BloodCounts! will develop frontier AI models for routine blood tests to improve healthcare
Mathematicians and clinicians will use AI for healthcare to detect diseases earlier in the human body by revealing new patterns in the full (or complete) blood count test
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 26 October 2026 – BloodCounts! is the first healthcare project hosted by the Cambridge Centre for Advanced Research and Education in Singapore (CARES) in the centre's 13-year history, with local hospital partners National University Health System (NUHS) and SingHealth.
The project will use advanced analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to reveal new patterns from the complete blood count (CBC)* test and create opportunities for earlier disease detection in Singapore and worldwide.
Led by Professor Weisi Lin (Nanyang Technological University) and Professor Michael Roberts (University of Cambridge), BloodCounts! brings together researchers and clinicians from across Singapore and the UK.
Healthcare systems perform 10 million CBC tests daily, yet much of the information embedded within these tests is not fully utilised despite containing valuable medical signals.
BloodCounts! will use CBC measurement data to build frontier AI models to discover subtle alterations in blood cells across a range of diseases, thereby deploying these predictive tools to support early diagnosis, prognosis, and clinical decision-making. The value lies in using information that is already generated without additional burden to the patient or clinicians.
This work will build on a growing international Consortium that first started at the Centre for Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge with data from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at Cambridge University Hospitals and rapidly expanded to the Biomedical Research Centres of Barts Health Hospitals and University College London Hospitals. Now the BloodCounts! Consortium includes members from academic research centres in Belgium, The Gambia, Ghana, India and the Netherlands. NUHS and SingHealth join the Consortium as the first Singapore partners.
Research Professor at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Professor Michael Roberts, said:
"Healthcare is one of the most challenging domains in which to develop AI applications. Deep partnership between mathematicians, clinicians, and software engineers allows us to develop AI models which are anchored in rigorous mathematics, informed by real-world clinical practice and which are available openly to researchers globally. Operating at global scale, with hospitals in Europe, Africa, and Asia gives us the diversity of patients required to build equitable AI models."
Head of Division & Senior Consultant, Haematology Division, Department of Laboratory Medicine, National University Hospital, Dr Lee Shir Ying, said:
"NUHS' participation helps ensure that characteristics of Singapore's population are represented in a large, diverse international dataset, strengthening the Consortium's ability to build tools that are relevant across different healthcare settings. NUHS will support the project through the provision of robust, anonymised CBC and clinical data, as well as scientific input from experts in haematology, laboratory medicine, oncology, neurology, and biomedical informatics."
Deputy Group Chief Medical Informatics Officer (Research), SingHealth, and Deputy Chairman, Division of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Professor Iain Tan, said:
"SingHealth helps bridge the gap between scientific discovery and real-world healthcare impact through our trusted clinical data infrastructure, rich multimodal healthcare datasets, deep clinical expertise, and strong translational research capabilities spanning cancer, neuroscience, clinical informatics, and artificial intelligence. Through BloodCounts! we are working with our international partners to uncover clinically meaningful signals within routine full blood counts that could support earlier disease detection, more precise risk stratification and more personalised care. Together, our goal is to derive greater value from data already generated in routine care to improve outcomes for patients."
The research team will host a launch event on Thursday 29 October to formally meet with researchers, clinicians, and project partners. The event will provide an opportunity to understand the project's aims, partner contributions, expected work in the coming months, and the impacts to the healthcare sector.
As the University of Cambridge's first research centre outside the UK, CARES is well positioned in research grant management and international collaboration and naturally became the host for the BloodCounts! project in Singapore. BloodCounts! is supported by a generous award from the National Research Foundation, Singapore (NRF) under the AI-for-Science (AI4S) initiative and joins the national funding initiative as one project out of eight to accelerate scientific discovery using AI in multiple domains.
*Complete Blood Count (CBC) is also known in the UK and Singapore as Full Blood Count (FBC).
Media are welcome to attend the launch event on 29 October. To arrange attendance or an interview with the research team, please reach out to the media contact, Mrs. Olivia Lee.
View the media release by NRF on the launch of the eight inaugural projects under the SGD$120m AI-for-Science (AI4S) programme.
Media are welcome to attend the launch event on 29 October. To arrange attendance or an interview with the research team, please reach out to the media contact, Mrs. Olivia Lee.
View the media release by NRF on the launch of the eight inaugural projects under the SGD$120m AI-for-Science (AI4S) programme.
Annex A: Full list of PIs and their affiliated universities and/or institutions
Prof. Weisi LIN (Nanyang Technological University) and Prof. Michael ROBERTS (University of Cambridge) are the Lead Principal Investigators.
