65LAB awards US$1.5 million to Duke-NUS platform to advance antifibrotic drug discovery

· Recipient Professor Enrico Petretto from Duke-NUS is spearheading groundbreaking research to develop new drugs for lung disease and uncover new therapeutic targets for kidney disease.

· The project is a bold step towards first-in-class therapy, harnessing a cutting-edge gene analysis approach augmented with AI and an emerging quantum computing platform.

· This award aims to accelerate the drug development pathway and foster the creation of new therapeutic companies in Singapore.

Singapore, 13 August 2025—65LAB has awarded US$1.5 million (approx. S$1.9 million) to Professor Enrico Petretto to advance a breakthrough drug discovery platform developed at Duke-NUS Medical School. The project aims to deliver first-in-class antifibrotic therapies for lung and kidney diseases—conditions that currently have no effective treatment. The platform, known as Systems Genetics, integrates computational biology with Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms and is being enhanced with emerging quantum computing approaches.

65LAB is a unique partnership of global investors ClavystBio, Leaps by Bayer, Lightstone Ventures, Polaris Partners and the Polaris Innovation Fund, as well as global life science company Evotec, set up to drive scientific advancement and create new biotech ventures from Singapore. 65LAB Expert-in-Residence Stephen Courtney will provide venture-building guidance to Professor Petretto to develop a commercialisation strategy and advance the project towards company formation.

This award is further supported with a US$390,000 (approx. S$500,000) investment from Duke-NUS' early-stage innovation fund and incubation programme, LIVE Ventures, which helps bridge the gap between academic discovery and commercial development.

Fibrosis, the formation of damaged and scarred extra tissues, can lead to organ failure. Conditions like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (a type of lung disease) affect an estimated 1 in 10,000 people in Asia-Pacific[1], while chronic kidney disease is a growing health burden, projected to affect one in four residents in Singapore by 2035. Professor Petretto's innovation directly addresses this huge unmet need by identifying molecules that can potentially be developed into new antifibrotic drugs.

Professor Enrico Petretto, Director of Duke-NUS' Centre for Computational Biology, said,

"We are heartened by the results of our pre-clinical studies, which show at least a 50 percent reduction in fibrosis in scarred tissues treated with our newly discovered molecules. These compounds work by blocking the activity of a key gene that drives tissue scarring in various diseases. 65LAB's award and the additional funding from LIVE Ventures will enable my team to accelerate the development of these molecules as antifibrotic drugs for clinical testing and future therapeutic use."

Prof Petretto's work builds on his previous discovery of WWP2, a key gene driving tissue fibrosis in multiple conditions, including lung, heart and kidney disease. The discovery was made using his pioneering Systems Genetics approach. His team has since integrated Artificial Intelligence for large-scale high-throughput in silico screening, which allows them to sieve through more than 15 billion molecules. He is also advancing the integration of quantum computing to further enhance this powerful drug discovery platform.

Dr. Chen Huimei, Principal Research Scientist at Duke-NUS' Centre for Computational Biology and co-Principal Investigator on the project, said,

"Using our computational platform, our team can quickly identify optimal drug targets for complex diseases. We can also widen our candidate pool, improving our chances of discovering molecules that can effectively block the WWP2 gene."

Next, Prof Petretto's team aims to work with partners to test and develop their small-molecule inhibitors into antifibrotic drugs. Prof Petretto's commercialisation aspirations are actively strengthened by Duke-NUS' Centre for Technology and Development, which is protecting the novel drug targets and new molecular entities through strategic patent filings.

Forging Partnerships to Drive Biotech Venture Creation

The award by 65LAB underscores the importance of close partnerships between academic institutions and industry leaders in accelerating the commercialisation of promising innovations. 65LAB, coupled with early-stage venture funding from Duke-NUS' incubator LIVE Ventures, creates a robust ecosystem to nurture scientific advancements into new therapeutic companies from Singapore, addressing critical health challenges globally.

Prof Petretto's project was selected through a competitive evaluation process and received unanimous support from 65LAB's investors and partners.

Dr. Pei-Sze Ng, Chair of 65LAB Joint Steering Committee and Investment Director at Leaps by Bayer said,

"This award enabling Professor Petretto to advance his groundbreaking work is central to 65LAB's mission. By combining world-class academic research with targeted funding and industry expertise, we're not just accelerating drug discovery; we're actively fostering the growth of Singapore's biotech venture ecosystem and bringing innovative therapies closer to patients who desperately need them."

Associate Professor Christopher Laing, Vice-Dean for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Duke-NUS, said,

"The investment is testimony to the commercialisation potential of Enrico's Systems Genetics pipeline. This project could bring a new therapy to market to treat patients with chronic diseases marked by fibrosis. It is also an affirmation of a robust platform for AI-driven target discovery, which promises more investible opportunities in the future."

The first award by 65LAB was made in July 2024—Associate Professor Lena Ho, also from Duke-NUS, received funding of US$1.5 million for her project developing microproteins into therapeutic targets to treat chronic inflammation.

###

About Duke-NUS Medical School

Duke-NUS is Singapore's flagship graduate-entry medical school, established in 2005 with a strategic, government-led partnership between two world-class institutions: Duke University School of Medicine and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Through an innovative curriculum, students at Duke-NUS are nurtured to become multi-faceted 'Clinicians Plus' poised to steer the healthcare and biomedical ecosystem in Singapore and beyond. A leader in ground-breaking research and translational innovation, Duke-NUS has gained international renown through its five Signature Research Programmes and ten Centres. The enduring impact of its discoveries is amplified by its successful Academic Medicine partnership with Singapore Health Services (SingHealth), Singapore's largest healthcare group. This strategic alliance has led to the creation of 15 Academic Clinical Programmes, which harness multi-disciplinary research and education to transform medicine and improve lives.

For more information, please visit www.duke-nus.edu.sg

About 65LAB

65LAB was founded to turn innovations into lifesaving medicines. Our mission is to drive scientific advancement and create new therapeutic companies from Singapore. We accelerate the drug discovery pathway and new company formation by bringing together the expertise of global partners — leading research institutions in Singapore, established life science investors, and reputed drug discovery and development company Evotec. 65 pays homage to the year Singapore became an independent nation. It is also Singapore's country code.

For more information, please visit 65lab.sg

[1] Maher TM, Bendstrup E, Dron L, Langley J, Smith G, Khalid JM, Patel H, Kreuter M. Global incidence and prevalence of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Respiratory research. 2021 Dec;22:1-0.

Provided by Duke-NUS Medical School