BRAIN POWER

Canadian neuroscientist DR SHAWN WATSON and his wife and business partner TEGAN are hoping to turn back the clock on brain ageing with their remarkable lab discovery and new business venture.

After a hectic few years completing his PHD in neuroscience back home in snowy Canada, Shawn Watson jumped at the chance to relocate to a warmer climate and recharge his batteries in a new field. “My degree involved a lot of study, so I needed a bit of a breather,” says the 31- year- old. “I moved to Singapore to work as Executive Director of the Canada- ASEAN Business Council, a non- profit business association that helps Canadian companies find success in the region. It was a great job, and Tegan and I got to travel extensively throughout Southeast Asia.”

As much as Shawn was enjoying working for the council, his earlier ground-breaking research into brain cells was attracting global attention. “During my PHD programme, I’d made a discovery where we essentially reversed ageing in a cell,” explains Shawn. “We turned what was an old neuron into a young neuron. From what we could tell, it was a permanent change. The discovery was a bit of an accident and wasn’t planned, but it turned into a series of publications in top-notch scientific journals, and then the rest of the world started to take up the science and provide additional evidence for the discovery.”

Switching gears

The entrepreneurial young couple decided to switch gears and hatch a new company in Singapore, focusing on brain health. While Tegan, 28, deployed her skills in start-up consulting to form a business plan and gather investors, Shawn began working on a formula for a brain supplement for older people that he hoped would slow down memory decline, learning and focus.

The result is a brain-boosting pill that you can pop with your morning coffee. “We developed a daily supplement that’s designed to slow the natural decline in brain function due to ageing, and we named our company Senescence (se-nesense), which basically means the process of ageing,” says Shawn.

“We’ve secured some great investment, and we like to think of ourselves as one of the world’s most innovative biotechnology companies focusing on neurological ageing. We’ve attracted some of the top neuroscientists to our board from across North America, Europe and here in Singapore at NUS (National University of Singapore).”

Finding the formula

The company now has two supplements ready for market. “The first, called Revive, is for those aged 45-plus; the second, called Edge, is for a younger demographic,” says Shawn. “The formula is all-natural, proven safe and built from

ingredients that are already in the market, such as extracts of the herbs ginseng and gotu kola, which are also used in traditional Chinese medicines.”

Working so closely together each day can be a challenge, but the easy-going duo say they take it in their stride. “We’re working together surprisingly well,” says Tegan. “We have complementary styles and personalities, and the stuff we work on together tends to be a lot better than what either one of us could produce on our own.”

A set of house rules helps them keep the spark in their personal relationship. “We had to develop some strategies,” says Shawn. “What we struggled with was working all day in the office, then coming home: what do you talk about? Work. That got really draining, so we set aside time where we don’t talk about our work. If it’s date night, then the topic is off limits!”

Expat life

After a stint in a “shoe- box”- size apartment in Geylang, the couple are enjoying stretching out in a spacious, older-style three-bedroom condo in the “burbs” of Paya Lebar, just a short walk from their office in Paya Lebar Square and close to the fabulous wet markets, restaurants and hawker stalls in the foodie area.

It’s a far cry from the chilly ski hills of Banff where they used to escape on weekends! “We’ve been in Singapore for two years now and we love it, especially the temperature,” says Tegan. “In Canada it’s snowing and freezing for seven or eight months of the year. Because it’s so warm here, we socialise more and spend lots more time outdoors.”

If they’re not cooking up fresh pasta in their home kitchen – Tegan has Italian roots so a pasta machine was a must – you can spot the couple sipping kopi or beer with their local friends at Old Airport Road Food Centre, or walking in the nearby East Coast Park.

“We really like Singaporeans,” says Shawn. “They’re very like Canadians in many respects, and we’ve made some fantastic friendships with locals.”

Future plans

They plan on calling Singapore home for a while to come. “I think we’ll be here for a couple more years – we’re not ready to leave!” says Tegan. “We haven’t yet had our fill of food and exploring.” The travel bug has bitten these two hard. “We’re very big on travelling,” says Shawn. “If ever we have spare money, we put it into flights! Singapore is in the middle of Asia and we want to see as much as possible.”

As for the impressive launch of their new business, the couple says they have the expat community to thank for their success. “Here, we were able to develop our network so well – across Southeast Asia the expat community is really large and very open to making introductions and helping you out,” says Tegan. Adds Shawn: “We wouldn’t be where we are if expats didn’t help us.”