Singapore to embark on study exploring links between Asian gut microbiomes and mental health
• GLOW (Gut Linked Outcomes in Wellbeing) investigates how the human gut microbiome influences mental health.
• Multi-institutional study represents a unique opportunity for Singapore to lead globally in pioneering microbiome-based approaches to mental health, particularly within diverse and urban Asian populations.
• Amid rising rates of depression, anxiety, and burnout affecting Singaporeans across age groups, this research endeavour, which will focus on prevention rather than just treatment, is a timely initiative.
SINGAPORE, 10 OCTOBER 2025 – A new research initiative, GLOW (Gut Linked Outcomes in Wellbeing) will be launched in Singapore to investigate how the human gut microbiome—often described as the body’s “second genome”—influences mental health.
The multi-institutional team, comprising scientists and clinicians from Duke-NUS Medical School; the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Genome Institute of Singapore (A*STAR GIS); NHG Health’s Institute of Mental Health (IMH), NHG Polyclinics and Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH); Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; the National University of Singapore (NUS); and Precision Health Research, Singapore (PRECISE) aims to uncover how gut microbes may shape mood, cognition, and mental health and wellbeing.
Building on participants from PRECISE-SG100K – an initiative which collects genomic and health data from consented 100,000 Singaporeans to better understand disease risk and inform tailored healthcare strategies – the three-year study will recruit over 6,000 participants from all races, including both healthy individuals and those with lived experience of mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, to investigate how the gut microbiome influences mental wellbeing.
By collecting biological samples (stool, skin, saliva, and blood) and comprehensive psychological data across Singapore’s major ancestry groups, researchers aim to uncover how microbial ecosystems interact with mood, cognition, and overall mental health. The study integrates cutting-edge multi-omics technologies, which are advanced methods that examine how multiple biological systems interact all at once, to generate research insights that will inform the development of more precise and locally relevant mental health interventions. Study participants will also undergo mental health evaluations, and complete health and lifestyle questionnaires.
The study participants will be enrolled through clinical partners via referral at IMH, TTSH, and NHG Polyclinics. They will also be added as new members of the existing PRECISE-SG100K cohort.
Enrolment will commence only after securing ethical approvals and establishing comprehensive oversight procedures to safeguard participant welfare and data privacy.
Gut microbes produce compounds that influence inflammation, brain signalling, and stress responses—pathways connected to mental health. Imbalance of such microbes has been linked to conditions like depression, anxiety, and cognitive disorders.
Currently, researchers are beginning to understand that while most serotonin is produced and used in the gut, the gut-brain axis allows for complex communication between the digestive and nervous systems.
GLOW combines expertise from psychiatry, population health, genomics, gut health (gastroenterology), and data science to move beyond simply identifying correlations and work towards understanding causative pathways. The research will have a focus on preventive care, and aims to inform future treatments and interventions.
This study, made possible through a philanthropic gift, aims to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and real-world applications to improve patient health outcomes. It also represents a unique opportunity for Singapore to lead globally in pioneering microbiome-based approaches to mental health, particularly within diverse and urban Asian populations.
“This multi-institutional initiative reflects our shared goal to address the challenge of mental health through innovative, science-driven and team-based solutions,” said Professor Patrick Tan, Dean-designate of Duke-NUS Medical School and Executive Director of PRECISE. “By bringing together PRECISE’s precision medicine platform with Duke-NUS’ strengths in biomedical research, we aim to uncover how the Asian gut microbiome shapes mental health. These insights could guide not only more targeted interventions in Singapore but also contribute to global understanding of mental health in diverse populations.”
“There is growing evidence that the gut and brain are deeply connected through complex biochemical pathways, but we lack studies grounded in local populations,” said Professor John Chambers, Lead Principal Investigator (PI), PRECISE and PRECISE-SG100K.
“Our goal is to bring this science out of the lab and into the clinic – so patients, caregivers, and doctors can benefit from precision insights that are both biologically and culturally relevant,” added Professor Chambers, who is also Chief Scientific Officer, PRECISE and Programme Director of the Population & Global Health Research Programme at LKCMedicine.
