New lab in Changi cuts pandemic testing time by a third, improves cargo testing capacity tenfold

SINGAPORE - Six years ago, on Jan 23, 2020, Singapore confirmed its

first case of Covid-19

.

The early days of the pandemic saw a scramble for testing facilities here, with the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) having to

refit its lab in Pasir Panjang

to test for the virus.

This meant compromising the lab’s cargo testing capacity to run Covid-19 tests round the clock.

Learning from the lessons and challenges of that period, a new HTX lab was built at the Changi Airfreight Centre and the facility was launched on Jan 16.

It is the first chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives (CBRNE) lab in eastern Singapore, and has been designed to better deal with future pandemics.

Named CBRNE@Changi, the lab features three zones and was set up with the support of the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and Changi Airport Group (CAG).

The lab doubles the number of samples that can be tested during a pandemic, and cuts the time taken from

six hours

to four hours.

This is because the new equipment can digitalise the testing process.

One example is the use of a radio frequency identification system, which allows for 96 samples to be registered at once.

Previously, scientists spent significant time manually registering each sample.

One lab zone is dedicated to CBRNE operations, such as testing cargo swab samples from Changi Airport.

Before this, such samples from the airport had to be tested at a lab in Woodlands.

The other two lab areas at CBRNE@Changi are for clinical workflows and research.

During a pandemic, the CBRNE area will be isolated from the other two labs, which will be used for pandemic testing, allowing operations on both sides to continue with minimal disruption.

The separation is done by activating an air-locked corridor that is specially designed to prevent cross-contamination.

The new facility also increases the testing capacity of cargo samples by 10 times.

In peacetime, part of it will be used as a research area.

The work being done includes omics-based research, which involves the study of entire sets of biological molecules – such as all genes and proteins within an organism – to understand how these components interact as a whole.

Such research benefits border security as it helps to develop tools to better identify biological threats.

Another key project at the lab is the development of a portable mass spectrometer.

The machine prototype is roughly the size of a microwave oven and can test for a wide range of compounds in 30 seconds.

Much larger testing tools take between 30 minutes and an hour.

The spectrometer can be used to test for compounds like

controlled drugs such as etomidate

, an anaesthetic used in vapes that has been listed under the Misuse of Drugs Act. 

Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, who launched the lab on Jan 16, said the threats from around the world are evolving and the Home Team must keep up to secure Singapore’s borders.

The lab was built on lessons learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.

“When the next pandemic strikes, you’re not going to have the time to prepare this.

“So, with the lessons learnt, we’ve put in a state-of-the-art facility for testing for pandemics,” he added.

Ms May Ong, director of HTX’s CBRNE Centre of Expertise, said the new lab is designed to do more than just meet Singapore’s current operational needs.

She said: “By combining front-line CBRNE operations with deep biological research at the air border, we are building the capabilities needed to understand the unknown faster and respond more decisively.”

CAG executive vice-president for engineering and development Koh Ming Sue said: “By successfully partnering government agencies to develop CBRNE@Changi within Changi Airport, we are building critical front-line capabilities that strengthen Singapore’s resilience against emerging threats and ensure Changi Airport remains a safe and trusted gateway for global travel.”