US foundation makes US$8m gift to NUS to research women's reproductive longevity

LAWYER and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan has gifted US$8 million to the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine to establish a centre for research into women's reproductive longevity.

Ms Shanahan is married to Google founder Sergey Brin, and has her own foundation, the Bia-Echo Foundation, through which the gift was made.

Research by the Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality will specialise in women's reproductive health, ageing and digital medicine. The effort aims to find ways to lengthen women's reproductive health and longevity, help them to preserve and improve their reproductive systems and general health, and potentially enable them to conceive in their later years.

The research will be led by scientists and clinicians from NUS Medicine and other institutions, including those in the Asia-Pacific, US and Europe.

Said Ms Shanahan in a statement: "It was during my time as a study-abroad student at NUS Law School that I came to realise the unique position Singapore is in to be a pioneer in science and governance for this generation of innovators. I couldn't be happier to support NUS Medicine's leadership in women's reproductive longevity and equality...

"Expanding the reproductive lifespan of women is an investment that I know will serve generations to come, will have a positive and everlasting effect in how we approach women's health, and provide greater confidence to families as they plan for the future. I hope that we can ameliorate the pain and fear so many women face today of losing reproductive capacity in their 30s. As overall lifespan is increasing, so should reproductive lifespan."

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In Singapore, the trend has been for women to postpone marriage and having children. Still, the number of women giving birth in their 40s has almost doubled over the past three to four decades, according to the Department of Statistics. As fertility declines with age, conception when older comes with health risks such as the risk of miscarriage and premature live births.

The centre aims to lead female reproductive biology research in the Asia-Pacific, and translate discoveries into enhancing female reproductive success and mitigating menopause-associated functional decline. It will also set out to build a global network focused on understanding the health consequences of reproductive health and longevity in Asian women. The centre will also help facilitate partnerships and collaborations between the academic and private sectors, as well as advocate leadership in reproductive equality in the Asia-Pacific through public health messaging via government, professional and advocacy groups.

Chong Yap Seng, dean of the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, said the vision of the Bia-Echo Foundation aligns with that of the NUS Medical School.

"The reproductive health of women is paramount to the well-being and progress of a nation. The field of women's reproductive health has not progressed much beyond in-vitro fertilisation and hormone replacement therapy and there is a pressing need for us to re-imagine approaches and possibilities in this field, especially with fast-ageing populations in many Asian societies, including Singapore.

"We are deeply appreciative of the generous gift from the Bia-Echo Foundation, whose vision aligns with our work in women's health. With this gift paving the way forward in the study of fertility and reproductive ageing, I believe the centre is uniquely positioned to lead this conversation and, in time to come, shift the needle in enhancing the reproductive longevity and health of Asian women across generations."