Non-communicable diseases (NCDs)
NCDs and their associated risk factors are a significant and growing global public health problem. The four major types of NCDs include diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. NCDs are the leading cause of death in the world, representing 63 % of all annual death (equivalent to 36 million in 57 million global death). These are not only a health problem, but also a development challenge due to catastrophic expenditures for treatment. It should be noted that NCDs are largely preventab through effective interventions a awareness outreach activities.
Our Mission
We aim to offer innovative, integrative and sustainable options to combat NCDs in Malaysia through collaborative research projects in this area.
Cancer
The National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM) projects that one in every four Malaysians are likely to develop cancer by the age of 75 years. The increasing ageing population, obesity epidemic and environmental risks such as the annual haze in Malaysia are additional factors which add on to other established risk factors. Millions of Ringgit is spent annually on oncology drugs to treat cancer and yet, the mortality rate due to neoplasm is increasing over the years. As such, our research aims to find ways in fighting cancer from a top-down approach where our projects range from fundamental research of cancer biology, development of bioassays and biomarkers for diagnosis and finding new-treatments for various cancer types.
Current research focus:
- Cellular characterisation and molecular profiling of cancer stem cells
- Development of biomarkers for cancer diagnosis, prognosis and drug sensitivity analysis
- Discovery of new-targeted cytotoxic agents from natural product derivatives and functional food
Current members:
- Dr Ho Wan Yong
- Dr Then Sue-Mian
- Dr Kan Mun Seng
Obesity and diabetes
Two in five Malaysian adults are overweight with BMI >40 and carry high risk for chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Being the most obese nation in South East Asia and the second in Asia, the alarming rise of obesity and diabetes cases among Malaysian warrants region-specific research and awareness outreach initiatives.
Current research focus:
- Aetiology and causes (genetic, environment and others) leading to obesity and diabetes
- Pathophysiological/molecular basis of obesity and diabetes
- Innovation and development of novel strategies/therapeutic options to prevent, treat and manage obesity and diabetes
Current members:
- Dr Yuh-Fen Pung
- Dr Mustafa Al-Shagga
Resistant hypertension & dyslipidaemia
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of death in Malaysia as well as in the world. Some of the common risk factors of CVDs include obesity, diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidaemia. Our National CVD database (2011-13) showed that 96.8% Malaysian patients had at least one established CVD risk factors – diabetes (46 %), hypertension (65 %) and dyslipidaemia (37 %). In addition, Malaysians develop CVDs at a younger age as compared to people in Thailand, china and many western countries, indicating a need to combat hypertension and dyslipidaemia.
Despite the availability of different classes of antihypertensive drugs, high blood pressure continues to be one of the most important risk factors for death and disability. The American Heart Association defines resistant hypertension as uncontrolled blood pressure despite the use of three or more antihypertensive medications. It was reported that 1 in 50 hypertensive patients became resistant to treatment within a median of 15 months after starting treatment. This further adds to the burden of other co-morbidity such as end-stage organ failure, heart attack and stroke. It was highlighted that an increasing proportion of patients will need more than 3 type of medications to effectively control their blood pressure.
Current research focus:
- The discovery of the canonical transient receptor potential (TRPC) channels in different vasculature provides a novel potential target to treat hypertension. The current knowledge on TRPCs in vasculature is limited due to the lack of selective pharmacological agents. Focusing on this problem, we have discovered potential TRPC blockers and are working on characterising their properties (in collaboration with Dr. Lim Kuan Hon, School of Phrmacy)
- Pathophysiological/molecular basis of hypertension and dyslipidemia
- Innovation and development of novel strategies/therapeutic options to prevent, treat and manage hypertension and dyslipidemia
Current members:
- Prof Ting Kang Nee
- Dr Yuh-Fen Pung
Drug-induced hypersensitivity
Recent pharmacogenetics studies found that populations with high frequency of certain HLA genes are associated with increased risk of various drug-induced hypersensitivity. Notably, the HLA-B*15:02 has been established to be associated with carbamazepine, phenytoin and oxocarbazepine induced-Steven Johnson syndrome while the HLA-B*58:01 is associated with allopurinol induced-Steven Johnson syndrome especially among South East Asian population. The FDA has issued recommendation to screen for the HLA-B*15:02 prior to prescription of carbamazepine and this calls for translational research that improves the turn-around-time of the genetic screening to better facilitate clinicians in making better decision on drug prescription.
Current research focus:
- Determine allele prevalence of HLA-B*15:02 and HLA-B*58:01 in two high-risk populations.
- Development of a rapid and mobile genetic detector for HLA-B*15:02 and HLA-B*58:01 using high-resolution melt (HRM) PCR.
- Investigate the clinical utility of rapid genetic screening test of HLA-B*15:02 and HLA-B*58:01 in practice
Current members:
- Prof Ting Kang Nee
- Dr Then Sue-Mian
Drug and herb interactions & CYP polymorphisms
Cytochrome P450 (CYP) is an important drug-metabolising enzyme, which helps to eliminate drugs from human body. Herb is believed to be safe and beneficial to health. However, herbs contain numerous active constituents, which potentially inhibit or induce cytochrome P450 activities, thus affecting the elimination of drugs, leading to drug-herb interactions. On the other hand, CYP variants (polymorphic CYP enzymes) process altered enzyme activity, resulting in slower elimination of drugs from the body.
Current research focus:
- In vitro investigating the effects of herbal preparations (extracts or active compound) on CYP activities
- In vitro functional characterisation of CYP allelic variants
Current members:
- Dr Pan Yan
Medicinal mushrooms for respiratory and bladder health
Medicinal mushrooms have been used traditionally in this region and China for benefits of lung health and urinary problems. In collaborating with Ligno Biotech, we are focusing on their cultivated mushrooms, Lignosus rhinocerotis and Cordycep sinensis.
Current research focus:
- The pharmacological effects of medicinal mushrooms on airways patency and bladder function
Current members:
- Prof Ting Kang Nee
Environmental Health
Urban and the seasonal haze ambient pollutants, particularly PM2.5, are known to cause detrimental effects to human health, mainly the respiratory system. This research aims to understand the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of airway inflammatory diseases, such as asthma which manifests due to anthropogenic air pollution. Evidently, these results will support future studies in the effective use of commercially available medicines for asthma and drug discovery at novel therapeutic targets. This study also hopes to increase public awareness in maintaining clean air for better respiratory health through its biological findings.
- Current research focus:Effects of Malaysian-derived urban and seasonal haze PM2.5 on human airway epithelial cells.
- Hydrogen sulfide as therapeutic target for airway inflammatory diseases.
Current members:
- Dr Valerie Shang