"Understanding why some patients respond better to certain therapies than others is a major clinical gap," said Associate Professor Jimmy Lee, Senior Consultant and Clinician-Scientist at the Institute of Mental Health, NHG Health. "By studying the microbiome alongside mental health conditions such as depression, we hope to gain new insights into biological pathways that could inform better diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. For patients, this research holds promise that one day care for depression may not only involve the mind, but also the body in a more holistic way—potentially opening up new avenues for mental health research in Singapore."
“The human gut microbiome is a powerful, largely untapped resource,” said Associate Professor Niranjan Nagarajan, Associate Director, AI & Compute at the A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore, and Associate Professor at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and School of Computing at the National University of Singapore. “Emerging research suggests that the human gut microbiome may influence brain function through its interactions with the nervous and immune systems. In addition, it plays a key role in regulating immunity and metabolism. We are only beginning to uncover its potential in the context of mental health.”
ABOUT “GLOW”
Gut Linked Outcomes in Wellbeing (GLOW)
This study builds on the Singapore National Precision Medicine (NPM) programme’s foundational PRECISE-SG100K cohort, which collects genomic and health data from 100,000 Singaporeans to better understand disease risk and inform tailored healthcare strategies. GLOW will extend and expand PRECISE-SG100K research activities by incorporating comprehensive microbiome and mental health data into the existing precision medicine framework.
Over 6,000 participants of Chinese, Malay, and Indian ancestry will be invited to participate in the study. This includes both healthy individuals and those with lived experience of mental health conditions such as depression. Researchers will collect stool, skin, and blood samples, alongside detailed health, lifestyle, and psychological assessments. Using advanced technologies—including metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, and metabolomics—the research team will collect stool samples from study participants to study the composition, function, and biochemical activity of participants’ microbial communities at high resolution.
The primary goal is to investigate how human microbial ecosystems—particularly the gut microbiome—are associated with mental health outcomes such as mood, , risk of depression, as well as cognition. By characterising host-microbiome interactions across a multi-ancestry Asian cohort, the study aims to shed light on how biological and environmental factors jointly contribute to mental health.
This initiative aligns with the broader objectives of the National Precision Medicine programme by advancing precision health strategies that integrate genomic, microbial, and environmental data. The datasets and insights generated will inform future research, including the identification of microbial biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets. In doing so, the study will contribute to the development of more effective, accessible, and contextually relevant approaches to mental health care in Singapore and the region.
ABOUT THE GLOW STUDY TEAM
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Name and Designation |
Role |
|---|---|
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Professor John Chambers Chief Scientific Officer, Precision Health Researh, Singapore (PRECISE) Toh Kian Chui Distinguished Professor and Population & Global Health Research Programme Director, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore |
Lead Principal Investigator and Population Cohort Lead Oversees the overall study design and integration of data from population cohorts to ensure robust, representative findings. |
|
Professor Patrick Tan Executive Director, Precision Health Research, Singapore (PRECISE) Dean-designate of Duke-NUS Medical School |
Population Cohort Co-Lead Provides overarching leadership for the initiative, guiding its scientific direction and strategic vision. Also contributes to cohort development and supporting alignment across Singapore’s precision medicine projects. |
|
Associate Professor Jimmy Lee Senior Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinician-Scientist at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), NHG Health |
Mental Health Insights Lead Clinical lead guiding the clinical and psychiatric components and contributing expertise on mental health outcomes and their link to the microbiome. Co-Leads: Associate Professor Sunny Wong, Associate Professor of Nutrition, Digestion and Metabolism and Assistant Dean, Academic Medicine, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Assistant Professor Sabrina Wong, Deputy Director and Principal Clinician Researcher, Clinical Research Unit, NHG Polyclinics Clinical Director, Primary Care and Family Medicine, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore |
|
Associate Professor Niranjan Nagarajan Associate Professor in the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and School of Computing at the National University of Singapore (NUS), and Associate Director, AI and Compute at the A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore (A*STAR GIS) |
Microbiome Phenotyping Lead Directs microbiome analysis and interpretation, developing methods to profile microbial communities linked to mental health. |
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Assistant Professor Marie Loh Assistant Professor of Molecular Epidemiology, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Senior Research Scientist, A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore (A*STAR GIS) |
Host Molecular Phenotyping Lead Investigates host (i.e. study participant) molecular signatures, including genetic and molecular pathways, to understand gut-brain interactions. |
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Assistant Professor Max Lam Chief Technology Officer, Precision Health Research, Singapore (PRECISE) |
Data Lead Oversees data management and analytics, ensuring secure integration and analysis of large-scale multi-omics datasets. |
GLOSSARY
Biomarker: A measurable biological signal (such as a molecule, gene, or metabolite) that can indicate a normal or disease process, or a response to treatment.
