An IMU Bachelor of Medical Sciences (BMedSc) student, Goh You, was awarded the Commendation Certificate for Best Oral Presentation at the Malaysian Society of Pharmacology and Physiology (MSPP) 34th Scientific Meeting, which was held from 15-17 July 2021.
“It is such an honour to gain recognition and be awarded the Commendation for Best Oral Presentation in this year’s MSPP conference. This was my first ever experience in the field of research, and the 34th MSPP Scientific Meeting 2021 was, naturally, my first ever conference.”
“It definitely came as a shock when my name was announced as one of the award winners as I was competing against the majority of the participants who were PhD students, or even full-time laboratory researchers. The conference was a lovely opportunity for me to gain knowledge from the many passionate researchers who were sharing the outcomes of their hard work with the world for the first time.”
The Malaysian Society of Pharmacology and Physiology (MSPP) 34th Scientific Meeting was held virtually on 15-17 July 2021. The focus of this year’s programme was on translational research under the theme ‘Trailblazing the Translational Research’.
The meeting attracted approximately 700 local and international registrants. From a total of 194 abstract submissions, 74 abstracts were shortlisted for oral presentation. Shortlisted participants then had to record their presentations, which were subjected to a round of selections. From these, a further 32 abstracts were shortlisted for live oral presentation to be displayed on the conference day itself, followed by a Q&A session by the judges. Awards were presented based on the presentation quality and performance for Q&A.
“My research topic was on “Effect of Tocotrienol-Rich Fraction on Retinal Cell Apoptosis in Rats with Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Retinopathy”. This was completed in collaboration with Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Sungai Buloh as part of my 6-month BMedSc intercalation programme, before continuing with my medical degree in a Partner Medical School, University of Edinburgh.”
“I found the research process very challenging physically and mentally as it required me to administer daily treatment to rats for a period of 12 weeks. At the end of the treatment period, the rats had to be sacrificed so that the measurement of retinal apoptotic proteins could be estimated. That was the most difficult piece of the puzzle for me; I had several nightmares about it and was not feeling like myself for the bulk of the time. I am thankful and grateful for my rats; I hope that their deaths will be justified by improved treatment methods for diabetic retinopathy in the near future.”
“Despite all these difficulties, I managed to persevere through my project and receive a First Class Honours degree for my BMedSc. This would not have been possible without IMU, for the funding of the project and for providing me with such a platform. Apart from that, I would also like to acknowledge UiTM Sungai Buloh Campus for the support on facilities and resources. My deepest gratitude goes to my main supervisor, Dr Heethal Jaiprakash (IMU), and co-supervisors Dr Nurul Alimah Abdul Nasir (UiTM), Prof Renu Agarwal (IMU), and Prof Nafeeza Mohd Ismail (IMU) for their patient guidance, invaluable advice, time and effort throughout the duration of the study. I would also like to thank Prof Igor Iezhitsa (IMU) and Dr Norhafiza Razali (UiTM) for their crucial input and constructive recommendations that helped to make my project better.”
“My grateful thanks are also extended to Ahmad Sawani Abdul Wahab for his help on animal handling, and all the science officers and staff of Institute of Molecular and Medical Biotechnology (IMMB), Laboratory Animal Care Unit (LACU) and Centre for Neuroscience Research (NeuRon) of UiTM Sungai Buloh Campus. I would also like to extend my thanks to the UiTM postgraduate seniors, Muhammad Zulfiqah Sadikan, Afiqq Aiman Abd Ghapor, Amy Suzana Abu Bakar and Norazirah Mat Nayan for their experience sharing and guidance. I would like to acknowledge my fellow IMU BMedSc classmate, Tee Hann Yih, for the support and help during my time in UiTM. Last but not least, I am ever so grateful to my family who had mentally supported me throughout my research and kept me going.”
