When physician-scientists Judith Swain and Ed Holmes take up their posts in Singapore later this year, they will join a star-studded community at one of the world's most rapidly developing biomedical research centres. The appointment of the married couple aroused a flurry of press, as they are the latest of many Western scientists who have headed for the impressive facilities of the tiny city state. During the past few years, Singapore's government has poured US$290 million into its 'Biopolis'. Private investment has supplied another $500 million.

Swain is a molecular cardiologist, known for work on the role of growth factors in regulating the angiogenic response — the body's ability to build and repair blood vessels — and its involvement in heart-muscle cell differentiation. A keen pilot, whose favourite challenge is landing on aircraft carriers, Swain has held advisory roles with both the US Department of Defense and NASA, which led to an interest in human performance in extreme environments.

A chemistry major, Swain attended medical school at the University of California, San Diego, where she studied cardiology. An internship at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, extended to a 17-year stay. There, she met, married and co-authored papers with Holmes. Holmes, now a leading figure in translational research, has focused on the molecular basis of disease since his appointment as a Howard Hughes medical investigator at Duke in 1974.

Both have had links with Singapore for many years, and they play down 'brain drain' speculation. Only about 50 of the top people at Biopolis were poached from the United States or Europe. “A little concern is good, to get the United States to wake up and not be complacent,” says Swain, noting that their move was prompted in part by federal hostility towards embryonic stem-cell research.

As a member of the governing body of California's stem-cell research institute, Holmes hopes opponents will soon run out of legal objections. Philip Yeo, Singapore's indefatigable recruiter, makes a point of promising academic freedom, along with 5-year contracts that allow people to spend their time on science rather than seeking funds.

Swain and Holmes will continue to work at San Diego, spending about half the year in each country and building research bridges between the two. Swain encourages fellow scientists to branch out globally. “Colleagues in other countries have done this for a long time, but Americans tend to be more insular,” she says.