DISCOVER RESEARCH08Microbiology: Small Viruses and Big ImpactFakhriedzwan Fitri Hj Idris started off in 2008 with the Bachelor in Health Sciences Biomedical Sciences, a four-year degree programme in PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences (IHS). But it was after undergoing internship at the Ottomeyer Hof Clinical Research Centre in University of Heidelberg, Germany for his Discovery Year, that he decided to further pursue virology. This was also the year that UBD students first set out to participate in Discovery Year, a flagship programme under the GenNEXT curriculum aimed at giving students real-life experience and industry exposure. Exposed to research and findings bacteria and fungi there, he developed a particular interest in viruses. Calling them “sneaky creatures”, his passion grew with the realisation that viruses will always be there, constantly evolving and adapting to different hosts. ”When you try to intervene or stop them, they always have a way to divert and evade,” he explains. “This allows for them successfully infecting their different hosts.”This was the challenge he was looking for, a continuous field of research that is also a fundamental part of life. They come and go as they will, causing epidemics. But researchers like Fakhri are also fundamental in keeping them in check.In Germany, Fakhri had the opportunity to get a closer look at herpes simplex virus (HSV) and tick-borne encephalitis. He continued to develop interests in vectors and entomology (insects). And in his final year, he focused on Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that can spread dengue fever, chikungunya, Mayaro, Zika fever and yellow fever. He saw the relevance of such studies in virology and decided it was something he could pursue further especially with its prevalence in the southeast asian region. Research on the dengue virus has already begun in PAPRSB IHS since 2013. A collaboration with the Ministry of Health, postgraduate students at the faculty used advanced and sophisticated molecular biology approaches to determine the serotypes of dengue virus in samples obtained from patients in the country.The PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences (IHS) aims to conduct high impact research. Through its postgraduate research programme, it has produced almost 20 doctoral researchers that contribute to the success of the faculty’s research and international research standing.Postgraduate researcher Fakhriedzwan Fitri Haji Idris cultivating his samples in the PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences laboratory. Photo: Azhar Ismat
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