Brain Drain: Singapore Drawing Researchers From U.S.

"Some of the West's best scientific minds have come to Singapore in a shift that could have dramatic long-term consequences for the multibillion-dollar biomedical industry in the United States and Britain. The two nations have led biotech research since the 1980s, when scientists discovered that embryonic stem cells can develop into nearly every other kind of cell."

"Already a high-tech manufacturing leader in Asia, Singapore initiated a plan in 2000 to turn the country into a global biomedical hub. Since then, scores of the world's top companies and scientists have been lured by promises of hassle-free funding and the freedom to follow their research interests, unfettered by the conflicted ethical debate in the United States about the use of stem cells."

"Partly, Singapore has been able to attract top talent by building world-class laboratories and creating a research-friendly environment. Last year, the government announced that it will spend $7.5 billion on biomedical sciences over the next five years, up from the nearly $4 billion it spent between 2000 and 2005. The government's centerpiece investment is Biopolis, a $300 million 'science city' fitted with well-equipped laboratories, day care centers, bars and a fitness center."

A top American scientist who now runs a Singaporean research center said that U.S. organizations such as the National Cancer Institute and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "are treated as political beanbags for political demagogues."