Malaysia aspires to be a vaccine-producing nation by 2030
Reading Time: 2 minutesBANGI: A collaboration was sealed to kickstart the development of human vaccines in Malaysia to pave the way toward health security. Malaysian Vaccines and Pharmaceuticals (MPV) Healthcare, Pfizer Malaysia, and the National Institute of Biotechnology (NIBM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Jan 30 at Malaysian Genome and Vaccine Institute (MGVI). These three parties […]
2023: Way forward for climate action
Reading Time: 3 minutesBY AHMAD AFANDI THE year 2023 will be another important junction in Malaysia’s climate journey. The Minister of Natural Resources, Environment & Climate Change, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, has already stated some of his priorities, which include enacting a Climate Change Act. The newly formed ministry has also reunified the natural resources and environment portfolios, which […]
UKM launches climate database to encourage citizen science
Reading Time: 2 minutesUNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA (UKM) recently launched the MyIKLIM Database, a one-stop data curation portal for climate change research in Malaysia. The portal was launched during the Climate Action Festival hosted by UKM-Yayasan Sime Darby – for Sustainability, the institute’s chair for initiatives on sustainable development. Speaking to The Petri Dish, Dr Maggie Ooi Chel Gee, […]
Localising climate adaptation plan
Reading Time: 2 minutesBY MARYAM AL-HERWI & VIRMAN JURI PUTRAJAYA: Think City is moving the needle to implement Malaysia’s first urban climate change adaptation plan – the Penang Nature-Based Climate Adaptation Programme (PNBCAP). The multilateral collaboration was officiated during a cooperation agreement signing between Think City and UN-Habitat, witnessed by the Minister of Natural Resources, Environment & Climate […]
Zooming in on HPV with aptasensors
Reading Time: 3 minutesBY SAARANI VENGADESEN & THIVIYA DARMARAJAN BIOGENES TECHNOLOGIES (BIOGENES) is already known for its novel innovation of diagnostic kits using an aptamer-based biosensing platform to replace the use of animal-derived antibodies. After successfully innovating aptamer-based diagnostic kits to detect the Covid-19 virus and sepsis infection – the company is developing a similar diagnostic kit to […]
Saffron made affordable through GM technology
Reading Time: 2 minutesSAFFRON is the most expensive spice in the world. It is mainly cultivated in countries such as Iran, Spain, Italy, Greece, Morocco, India and Turkey. Historically, saffron is dubbed as ‘red gold’ and is believed to have been discovered during Bronze age Greece. If you make a quick search on e-commerce platforms, you would find […]
UNESCO appoints local expert to lead in genetic research on thalassaemia
Reading Time: 2 minutesA LOCAL medical genetics expert has been appointed as UNESCO’s first chair in human genetics research on Thalassaemia. Prof Dr Zilfalil Alwi, a senior consultant paediatrician and clinical geneticist from the Human Genome Centre, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), is the appointed expert. The objective of this project is to promote capacity building in human genetics […]
Biogenes inks funding agreement with MTDC, PESB
Reading Time: 2 minutesKUALA LUMPUR: Biogenes Technologies Sdn Bhd (Biogenes) is gearing up to hit its next milestone after receiving RM5.5 million in funding. The funding was rolled out from the National Technology and Innovation Sandbox 3 (NTIS 3). RM3.3 million from the funding is from the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC). Additionally, the aptamer-based diagnostics kits developer […]
Ecotourism can give local communities a leg up
Reading Time: 3 minutesKUALA LIPIS: Ecotourism can help boost the socio-economic status of rural communities. To highlight this, Project IC-CFS hosted 10 media people for an immersion experience in Kuala Lipis recently. IC-CFS is the acronym for “Improving Connectivity in the Central Forest Spine” – a project established in 2014 with support from the United Nations Development Programme […]
Review Your 2022 Wellness Journey and Next Action Plan
Reading Time: 2 minutesBY JOYCE WONG JIN YI Here we are now, the last month of 2022. Let’s do a review and reflect on your wellness journey. Shall we? Oh yes. Because what you don’t measure is not real. Statistics show you can better position and accomplish your goal by measuring your performance. You know where you are […]