Home to SingHealth's state-of-the-art research facilities, the Academia's Discovery Tower houses eight research core platforms, such as the SingHealth Tissue Repository (STR) and the new SingHealth Translational Immunology and Inflammation Centre.

As the largest tissue repository in Singapore, the STR offers core tissue research and bio-banking services to researchers, enabling them to identify new biomarkers, treatment targets and drugs. Its new home in the Academia serves to boost basic, translational and clinical research conducted by SingHealth and Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School. To-date, the STR is involved in 31 local and international research projects which focus on finding cures for diseases such as cancers and chronic diseases.

The SingHealth Translational Immunology and Inflammation Centre is a new platform that formalises efforts to advance the field of translational immunology and inflammation research led by SingHealth and Duke-NUS. The Centre has identified potential clinical collaborations which include paediatric allergies and immunological disorders, transplantation immunology and stem cell and immunotherapy for cancers and other diseases.

With increased capacity for research, the Academia not only offers researchers with more laboratories to conduct ground-breaking research but interconnected spaces which promote the exchange of knowledge and ideas. The increased capacity also serves to support the growing number of clinician scientists in SingHealth and Duke-NUS. By 2015, both organisations aim to grow the talent pool from the current 50 to 80 clinician scientists, meeting half of the entire nation's needs.