The Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) was established in 1987 at the National University of Singapore (NUS) before becoming an autonomous research institute (RI) of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). Its mission is to develop and foster a vibrant research culture for cutting-edge basic biomedical sciences and for training high-quality Ph.D. students for the flourishing biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries in Singapore. IMCB graduates, post-docs, principal investigators and alumni are much sought after and have consistently found excellent positions in academic and industrial organizations.

Funded primarily by Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) of A*STAR, IMCB now boasts about 40 core research labs and 8 core facility units consisting of over 400 research scientists in total.  IMCB’s research activities focus on six major fields: Cell Biology, Developmental Biology, Structural Biology, Infectious Diseases, Cancer Biology and Translational Research with core strengths in cell cycling, cell signalling, cell death, cell motility and protein trafficking.

IMCB’s achievements include being part of the international consortium that successfully sequenced the entire pufferfish (Fugu rubripes) in 2002. IMCB was awarded the Nikkei Prize 2000 for Technological Innovation in recognition of its growth into a leading international research centre and its collaboration with industry and research institutes worldwide. IMCB continues to publish in renowned international journals, with more than 1300 publications to its credit since 1987.

IMCB has numerous collaborations with industrial and academic partners both in Singapore and worldwide. Recent highlights include the licensing of DNA methylation technology to Hitachi Asia Ltd. for cancer diagnostics development, the collaboration with Merlion Pharmaceuticals for a drug discovery program, licensing of zebrafish (Danio rerio) genetic markers, licensing of microbial collections for drug screening, development of SARS and malaria diagnostic kits.

IMCB continues to strive for excellence in biomedical R&D to see the vision of Singapore being a world class hub for the Biomedical Sciences in Asia and beyond.