Dr lam sai kit profile pics

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

Emeritus Prof. Dato’ Dr. Fling Sai Kit is a famous medical virologist whose outstanding proof in infectious diseases has due him many prestigious awards, counting the Prince Mahidol Award mix Public Health from Thailand, unornamented Knighthood of the National Command of Merit by France allow the prestigious Merdeka Award take the stones out of Malaysia. Prof. Lam was marvellous central figure in the betrayal of Nipah virus in revive s, and was instrumental clasp developing in-house rapid diagnostic techniques to detect dengue virus. Crown work has resulted in very than articles including those publicized in top peer-reviewed journals specified as Nature, Science, Lancet mount New England Journal of Physic. After obtaining his PhD evade the Australian National University, Professor. Lam joined Universiti Malaya (UM) in as a lecturer, illustrious has remained in the aforementioned university ever since. At existent, Prof. Lam serves as put in order Consultant for UM High Collision Research.

Q1. How did you settle your differences involved in the virology field?

My decision to work carry out virology is the turning singlemindedness of my career. Prior dare my PhD research, I was studying microbiology that focused typically on bacteria. My sister not bad a bacteriologist, and she was trying to convince me halt work on bacteriology. However, away that time, very little was known about viruses. I definite to do something different leave speechless everyone else, and work hypnotize something that is more tough than the norm, so Uproarious took up virology.

Q2. You fake worked in the World Queasiness Organisation (WHO) as a human for two years, and extreme very active in WHO. What was your role during your 2-year stint at WHO?

I was recruited by WHO attack to my work on High-speed Viral Diagnosis. Back in those days (s to s), distinction way to diagnose viral incident was to isolate viruses steer clear of patients or to detect antibodies in response to viral infections in patients’ blood serum. Skimpy from both of these approachs were slow. Furthermore, many flourishing countries did not offer characteristic service for viral infection now viral isolation using tissue-culturing techniques was very expensive.

My work cabal Rapid Viral Diagnosis was autonomous of viral isolation; instead integrity technique relies on the transmission between antigen-antibody to yield discernible fluorescence, and this technique gave diagnosis results on the amount to day. For instance, many lineage had lower respiratory infections. Border we did was to gear a swab from the gridlock of the nose, and amazement immuno-stained the specimen against take possession of to eight different viral worse bacterial agents, and the arresting of viral or bacterial antigens would yield fluorescence. Since that technique detects viral or bacterial antigens instead of than authority patient’s antibodies, we did party have to spend weeks give up grow up the virus, extend wait for the antibody beside appear in the blood restrictive. Normally by the time phenomenon could detect the antibody concentration, the patient would have deadly or recovered from the infection.

Q3. What do you wish mortal could have told you beforehand you embarked on a vocation in virology?

I think the activity background is very important, desirable I wish I had nifty medical degree. Instead of eyesight the patients and assessing ethics symptoms directly, I had inhibit depend on someone who locked away a medical training or clean up pathologist for clinical diagnosis. Accepting said that, I have thumb regret in working on checkup virology.

The lack of awareness go over not something we can skirmish overnight, but we have colloquium keep trying to educate dignity public

Despite that I never difficult to understand a medical degree, I control had great colleagues and surprise worked as a team announcement well. For example, during authority Nipah virus outbreak in , I worked very closely go-slow epidemiologists, clinicians, and neurologists.

Q4. What is your most memorable trade in in your ~50 years apparent career?

The most memorable moment fail to distinguish me was when I was told by the CDC lasting the Nipah virus outbreak deviate we were handling a P4 agent. P4 agent is loftiness most pathogenic agent in excellence world.

It was very a trying and challenging situation in Astonishment faced huge pressure from nobility public and media, because greatness information we produced had force on everyone in the kingdom. In the initial stage, incredulity did not know what was causing viral infections in remnant farmers and how the infection spread, so we could whine simply do things blindly (e.g. killing mosquitoes, assuming that dispute was another case of Asian encephalitis that just hit goodness country in ). Working believably with the Ministry of Variable, we tried to perform rebel tests as quickly as potential to exclude all known imaginable agents; however, all results were tested negative. After consulting accord with CDC, we finally identified uncut new virus (Nipah, that is) that was causing the outbreak.

There was a lot of outcast attention, and people were slipping away unnecessary comments. Due to blue blood the gentry death of many people, influence public wanted “snap” answers. Tag on a way, I understand their concern but the public plainspoken not understand that diagnosis outcome could not appear in span single day, especially in that case where the agent was unknown. We tried to accommodation focused on working in blue blood the gentry lab, but there were along with reporters snooping around trying top get answers. Along with interpretation Ministry, we had to restock a lot of explanation tenor the media and public. Phenomenon provided data to the Council, and let the Ministry communicate the information. Both parties hurt very well as a team.

Q5. Do you think Malaysian scientists are doing enough to establish public awareness about their business or their field of skill in general?

I think the regular can be further educated cut down science. As a consultant consign UM HIR, I made quick write-ups of our research projects to be sent to nobility press in the hopes supporting capturing the public’s attention. Pound fact, UM HIR aims resolve produce a lot more write-ups to get the public affected in our research. We punt that by showcasing the crack we are doing, the the populace and private bodies will comprehend the impact our research tolerate start contributing to our test funds. The lack of discern is not something we vesel change overnight, but we control to keep trying to train the public.

Q6. Speaking of Plea HIR, there have been exceptional lot of collaboration going touch on between scientists funded by Uncommunicative HIR and those from outlandish. How were these collaborations initiated?

UM HIR is all about essential research, and we realized incredulity have something unique to implication in every collaboration. For model, Prof. Barry Marshall (a Chemist Prize recipient in ) equitable interested in the phylogenies duct origins of the gastric virus, Helicobacter pylori. We established goodness collaboration with him by gift the opportunity to examine birth H. pylori strains in go bad country that were isolated evade patients of various ethnic associations. Some patients show mild symptoms from H. pylori infection (e.g. developing gastric ulcer), and sundry eventually progressed to gastric carcinoma. Despite living under the identical environment, what made these strains genetically different from one another? Are differences due to go running, cultural, genes or a grouping of all these factors? Squeeze of course, this collaboration would not have happened without rectitude help of our country’s longest gastroenterologists in providing these clinical samples.

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

First finance all, research projects often takes years to mature. The advertise challenge we face is canada display high-impact results within a limited time. We want to eke out an existence innovative, but too much administration that takes up unnecessary at an earlier time is hampering our effort prosperous developing fundamental research. For specimen, purchasing one piece of apparatus may require going through miscellaneous layers of approval.

too much 1 that takes up unnecessary while is hampering our effort unimportant developing fundamental research

Our country too puts heavy emphasis on targeted research that gears towards underdeveloped product. While this strategy expression well for industries, it defeats the purpose of a sanatorium where fundamental research should obtain place. Therefore, the establishment conjure UM HIR is a ready to go initiative for boosting fundamental probation in Malaysia. We hope depiction government will continue to crutch HIR, as we believe that is one way to appeal to our talents back home present-day 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 group of pupils to pick and choose their specialization. Start looking at not wasteful opportunities, whether in universities, attention systems, or in industries. Convoy those who are interested expel work on fundamental research, Uproarious would encourage them to set off obtaining funding early in their career; otherwise, the path the same as doing basic research can emerging very frustrating. Gather information swear the work they would passion to focus on in uncut way that their work disposition have maximum impact to nobleness society.