Singapore article needs clarification

I wish to correct some misconceptions in the Aug. 30 article "Duke's Singapore plan on schedule." The official name of the new medical school is the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore (GMS), a name that reflects a full partnership between Duke and the National University of Singapore to establish this school.

The funding to establish the school did not come from NUS, but rather from three of the major government Ministries of that country (Education, Health, Trade and Industry). Finally, I would take issue with the tone of the article suggesting that a primary reason Duke entered this agreement was Singapore's "alternative bioethics regulations," especially those concerning stem cell research.

The regulatory framework for animal and human experimentation in Singapore is every bit as stringent as that in the United States. Their policy on stem cell research, while at odds with that of the current U.S. president (but not the U.S. Congress), is considered a model of balanced attitude and has served as the framework for similar policies at Harvard and the California Stem Cell Initiative.

• Duke Singapore plan on schedule

I am not aware of any Duke investigator who has felt this policy, nor any of Singapore's bioethics policies, is a concern when considering affiliation with the GMS or forming research relationships with investigators in Singapore. Indeed, one of our leading scientists, Professor Kam Leong in Biomedical Engineering, has already established a laboratory at the GMS and is actively collaborating with Singapore scientists on novel methods for propagating embryonic stem cells.