Getting Acquainted with the Biomedical Industry
As part of our commitment to providing holistic education, the Biomedical Sciences career support team, recently organised a “Biomedical Industry Career Talk & Networking Lunch" for our students to gain valuable knowledge and insights from a prominent player in the biopharmaceutical industry.
6 November 2023
One of the hallmarks of Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed) is its commitment to providing ample opportunities for its students to connect with industry professionals. This was demonstrated on 26 October 2023, when the university’s Biomedical Sciences career support team, comprising Dr Roshan Mascarenhas, Dr Ratnadeep Saha, Dr Pamela Knight, and Associate Professor Dr. Madihah Rushaidhi, organised a “Biomedical Industry Career Talk & Networking Lunch”, featuring CytoMed Therapeutics Sdn Bhd (CytoMed).
CytoMed focuses on engineering more affordable cellular cancer therapies that are able to identify and attack a range of solid and haematological cancers, and makes off-the-shelf allogeneic cellular immunotherapy for a broad spectrum of cancers.
The event, which was attended by 62 Biomedical Sciences students and 13 staff members, kicked off with a talk by Mr Peter Choo and Dr Tan Wee Kiat, the Chairman & Director and Chief Operating Officer of CytoMed respectively. Mr Choo shared how the company got its start, providing insights into the challenges of getting established in the medical industry.
Dr Tan then went on to explain the science behind cell-based cancer therapy that uses living cells as drugs. Gamma delta (γδ) T cell- and natural killer (NK) cell-based immunotherapeutics allow for the collection of this T-cell subset from healthy donors to be used for the treatment of patients. This is a faster and safer way to treat most cancers. Currently the cellular therapies are manufactured for clinical trials at a current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) facility in Johor.
Two other personnel from CytoMed, namely Dr Dean Yu (Senior Finance Manager) and Dr Joyce Cheong (General Practitioner) were also on hand to interact with the students.
“Possessing knowledge of various career options prepares students to make informed career choices. Biomedical industries play a critical role in the health sector. Industry talks and interactions like this one provides students with direct opportunities to ask questions on various aspects of the industry. This exposure will help students to gain insights into the industry, the types of careers available, expectations of the industries, and internship opportunities,” shared Dr. Roshan.
This is not the first time that an industry talk was organised for the benefit of Biomedical Sciences students. Industry participants from previous years include Biocon, CIBA Vision (Alcon), AstraZeneca, Servier Malaysia, and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