Gut microbiome: The community of trillions of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms living in the human digestive tract. These microbes play an important role in digestion, immunity, and overall health.
Host-microbiome interactions The dynamic relationship between the human body (the “host”) and the trillions of microbes living in the gut. These interactions influence key biological processes—including digestion, immune regulation, and chemical signaling to the brain—which may play a role in shaping mood, stress response, and overall mental well-being.
Metagenomics: The study of genetic material recovered directly from microbial communities, allowing scientists to identify which microbes are present and what genes they carry.
Metatranscriptomics: The study of RNA molecules produced by microbes, providing insights into which microbial genes are actively being expressed and how microbes respond to different conditions.
Metabolomics: The study of small molecules (metabolites) produced by cells, microbes, or the body, which reflect ongoing biological processes and can influence health and disease.
Microbiome: The Second Genome The microbiome refers to the vast community of microorganisms—bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microbes—that inhabit the human body, especially the gut. These microbes collectively contribute over 2 million genes, vastly outnumbering the approximately 20,000 genes in the human genome. This immense genetic reservoir is often called the "second genome" because it plays a crucial role in shaping human health, development, and disease—complementing and interacting with our own DNA in profound ways.
Microbial markers: Specific types or patterns of gut bacteria that can give clues about a person’s health—like signals that may be linked to mood, stress, or mental wellbeing.
Multi-omics technologies: Advanced methods that examine multiple biological systems—such as genes (genomics), proteins (proteomics), and gut microbes (microbiomics)—all at once, to better understand how they interact and influence mental and physical health.
Phenotyping: Characterising observable traits (e.g., clinical symptoms, molecular profiles) to better understand health and disease.
Study cohort: A group of people with shared characteristics who are enrolled in a research study and followed over time to understand health outcomes and contributing factors. E.g. GLOW targets to have a study cohort of 6,000 participants.
About Precision Health Research, Singapore (PRECISE)
PRECISE coordinates Singapore's National Precision Medicine Phase II programme, a multi-institutional collaboration including A*STAR, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, NHG Health, National University Health System, National University of Singapore, and SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre. The programme studies the genetic makeup of 100,000 Singaporeans to improve health outcomes through Asian genome insights. Working with A*STAR, the Biomedical Sciences Industry Partnership Office, and EDB, the programme also aims to grow Singapore's precision medicine industry by attracting international companies and creating opportunities for local enterprises.
PRECISE is a programme of the Consortium for Clinical Research and Innovation, Singapore (CRIS). National Precision Medicine (NPM) Phase II is supported by the National Research Foundation, Singapore (NRF) under the RIE2020 White Space (MOH-000588 and MOH-001264) and administered by the Singapore Ministry of Health through the National Medical Research Council (NMRC) Office, MOH Holdings Pte Ltd.
For more information, pls visit https://www.npm.sg
About PRECISE-SG100K
The PRECISE-SG100K study is a long-term project focusing on the health and wellbeing of Singapore's diverse, multi-ethnic population. The study aims to engage over 100,000 participants and collect baseline health information and biological specimens. The study will monitor long-term health outcomes and identify environmental, lifestyle and genetic factors associated with diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer. The PRECISE-SG100K study will be a significant resource for promoting health in Singapore and will yield globally significant results.
Media Contact:
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Consortium for Clinical Research and Innovation, Singapore
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Consortium for Clinical Research and Innovation, Singapore
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