The collaboration leverages NUH’s clinical expertise and the biotechnology advancements of Thermo Fisher and Mirxes. Associate Professor Tan Soo Yong of NUH highlighted the potential of this partnership to refine early detection methods and deliver precise diagnoses and treatments for cancer. Thermo Fisher’s Sho-Wen Yeo highlighted the ability to provide fast NGS results, aiding in precision medicine for better cancer treatment decisions. Mirxes CEO, Dr Zhou Lihan, noted the company’s commitment to precision medicine and their investment in multi-omic and NGS capabilities for early cancer detection.

Related: Breakthrough Discovery of Key Enzyme’s Role in RNA Modification and Cancer

Currently, the NUH Diagnostic Molecular Oncology Centre offers NGS testing for four common cancers and plans to expand access throughout Southeast Asia.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Malaysian women and in 2020, 7.8 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer in the past five years, making it the world’s most prevalent cancer.

SMJC, a 443-bed multi-disciplinary tertiary hospital, believes that hospitals are vital to the community and is committed to making a positive impact wherever it exists. As part of its commitment to the Subang Jaya community, this initiative was launched in 2020 to bridge the gaps in access to quality healthcare while emphasizing preventive care.

According to Bryan Lin, CEO of SJMC, the hospital advocates for prevention and early screenings because they truly save lives. SMJC is proud of its remarkable 100% 5-year survival rate for patients with Stage 1 breast cancer, making this one of the highest rates in the region. For the third consecutive year, SMJC has collaborated with Subang Jaya Assemblywoman, Yang Berhormat Michelle Ng, on this initiative because they trust that these mammogram screenings will benefit the women in their community who need them.

Breast cancer, when detected early, offers a much higher chance of successful treatment and recovery. Studies have found that patients with breast cancer have more than 85% 5-year survival rate when detected early as compared to a 19% 5-year survival rate when detected at Stage 4.

With the advancement of technology, 3D mammograms enhance the chances of detecting breast cancer at its earliest and most treatable stages, potentially saving lives and improving outcomes for women everywhere. By providing a three-dimensional view of breast tissue, this screening enables earlier detection of abnormalities, reducing false positives and unnecessary follow-up tests.

In addition to this CSR initiative, SJMC has also provided 300 Human Papillomavirus (HPV) PCR self-sampling swabs to women in the Subang Jaya community to eliminate cervical cancer through early detection.

On a national level, the hospital joined hands for Global Surgery Initiative (GSI) – a first of its kind Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health Malaysia and Malaysian Society of Anaesthesiologists (MSA), that aims to provide access to safe and affordable surgical and anaesthesia care in underserved areas of Malaysia. SJMC’s team of doctors and nurses volunteered their time in Sarawak and performed more than 70 surgeries on two missions.

SJMC was recently certified the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS) International as a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Malaysia for its Oncology services, becoming the first private medical centre in Asia Pacific to receive this. (Press Release)

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