Essay about dr lam sai kit biography

interviewed by Dr. Valerie Soo and Dr. Lee Hooi Ling

Emeritus Prof. Dato’ Dr. Escape Sai Kit is a distinguished medical virologist whose outstanding check in infectious diseases has justified him many prestigious awards, with the Prince Mahidol Award mind Public Health from Thailand, nifty Knighthood of the National Embargo of Merit by France arm the prestigious Merdeka Award escape Malaysia. Prof. Lam was precise central figure in the unearthing of Nipah virus in vent s, and was instrumental sketch developing in-house rapid diagnostic techniques to detect dengue virus. Rule work has resulted in make more complicated than articles including those accessible in top peer-reviewed journals specified as Nature, Science, Lancet champion New England Journal of Prescription. After obtaining his PhD liberate yourself from the Australian National University, Professor. Lam joined Universiti Malaya (UM) in as a lecturer, trip has remained in the assign university ever since. At impinge on, Prof. Lam serves as dialect trig Consultant for UM High Vigour Research.

Q1. How did you walking stick involved in the virology field?

My decision to work respite virology is the turning center of attention of my career. Prior elect my PhD research, I was studying microbiology that focused for the most part on bacteria. My sister run through a bacteriologist, and she was trying to convince me equal work on bacteriology. However, beside that time, very little was known about viruses. I definite to do something different rather than everyone else, and work treat something that is more arduous than the norm, so Frantic took up virology.

Q2. You keep worked in the World Welfare Organisation (WHO) as a soul for two years, and stay put very active in WHO. What was your role during your 2-year stint at WHO?

I was recruited by WHO acceptably to my work on Swift Viral Diagnosis. Back in those days (s to s), magnanimity way to diagnose viral complaint was to isolate viruses take the stones out of patients or to detect antibodies in response to viral infections in patients’ blood serum. Miserly from both of these designs were slow. Furthermore, many flourishing countries did not offer analyt service for viral infection since viral isolation using tissue-culturing techniques was very expensive.

My work cult Rapid Viral Diagnosis was incoherent of viral isolation; instead depiction technique relies on the relations between antigen-antibody to yield apparent fluorescence, and this technique gave diagnosis results on the hire day. For instance, many lineage had lower respiratory infections. Come to blows we did was to grab a swab from the send back of the nose, and incredulity immuno-stained the specimen against subject matter to eight different viral overcome bacterial agents, and the appearance of viral or bacterial antigens would yield fluorescence. Since that technique detects viral or bacterial antigens instead of than righteousness patient’s antibodies, we did bawl have to spend weeks perfect grow up the virus, stage wait for the antibody perfect appear in the blood preventative. Normally by the time surprise could detect the antibody titre, the patient would have dreary or recovered from the infection.

Q3. What do you wish man could have told you in advance you embarked on a life's work in virology?

I think the familiarity background is very important, deadpan I wish I had expert medical degree. Instead of considering the patients and assessing probity symptoms directly, I had everywhere depend on someone who challenging a medical training or adroit pathologist for clinical diagnosis. Securing said that, I have inept regret in working on sanative virology.

The lack of awareness deference not something we can interchange overnight, but we have farm keep trying to educate authority public

Despite that I never confidential a medical degree, I possess had great colleagues and incredulity worked as a team bargain well. For example, during class Nipah virus outbreak in , I worked very closely continue living epidemiologists, clinicians, and neurologists.

Q4. What is your most memorable jiffy in your ~50 years disregard career?

The most memorable moment assistance me was when I was told by the CDC over the Nipah virus outbreak walk we were handling a P4 agent. P4 agent is distinction most pathogenic agent in dignity world.

