Malaysia
* Passionate about biotechnology, science and innovation. * Particularly interested in the adaptation of biological processes to new applications in other fields. * Open to learning new things and exploring new opportunities.
* Medical Secretary tasked with attending to patients undergoing Hasumi Immuno-Therapeutic Vaccine (HITV) [1] and Gendicine p53 gene therapy [2] offered at MIMC. Main responsibilities include: - Attending to enquiries regarding HITV and Gendicine p53 gene therapies. - Explaining to patients and relatives about apheresis, cell culture, immunotherapy, gene therapy, radiotherapy, intra-tumoral injections and PET/CT scans. - Maintenance of medical records, including patient’s notes, treatment schedule and reports. - Scheduling appointments for consultations, apheresis, injections and PET/CT scans. - Liaise between doctors and patients, and between the centre and the cell culture laboratory. Other work and skills include: - Assist with broader medical secretary duties in the greater part of the centre. - Registering patients and coordinating with the relevant downstream departments. - Preparing necessary forms and documents needed for appointments. - Ordering tests, scans and prescriptions for patients based on doctor’s instructions. - Preparation of official documents and quotations to corporate clients. - Basic understanding of health insurance and claims requirements. - Familiar with medical terminology and radiological imaging (CT, MRI and PET/CT). - Familiar with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook). - Provide first-line troubleshooting for IT-related issues and replacing hardware. [1] Developed by Dr. Kenichiro Hasumi in Tokyo, HITV therapy empowers the patient’s immune system to combat cancer by delivering autologous dendritic cells and effector T cells directly into tumors through CT- or ultrasound-guided intra-tumoral injections, in conjuction with adjuvant radiotherapy. [2] Gendicine is the first gene therapy product approved for use in humans. It is a recombinant adenovirus carrying the wildtype human p53 gene aimed at reactivating the p53-induced apoptosis pathway in cancer patients with p53 mutations.
- Contributed to the validation of the 3' mRNA sequence of a novel enzyme isoform in American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana). Work done include: 1) Carrying out 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (3' RACE) on leaf RNA. 2) Designing RT-PCR primers for use in 3' RACE. 3) Cloning PCR products into DNA vectors/plasmids. 4) Transformation of E. coli (DH5α) and screening by antibiotic-resistance selection. 5) Growing overnight cultures and plasmid mini-prep. 6) Double-digestion of mini-prep DNA for insert dropout.
- Investigated and showed by RT-qPCR that pokeweed antiviral protein I (PAP-I) mRNA is developmentally regulated in pokeweed leaves. - Tested and demonstrated through 5’ RACE that a novel small RNA does not cause cleavage of PAP-I mRNA at the suspected location. Work summary: 1) RNA extraction from leaf tissue (RNAzol®RT-based protocol). 2) RNA quantification by RT-qPCR (2-ΔΔCt method) 3) Detection of small RNA by northern blot and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). 4) Testing for mRNA cleavage by 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (5' RACE). 5) Comparison of other antiviral protein mRNA sequences with PAP-I mRNA by BLASTN searches.