Page 11 - Berita Sunway - Issue 69

“Together with our partners in the NHS and NIHR, we aim to identify those University of Cambridge vice-chancellor Professor Stephen J Toope
patients at greatest risk and understand why the coronavirus makes some expressed his appreciation to Cheah and Sunway for JCBC’s contribution
people so sick while leaving others with only mild symptoms. Ultimately, to national and international efforts in fighting COVID-19.
we hope this will lead to the development of new treatments against this
dreadful disease.” “The Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre has become absolutely pivotal to
our clinical medicine response to COVID-19. On the Biomedical Campus
The research team at CITIID has successfully set up a Point of Care and trials (spanning improved diagnostics, experimental treatments,
(POC) test system, implemented rapid diagnostic testing for patients at vaccine candidates and large-scale observational studies), many in close
Addenbrooke’s Hospital, and developed tests for front line healthcare partnership with our teaching hospital, Addenbrooke’s,” said Toope.
workers treating COVID-19 patients. It also hopes to recruit consenting
COVID-19 patients at Addenbrooke’s Hospital for further studies. “CITIID is now focusing entirely on COVID-19 research. It is clear how
important this new facility (including the CL3 biocontainment capacity)
Recently, the team of researchers at CITIID also developed a new test for is in enabling us to make a substantive contribution to national and
infection of SARS-CoV2 – the virus strain that causes COVID-19 – which international efforts. While no one could have anticipated this immediate
also happens to inactivate the virus at the point of sampling. The test is and pressing role for CITIID, we are so glad to have it, and profoundly
now being used to screen front line NHS staff. With a four-hour detection grateful for your visionary support in its creation,” Toope said.
rate, the CITIID team can diagnose the infection much faster than the
current regular tests, which takes over 24 hours to return a result. SUNWAY-CAMBRIDGE TIES ADVANCE
INTERNATIONAL KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER
Addenbrooke’s Hospital is also utilising Samba II machines, a rapid
diagnostic testing solution that produces results in under 90 minutes as Named after Sunway Group Founder and Chairman Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey
opposed to the regular 24 hours, when testing for COVID-19. Professor Cheah, the establishment of JCBC is one of several partnerships between
Ravi Gupta of CITIID is leading the ‘COVIDx’ clinical study to evaluate the Sunway and Cambridge to expand and bolster research capabilities,
impact of this test. knowledge and skills.
CITIID is also taking a front role in the £20 million COVID-19 Genomics UK Sunway’s partnership with Cambridge began in 2015 with the establishment
Consortium, a major effort by the UK government to help understand and of Jeffrey Cheah Professorial Fellowships in Gonville and Caius College,
control the infection. University of Cambridge and a Jeffrey Cheah Scholar-in-Residence
programme, which enables two Sunway academics each year to reside in
CROSS COLLABORATION VITAL TO END the College for a month to undertake research and scholarly study.
THE PANDEMIC Following an agreement with the University of Cambridge to establish
a major collaboration in biomedical sciences in 2017, the Sunway Clinical
Sunway and Cambridge are currently Research Centre was established in Sunway Medical Centre as a Regional
exploring more collaborative ways Site Partner of the Cambridge School of Clinical Sciences, an extensive
to combat COVID-19, with talks of visiting leaders programme, and a series of medical education programmes.
potential technology transfer and
testing on the table. However,
a feasibility assessment will be
conducted first before forming a
collaboration model for the project.

We hope that
their research team
will succeed in generating
vital research data to combat
the pandemic. Talks on
collaborations with the University
of Cambridge are also in
progress to help bolster
Malaysia’s battle against
COVID-19.

BERITA SUNWAY | JUL—SEP 2020 | 11