A micro-pig grows to weigh 10kg to 15kg within 15 months, compared with normal pigs which grow to weigh more than 100kg within a year. --PHOTO: PWG GENETICS
They are the made-in-Singapore 'guinea pigs'. Miniature pigs 10 times smaller than a normal pig will soon be bred here for scientific research.
PWG Genetics, a biomedical research company with its headquarters in South Korea, plans to breed about 200 of these pigs from this year at its new facility in Tuas. Over at Lim Chu Kang, a facility will be built to produce up to 600,000 mice and rats annually.
The project belongs to InVivos, a company set up by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) and the National University of Singapore (NUS). The facilities aim to meet the demand for animals as Singapore pushes for biomedical sciences to be a pillar of growth. The animals are used to test drugs, vaccines and surgical methods.
Singapore is home to 25 facilities licensed by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) for animal research. They include laboratories run by A*Star, NUS, health-care group SingHealth and companies like PWG.
While NUS and A*Star run their own facilities to breed rodents, researchers still need to import more of these and other animals like monkeys and pigs. About 30,000 small mammals such as mice and rabbits were imported last year for research and as pets, the AVA said.
The demand here for miniature pigs alone is about 1,000 a year, a PWG spokesman said. Normal pigs, which grow to weigh more than 100kg within a year, are difficult to handle. If used for drug tests, they will need huge dosages, which can be expensive.
They are the made-in-Singapore 'guinea pigs'. Miniature pigs 10 times smaller than a normal pig will soon be bred here for scientific research.
PWG Genetics, a biomedical research company with its headquarters in South Korea, plans to breed about 200 of these pigs from this year at its new facility in Tuas. Over at Lim Chu Kang, a facility will be built to produce up to 600,000 mice and rats annually.
The project belongs to InVivos, a company set up by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) and the National University of Singapore (NUS). The facilities aim to meet the demand for animals as Singapore pushes for biomedical sciences to be a pillar of growth. The animals are used to test drugs, vaccines and surgical methods.
Singapore is home to 25 facilities licensed by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) for animal research. They include laboratories run by A*Star, NUS, health-care group SingHealth and companies like PWG.
While NUS and A*Star run their own facilities to breed rodents, researchers still need to import more of these and other animals like monkeys and pigs. About 30,000 small mammals such as mice and rabbits were imported last year for research and as pets, the AVA said.
The demand here for miniature pigs alone is about 1,000 a year, a PWG spokesman said. Normal pigs, which grow to weigh more than 100kg within a year, are difficult to handle. If used for drug tests, they will need huge dosages, which can be expensive.
