Allaying post-surgical pain: How developing medical “gamechangers” gives these scientists meaning

Daniel Seet’s career seemed laid out for him even before he completed his Chemical Engineering degree. Like most graduates of the four-year course at the National University of Singapore (NUS), he expected to land a job in the oil and gas industry.   

But in his third year, a module on drug delivery changed everything. “It was only after I took (the class) that I saw how research and development (R&D) could lead to the invention of new drug products that benefit millions every year,” he said. “I really wanted to be at the ground level of something new, something exciting.”  

He ended up doing a research stint with his professor, who had been collaborating with a Singapore biotech startup. Daniel was hired as a full-time research engineer after he graduated in 2016. Two years later, the startup was acquired and became fully integrated as Allay Therapeutics.  

Today, Daniel leads the startup’s Research & Development team in their Singapore office – a small team of independent and motivated individuals working to develop a pipeline of drug products. 

Daniel with his team at the office pantry. 

“In a startup, I feel that I can very easily see my contributions in a very tangible way across different departments,” said Daniel. “I thrive in an environment where I get to see how my actions and how the hard work that I do on a day-to-day basis contributes to the bigger picture.”

Allay Therapeutics’ mission is to help people find safer ways of managing pain after surgery. Headquartered in California, it creates “ultra-sustained” local anaesthetic products, where the pain reliever is released over a longer period. 

Typically, opioids are given to post-surgery patients to manage pain. However, these substances come with a high risk of dependence and globally, opioid addiction has destroyed families, shattered communities and is now considered an epidemic.

Allay aims to provide a better way of alleviating pain. It integrates non-opioid local anaesthetics together with their innovative controlled-release platform to achieve a slower and more extended release of pain medication. The sustained release means that patients do not have to return to hospital so often for new medication. It also speeds up recovery, with patients being able to go for rehabilitative therapy sooner.

Watch: What It’s Like Working In A Biotech Startup 

“I wanted to be on the ground and build something exciting and new,” said Daniel, who started as a formulation engineer working on creating new drug products, and is now senior manager of R&D. Allay has labs in various countries, with its Singapore lab responsible for developing its drug product pipeline and improving the new technology till it is ready for clinical trials.

One product Daniel is particularly proud of is an implant called ATX101, which provides sustained pain management for people who have undergone total knee replacement surgery. The Singapore team worked on the drug product in its early stages before transferring it to its sister team in the US to bring it to clinical trials.

Holding up Allay’s implant ATX101.

Now, they are working on ATX301, a liquid version for patients who undergo non-invasive or minimally-invasive surgeries – for whom implants may not be the best option.

“In academia, you want to come up with as many novel ideas to publish papers and push the frontier of science. In industry, the goal is ‘patient-first’ – we want to make sure we create drug products which do not have bad long-term effects”, he explained.

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Every team member is vital. “It’s not a one-man show – everyone needs to give their input before we can start our projects,” stressed Daniel. 

From regulations to formulations, each of the seven teammates has a unique role. One of them is chemist Cynthia Sng, who provides input on the effects of drugs developed. 

Cynthia, 25, is one of the youngest team members. She joined Allay in 2022 after graduating from Nanyang Technological University with a degree in Chemistry and Biological Chemistry. 

Like Daniel, her mentor, she wants to improve lives. “I was drawn to the company’s mission. It has the potential to treat lots of patients,” she said. 

Cynthia using the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) test to make sure that excipients are pure. 

At Allay, she has learnt to design from the end-user’s perspective. “When creating an injectable, I usually think about how the drug will flow in the blood,” she said. “But I realised some clinicians only use syringes of a certain size because they are trained that way. (Even) if I design an injectable product that is easier to use, they might not adopt it because it feels different from what they are used to.”

Her soft skills have also improved. “The most valuable skill I picked up is communication. I am the only chemist, so being able to break down complex concepts is important.”

Lab work can be draining, but the thought of helping others spurs her on. She recalled an article Daniel sent the team, about someone who became addicted to opioids after using them for post-surgical pain.  "The technology we are working on can help people, even if we don’t meet them,” she said.

Related: How one roboticist is using innovations from the lab to make life easier for others

While Cynthia is junior, Daniel gives her space to explore. She has also been given opportunities to join meetings with different departments and learn how they work. “These insights about how the whole company works together to push out a final product is something an MNC might not provide,” she added.

Allay continues to expand in all regions, with approximately 20 people in Singapore including interns, and is anticipating continued growth in 2024 and 2025. Daniel admits that hiring is difficult, especially for specialised roles.

“We need people with the expertise and experience to lead. Even with PhD holders, many of their specialisations are not the most applicable to our highly-regulated industry,” he said. “A lot of them end up in multinational corporations (MNCs), and it’s difficult to attract them to smaller startups.”

Allay’s Vice President and General Manager of Singapore operations, Koon Kiat Teu, voiced similar concerns: “The challenge is to find people with relevant backgrounds. Most are already a postdoc or hold good positions in an MNC, so to get them to join a startup has been pretty challenging.”

Their hiring woes were eased recently, after they recruited an analytical scientist through SGInnovate’s Helix Immersion Programme – a year-long, on-the-job training scheme where biomedical research professionals apply their expertise in commercial operations. As a programme partner, Allay could tap SGInnovate’s network of talent, which made the search a lot easier.

While working in a startup has its challenges, Daniel relishes the freedom. “You are expected to grow beyond what you have been given and are free to take on more roles.” He noted.

Alicia with Allay’s team in the USA. 

He cites Alicia Ng, the team’s senior engineer who went on a three-month exchange programme with the US team. When she came back, she transitioned to a multifaceted role where she gives the team feedback from a regulatory perspective.

For Daniel, there is nothing like the joy of knowing you are making a difference. “When working, it is easy to get lost in the process. I always remind my team that we are creating a gamechanger. It will change how people manage post-surgical pain,” he said.

Find out more about how you can get involved with a company like Allay Therapeutics through our talent programmes here.