List of Members Research Activities Summary of Report
Centre Name: Centre for Biomedical and Nutrition Research
Chairperson: Dr. Eddy Cheah Seong Guan (UTAR profile)
Description of Centre: Introduction
Despite the availability of improved therapeutics and technologies, the burden of many human diseases remains high worldwide and this constitutes one of the major challenges plaguing the 21st century. These include both chronic or lifestyle diseases (e.g. cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers) and infectious diseases. The latter have resulted in a number of epidemics and pandemics in the first two decades of this century and have taken a heavy toll on human health; major players include SARS, MERS, Ebola, Zika, dengue, avian/swine influenza, and COVID-19. In addition to affecting our progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, these health problems have definitely posed a significant threat to the global workforce with serious consequences on economic growth and development. This emphasises the urgent need for more research with the hope of developing new technologies or interventions and advancing our current understanding on the molecular basis of diseases and body functions, and has accentuated the role of biomedical scientists with regard to this. In addition to providing the foundation of modern healthcare, biomedical scientists have contributed significant advances in modern medical science via their tremendous efforts in elucidating the aetiology of diseases, evaluating the effectiveness of treatment, and developing new diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies.

The global challenges for nutrition include the dual burden of malnutrition, namely hunger and undernutrition on one end and overnutrition on the other, both of which are underlying factors for many diseases. Health issues associated with the former are highly prevalent in low-income countries, in which young children and pregnant women are the groups mainly affected. This highlights the fundamental importance of adequate nutrition in the proper development of children and in the enhancement of our immune system for protection against infectious diseases. On the contrary, obesity due to overconsumption is greatly associated with increased risk of developing diet-related chronic diseases, like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancers, and this is increasingly starting in childhood. The potentials of alternative interventions to better address both nutritional extremes are to be explored via multisectoral approaches, and this includes those pertaining to medical nutrition therapy for management of illnesses and diseases in both acute and chronic care. More effective strategies for delivery of nutrition education and dietary counselling are another aspect to be looked into.

The Centre for Biomedical and Nutrition Research (CBNR) brings together a diverse group of dedicated scientists with expertise across various biomedical and nutritional disciplines pertaining to improvement of human health and wellbeing. Our goal is to carry out high-quality and rigorous research, both fundamental and applied, that will contribute significant new knowledge and technologies to the fields and solutions to some of the key health challenges faced to date. We also strive to uphold our social responsibility in educating and supporting the society on the importance of healthy living and wellbeing.

Goals

  1. To be a leading centre of excellence for research and development in biomedical and nutrition sciences and to foster multidisciplinary research
  2. To contribute to the betterment of healthcare quality in Malaysia through research and education in biomedical and nutrition sciences
  3. To reach out to the community promoting education and creating awareness on good health and wellbeing
Objectives
  1. To engage in research activities in various disciplines of biomedical sciences with emphasis on outputs that are of added values to pharmacognosy, molecular pathology, human and microbial genetics, medical microbiology, medical laboratory diagnostics, and biomedical informatics.
  2. To engage in research activities in nutrition science with emphasis on outputs that are of added values to community and therapeutic nutrition
  3. To identify opportunities and challenges for innovation and improvement in various domains of biomedical and nutrition sciences
  4. To equip researchers with essential research skills and knowledge of methods and techniques that are routinely applied in biomedical and nutrition research
  5. To serve as a platform for sharing and dissemination of new and emerging knowledge and technologies in the context of research advancement and professional development pertaining to biomedical and nutrition sciences
  6. To promote awareness and provide training to researchers and industry players on recent developments and advancements in biomedical and nutrition sciences via scientific meetings and workshops
  7. To establish networking and promote academic and research collaborations with local and international institutions/organisations in biomedical and nutrition sciences
  8. To promote awareness and advocate the importance of good health and wellbeing at all ages via education and community outreach programmes

Research area:
Area 1: Natural Products & Pharmacognosy
Medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, phytonutrients 

Area 2: Medical Microbiology
Bacterial pathogens, host-microbe interactions, anti-microbial resistance, biological control of vector-borne diseases

Area 3: Genetics & Molecular Biology
Molecular mechanisms of diseases, signal transduction studies, gene cloning and expression, protein downstream processing 

Area 4: Public Health
Disease epidemiology, evidence-based health practices, medical laboratory diagnostics, medical entomology 

Area 5: Community Nutrition
Human nutrition, public health nutrition, nutrition security, nutrition education

Area 6: Therapeutic Nutrition
Clinical nutrition, nutraceuticals, functional and pharma foods

Area 7: Genomics, Bioinformatics & Meta-Analysis
Medical and nutritional genomics, applied bioinformatics in biomedical and nutrition research, meta-analysis in biomedical research, nutrition ontology

We are committed to contributing to SDG 3 Good Health and Well Being and SDG 2 Zero Hunger, and the National Priority Area: Healthcare & Medicine.