1st Malaysia Pharmacogenomics Summit 2024
Hosted by the Precision Medicine and Scientific Wellness (PMedS) Association
Organised by the Precision Medicine and Scientific Wellness (PMedS) Association and co-organised by the Commonwealth Medical Association (CMA), the 1st Malaysia Pharmacogenomics Summit 2024 landmark event brought together international experts in the field of Pharmacogenomics. It was an honour to have Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed, President of England’s Association of Physicians, deliver the keynote address. He provided a comprehensive overview of the current landscape of Pharmacogenomics in England from his experience in the NHS and shared prospects for its application in Asia through various case studies.
The inaugural Malaysia Pharmacogenomics Summit 2024, held on July 20 at the Wyndham Grand Bangsar Kuala Lumpur, concluded successfully, marking a significant milestone in the advancement of precision medicine in the Asia Pacific region. Jointly organized by the Precision Medicine and Scientific Wellness (PMedS) Association and the Commonwealth Medical Association (CMA), the summit brought together over 250 attendees, including distinguished leaders from the medical, healthcare and academic sectors.
Featuring the Director-General of Health, Malaysia
Yang Berbahagia Datuk Dr. Muhammad Radzi bin Abu Hassan, Director General of Health representing the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH), officiated the summit. The summit began with a compelling introduction emphasizing the importance of integrating Pharmacogenomics into Malaysia’s healthcare system to reduce adverse drug reactions and improve patient outcomes. Datuk Dr. Muhammad Radzi bin Abu Hassan, Director General of Health mentioned during the officiating ceremony, “We have to embrace this, the only way forward, is we all have to work together. Malaysia has so many talents, many opportunities, universities and professors.”, in regards to the Pharmacogenomics advancement.
This event featured some expert insights from renowned thought leaders, including Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed, President of England’s Association of Physicians and England’s NHS Chair in Pharmacogenetics, who highlighted the transformative potential of personalized prescribing to improve efficacy and prevent harm from adverse drug reactions. He has shared how Pharmacogenomics has benefited the NHS and globally in various collaborative studies conducted on his research. During Prof. Munir’s speech, he mentioned “Pharmacogenomics should be implemented in healthcare. These were our main recommendations that we felt should be implemented in all sectors of the healthcare system in the UK … We also need to be agile to respond to advances because there have been many advances going on in Pharmacogenomics, so it has to be dynamic.”.
Furthermore, Professor Dr. Goh Boon Cher, Group Chief, Physician Leadership and Organisation Development Officer at the National University Health System and Deputy Director (Research) at the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore, has shared important notes concerning the implementation of Pharmacogenomics through the oncology perspective, highlighting the success rate of his research. He mentioned “Patients usually need urgent treatment so pre-emptive Pharmacogenomics is preferred rather than reactive testing. Increasingly, it is realized that germline mutations can be used for picking out drugs for efficacy and this is a newer field of pharmacogenomics in cancer. One day, patients would bring their genetic sequences and doctors should be prescribing accordingly”.
Associate Professor Dr. Doreen Tan Su-Yin, Cardiology Specialist Pharmacist at the National University Heart Center, Singapore, and Faculty Advisor of the NUS Pharmacy Department Pre-Employment Clinical Training, presented on implementing precision medicine initiatives in Singapore. She mentioned during the summit “As a whole community of medical professionals, we need to rise to the occasion to educate ourselves on what the options are and teach our patients what the options are” emphasizing the benefits of Pharmacogenomics, especially in cardiovascular pharmacotherapy.
Dr. Rebecca Tay, the Co-Chairperson Organizing Committee of the 1st Malaysia Pharmacogenomics Summit 2024, expressed her gratitude to be the Principal Investigator with Dr. Doreen, for the collaborative research agreement with NUS on the Pharmacogenomics implementation, to empower Precision Medicine Initiative. This summit was birthed from this collaborative work, alongside the vision of PMedS and CMA, to develop a comprehensive and systematic clinical implementation model that involved multidisciplinary teams from Malaysia and internationally. Witnessing her mother benefiting from the pharmacogenomics information (somatic and germline), and having a quality of life for more than five (5) years from stage four (4) lung cancer, she and her professional team are devoted to establishing affordable and accessible Pharmacogenomics testing that is accredited to support clinical decisions.
Attendees engaged in interactive panel discussions and hands-on workshops that explored the latest Pharmacogenomics advancements, strategies for overcoming implementation barriers, and future trends in precision medicine. The summit also provided invaluable networking opportunities, fostering collaborations among professionals across various sectors to drive the adoption of Pharmacogenomics in the region. “In this summit, we will explore Pharmacogenomics and hence transform healthcare across various specialities like cardiology, oncology, neurology, paediatric health and mental health. I hope this summit allows us to collaborate, share knowledge and pave the way for the implementation of Pharmacogenomics in Malaysia”, said Professor Dr. Tan Geok Chin, President of Precision Medicine & Scientific Wellness (PMedS).
During the summit, Prof. Dr. Tan Geok Chin witnessed the signing of the memorandum of understanding between Dr. Rebecca Tay (also the CEO of Precision Diagnostics), and Prof. Dr. Shaun Lee, Head of School (Pharmacy), Monash University Malaysia, to strengthen the ties between the two institutions, which desire to bridge the gap of awareness by developing micro-credential programs relevant to healthcare education such as Pharmacogenomics, potentially leading to future collaborative research activities.
The 1st Malaysia Pharmacogenomics Summit 2024 was sponsored by Precision Diagnostics, one of the leading Pharmacogenomics testing laboratories in Malaysia, featuring PRECISE Pharmacogenomics and PRECISE Nutrigenomics available for the audience to kickstart their Pharmacogenomics tests. The summit concluded with a consensus on the need for continuous education, policy development, and collaborative research to accelerate the integration of Pharmacogenomics into clinical practice. An actionable roadmap was proposed to bridge gaps in Pharmacogenomics implementation, particularly focusing on Asian communities.
