On the healthcare front, he was involved in several investments for EDBI, including Doctor Anywhere a full-stack online-offline healthcare service; Hummingbird Bioscience a clinical-stage precision medicine company; MiRXES a developer of RNA early disease detection tests; US2.ai an AI software platform for echocardiography to fight heart disease; and a pre-covid investment into mRNA vaccine platform Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA). Basil has a strong interest in regenerative technologies that can restore cellular health and resilience.

Additionally, Dr. Lui drove early stage deep-tech fund-of-funds investments at EDBI, covering regional healthcare funds, and as a LPAC member in portfolio funds, worked closely in partnership with funds to invest in Singapore and the region. He also spearheaded EDBI’s investments in areas that would have an impact to the future of healthcare and the bioeconomy such as synthetic biology, gene edits, robotics, AI, blockchain, AR and VR. Dr. Lui pioneered EDBI’s post-investment value creation and communications efforts, ensuring strong support to portfolio companies through market access, talent recruitment, strategic financing, partnership & guidance; and is often a speaker in global technology events and panels.

Prior to EDBI, Dr. Lui was a McKinsey consultant covering South East Asia, an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Keppel-NUS Corporate Laboratory, the APAC President of a global semiconductor electronic design automation company, an Assistant Professor at National University of Singapore Electrical & Computer Engineering, and a post-doctoral researcher at the Cambridge University Engineering Department. Basil is the inventor of several patents and holds a BA (1st class), MA and PhD from the University of Cambridge. He was awarded a Commonwealth scholarship, a Singapore Government Public Service Commission scholarship, and a Research Fellowship from Trinity College Cambridge.

 

About EDBI 

Investing since 1991, EDBI is a Singapore-based global investor in select high-growth technologies spanning sectors across Information & Communication Technology, Emerging Technology and Healthcare. As a value-creating investor, we support companies aiming to expand in Asia and globally through Singapore with our extensive network, resources and expertise. For more information, visit www.edbi.com.

 

About August Global Partners

August Global Partners (AGP) is an independent fund management company spun out from EDBI, a Singapore state-owned strategic fund, with former top and senior executives as the fund’s founders. Armed with a robust track record and years of success, and having managed significant assets-under-management (AUM) previously, this team will now manage two funds, the AGP Continuation Growth Fund (AGPCG) and a second fund, the AGP Healthcare Fund (AGPHC), to capture new and exciting opportunities. AGPHC is a pure commercially driven fund with Living Better and Aging Better themes.

For more information, visit www.augustglobalpartners.com.