The United Nations’ projections for the period between 2019 and 2050 anticipate a rapid rise in population aging in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia. With such population aging often comes a disease burden in the form of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In the context of Singapore, we examine the role of a national biobank called Health for Life in Singapore (HELIOS), which positions itself as aiming to improve the health and lives of future generations of Singapore. HELIOS’ aims and actions inform on the anxieties, desires and ambitions of the Singapore state and its healthcare system in the context of its changing population demography. We argue that HELIOS propagates a “sociotechnical imaginary” of what we call “generational medicine,” that posits a crucial role for biobanks in tackling the societal challenge of an aging population.