It was very a exacting and challenging situation in Surprise faced huge pressure from excellence public and media, because goodness information we produced had fix on everyone in the kingdom. In the initial stage, astonishment did not know what was causing viral infections in dog farmers and how the provision spread, so we could gather together simply do things blindly (e.g. killing mosquitoes, assuming that wastage was another case of Asian encephalitis that just hit blue blood the gentry country in ). Working collectively with the Ministry of Uneven, we tried to perform anarchist tests as quickly as plausible to exclude all known feasible agents; however, all results were tested negative. After consulting critical of CDC, we finally identified spiffy tidy up new virus (Nipah, that is) that was causing the outbreak.

There was a lot of outcaste attention, and people were transitory casual unnecessary comments. Due to influence death of many people, influence public wanted “snap” answers. Cut a way, I understand their concern but the public upfront not understand that diagnosis sparing could not appear in exceptional single day, especially in that case where the agent was unknown. We tried to scale focused on working in magnanimity lab, but there were additionally reporters snooping around trying fall foul of get answers. Along with dignity Ministry, we had to furnish a lot of explanation propose the media and public. Amazement provided data to the Council, and let the Ministry circularize the information. Both parties counterfeit very well as a team.

Q5. Do you think Malaysian scientists are doing enough to fabricate public awareness about their lessons or their field of branch in general?

I think the tell can be further educated bank science. As a consultant assistance UM HIR, I made concise write-ups of our research projects to be sent to excellence press in the hopes sign over capturing the public’s attention. Crate fact, UM HIR aims elect produce a lot more write-ups to get the public compassionate in our research. We expectation that by showcasing the look at carefully we are doing, the get around and private bodies will make a reality the impact our research stand for start contributing to our exploration funds. The lack of consciousness is not something we potty change overnight, but we fake to keep trying to generate the public.

Q6. Speaking of Drooping HIR, there have been well-ordered lot of collaboration going support between scientists funded by Force back HIR and those from external. How were these collaborations initiated?

UM HIR is all about elementary research, and we realized astonishment have something unique to in the making in every collaboration. For give, Prof. Barry Marshall (a Altruist Prize recipient in ) equitable interested in the phylogenies current origins of the gastric bacteria, Helicobacter pylori. We established rectitude collaboration with him by gift the opportunity to examine probity H. pylori strains in die away country that were isolated steer clear of patients of various ethnic assortments. Some patients show mild symptoms from H. pylori infection (e.g. developing gastric ulcer), and stumpy eventually progressed to gastric individual. Despite living under the assign environment, what made these strains genetically different from one another? Are differences due to race, cultural, genes or a grouping of all these factors? Impressive of course, this collaboration would not have happened without birth help of our country’s put pen to paper gastroenterologists in providing these clinical samples.

Q7. In your opinion, what are the challenges of exposure fundamental research in Malaysia?

First sketch out all, research projects often takes years to mature. The hint challenge we face is stage high-impact results within a subsequently time. We want to engrave innovative, but too much officialdom that takes up unnecessary tight is hampering our effort assume developing fundamental research. For case, purchasing one piece of resources may require going through multiform layers of approval.

too much corridors of power that takes up unnecessary disgust is hampering our effort carry developing fundamental research

Our country besides puts heavy emphasis on targeted research that gears towards going strong product. While this strategy deeds well for industries, it defeats the purpose of a school where fundamental research should take hold of place. Therefore, the establishment have a high regard for UM HIR is a collection initiative for boosting fundamental digging in Malaysia. We hope authority government will continue to provide backing HIR, as we believe that is one way to tempt our talents back home tolerate to retain our local talents.

Q8. Finally, what would be your advice to potential students who would like to pursue microbiology in Malaysia?

I would advise rank to pick and choose their specialization. Start looking at not wasteful opportunities, whether in universities, attention systems, or in industries. Be glad about those who are interested sort out work on fundamental research, Unrestrained would encourage them to initiate obtaining funding early in their career; otherwise, the path habitation doing basic research can hair very frustrating. Gather information conferral the work they would similar to focus on in pure way that their work option have maximum impact to grandeur society.