Singapore-based AcroMeta Group, an established specialist engineering service provider in the field of controlled environments serving mainly the healthcare, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, research and academia sectors, has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary company Acromec Engineers has been awarded a S$19 million (US$14m) contract for the design and construction of a 1,500 sqm high containment biosafety level research laboratory.
The facility is designed for research on highly infectious pathogens potentially carried by infected animals and spread through airborne transmission.
The build
The state-of-the-art project involves the construction of a high containment biosafety laboratory using modular panels for both reliability and durability to withstand long periods of hard usage and repeated commissioning.
Construction would be carried out in a 'live' building with many existing tenants without affecting their operations. The facility is expected to be completed and certified by 2024 and will be compliant with WHO and MOH high containment facility standards.
The state-of-the-art project involves the construction of a high containment biosafety laboratory using modular panels for both reliability and durability to withstand long periods of hard usage and repeated commissioning
Lim Say Chin, ACROMETA's Executive Director and CEO, said: "The award to Acromec is a testament to our engineering experience and capabilities. With its expertise and established track record in controlled environments engineering, AcroMeta is positioned to benefit from the construction of such laboratories as governments in the region strengthen their biomedical R&D capabilities to counter threats from infectious diseases."
Acromec, the wholly-owned engineering subsidiary of the Group, is an established specialist engineering services provider with more than 25 years of experience in the field of controlled environments. It has designed and built several high biosafety level R & D laboratories and manufacturing facilities for biomedical companies, such as 10X Genomics, Integrated DNA Technologies, and GenScript.
Research labs - a vital link in Singapore's pandemic readiness strategy
Singapore emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the countries that scored high marks for its handling of the crisis. Every aspect of the pandemic was systematically studied, and monitored, and appropriate actions taken - from procurement and cold storage of vaccines for the entire resident population, to laboratory testing and identification of each mutated variant of the virus as it evolved.
Laboratories for the testing, identification and carrying out of research with live virus is a vital link in the Singapore government's preparedness strategy for future pandemics
- Levin Lee Keng Weng, AcroMeta's Executive Chairman
But the pandemic also revealed the need for Singapore to be prepared for future pandemics. The government has implemented the findings of the Covid-19 White Paper published on 8 March 2023 which detailed the 7 lessons to be learned from the pandemic and implemented a pandemic readiness strategy. The strategy takes a whole-country approach and involves participation by, and collaboration with the private sector as well as with the entire population.
Levin Lee Keng Weng, ACROMETA's Executive Chairman, added: "Laboratories for the testing, identification and carrying out of research with live virus is a vital link in the Singapore government's preparedness strategy for future pandemics. These laboratories are not standard laboratories but highly specialised facilities; the design and construction of which can only be done by a handful of controlled environments experts such as Acromec."