All other Principal Investigators are listed in alphabetical order with their universities and/or institutions:
- Dr. Nicholas GLEADALL (University of Cambridge)
- Prof. Hui JI (National University of Singapore)
- Prof. Mickey KOH (St George's Hospital, London; Advanced Cell Therapy and Research Institute, Singapore)
- Prof. Hwee Kuan LEE (A*STAR)
- Prof. Parashkev NACHEV (University College London Hospitals)
- Prof. Willem H. OUWEHAND (University of Cambridge)
- Prof. Carola-Bibiane SCHÖNLIEB (University of Cambridge)
- Dr. Suthesh SIVAPALARATNAM (Barts Health Hospitals, London)
- Dr. Chuen Wen TAN (SingHealth)
- Prof. Iain TAN (SingHealth)
All collaborators are listed in alphabetical order with their universities and/or institutions:
- Dr. Jason CHAN (SingHealth)
- Dr. Christopher Li-Hsian CHEN (National University of Singapore)
- Dr. Deidre Anne DE SILVA (SingHealth)
- Dr. Alagappan GHANDI (A*STAR)
- Dr. Boon Cher GOH (National University Health System)
- Dr. Shir Ying LEE (National University Health System)
- Dr. Tan Minh NGUYEN (National University of Singapore)
- Prof. Malini OLIVO (A*STAR)
- Dr. Carlum SHIU (Sysmex Asia Pacific Pte Ltd)
- Prof. Charles SWANTON (University College London Hospitals)
- Dr. Ryan Shea TAN (SingHealth)
- Dr. Joseph TAYLOR (Barts Health Hospitals, London)
- Prof. David WERRING (University College London Hospitals)
Hashtag: #AI #Healthcare #CambridgeCentreforAdvancedResearchandEducationinSingapore #CARES
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Cambridge Centre for Advanced Research and Education in Singapore (CARES)
The Cambridge Centre for Advanced Research and Education in Singapore (CARES) was established as the University of Cambridge’s first research centre outside the UK in 2013. It is part of the CREATE (Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise) programme. CARES currently hosts several strands of research, notably in decarbonisation, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and human health and potential. The centre has longstanding ties with local universities National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University since our establishment, with international partners now including universities and research centres from Norway, France, Japan, and Switzerland.
Website. LinkedIn.
Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE)
CREATE (Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise) is an international collaboratory housing research centres established by leading international research institutions in one location in Singapore. At CREATE, researchers from diverse disciplines and backgrounds work closely together to perform cutting-edge research, strengthening the pipeline of ideas, talent, and research capabilities, thereby enhancing the vibrancy of Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) ecosystem. More information on CREATE can be obtained from https://www.rgp.gov.sg/nrf-ar/create
National University Health System (NUHS)
The National University Health System (NUHS) aims to transform how illness is prevented and managed by discovering causes of disease, development of more effective treatments through collaborative multidisciplinary research and clinical trials, and creation of better technologies and care delivery systems in partnership with others who share the same values and vision.
Institutions in the NUHS Group include the National University Hospital, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, Jurong Community Hospital, Alexandra Hospital and the upcoming Tengah General and Community Hospital; three National Specialty Centres – National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS), National University Heart Centre, Singapore (NUHCS) and National University Centre for Oral Health, Singapore (NUCOHS); the National University Polyclinics (NUP); Jurong Medical Centre; and three NUS health sciences schools – NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (including the Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies), NUS Faculty of Dentistry and NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.
With member institutions under a common governance structure, NUHS creates synergies for the advancement of health by integrating patient care, health science education and biomedical research. As a Regional Health System, NUHS works closely with health and social care partners across Singapore to develop and implement programmes that contribute to a healthy and engaged population in the Western part of Singapore.
For more information, please visit www.nuhs.edu.sg
SingHealth
SingHealth, Singapore’s largest and leading public healthcare cluster, puts patients at the heart of all we do. Through our network of acute hospitals, national specialty centres, polyclinics and community hospitals, SingHealth delivers integrated care across every stage of life, from prevention and diagnosis to treatment, rehabilitation and long-term health management, offering multidisciplinary expertise across a wide range of specialties. Beyond hospital walls, SingHealth partners community care providers to enable the population to keep well, get well and live well. As an academic medical centre, SingHealth partners Duke-NUS Medical School and forms strategic collaborations across industries and the academia to advance research, innovation and education. Our goal is to drive impactful care outcomes, enhance patient experience and transform healthcare delivery, here and on the global front.
Members of the SingHealth group
Hospitals (Tertiary Specialty Care):
Singapore General Hospital, Changi General Hospital, Sengkang General Hospital, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, and Eastern General Hospital (expected completion around 2029 to 2030)
National Specialty Centres (Tertiary Specialty Care):
National Cancer Centre Singapore, National Dental Centre Singapore, National Heart Centre Singapore, National Neuroscience Institute, and Singapore National Eye Centre
SingHealth Polyclinics (Primary Care):
Bedok, Bukit Merah, Eunos, Marine Parade, Outram, Pasir Ris, Punggol, Sengkang, Tampines, Tampines North and Kaki Bukit (upcoming)
SingHealth Community Hospitals (Intermediate and Long-term Care):
Sengkang Community Hospital, Outram Community Hospital, and Eastern Community Hospital (expected completion around 2029 to 2030)
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