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science cafe

to-face discussions regarding sexual health. (AWAM) and Pusat Aktiviti Kanak-kanak
(Social Welfare Department). The programme
Last but not least, Associate Professor Dr Claire included important workshops to examine
Choo Wan Yuen (Department of Preventive the level of understanding amongst the youth
and Social Medicine) presented on behalf of about gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual
Associate Professor Dr Sajaratulnisah Othman reproductive health (SRH) issues, as well as
(Department of Primary Care Medicine) on running various activities to promote self-
their experiences in running the Community- esteem, knowledge, attitudes, and skills related
Academic Programme (CAP), a programme to healthy relationships and adolescent SRH.
designed for ‘Supporting Youth Against
Violence & Unhealthy Sexual Activities’ in For more information, please contact Research
collaboration with Klinik Kesihatan Taman Management Centre (03-79677515).
Medan (MoH), All Women’s Action Society

DRUGS, NANOMATERIALS AND VENOMS: WHEN TOXICITY IS A CONCERN
DR TAN CHOO HOCK DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACOLOGY

The Science Café session held on 30th May, 2018 themed “Drugs, nanomaterials and venoms:
When toxicity is a concern” showcased selected niche area research in the faculty. The session
began with Dr Shamsul Mohd Zain from the Pharmacogenomics Laboratory, Department of
Pharmacology. Dr Shamsul revealed that some medicines can turn toxic even though when the
dosage taken by the patient is within the normal therapeutic range. This is largely due to the
genetic makeup of certain people that makes them susceptible to the drug adverse effects.
However, the study of genes and their association with adverse drug reaction (ADR) is often
not feasible in the country as the study usually requires a large sample size. Furthermore,
the incidence of certain ADR is relatively low and genetic variants exist among patients. To
overcome this challenge, an international collaborative work has been set up: The South East
Asian Pharmacogenomics Network (SEAPharm). SEAPharm has recently launched a kick-off
project with a focus on carbamazepine-induced severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs).
The project aims to improve the guideline for the clinical implementation of a pharmacogenomics
panel suitable for the Southeast Asian populations in ADR prevention. Research conducted by
Dr Shamsul and his team will contribute to this international collaboration through sampling and
analysis of the Malaysian patients.

The talk was continued by Dr Leo Bey Fen from the Central Unit for Advanced Research Imaging
(CENTUARI). In her talk, Dr Leo shared with the audience the advancement of nanotechnology

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