THE HEART BEHIND PRECISION DIAGNOSTICS
How a Daughter's Promise
Two Mothers' Love, and a
Life-Saving Discovery Sparked the
Birth of Precision Diagnostics
Early Loss Sparks a Lifelong Mission
The story began with Dr. Rebecca Tay’s two angelic mothers, both of whom loved her dearly. As a child, Dr Rebecca’s biological mother-still in her thirties- was diagnosed with colon cancer. Before chemotherapy, she was still able to go shopping and chat happily with us. Sadly, just a few days after beginning treatment, she began to vomit blood and passed away. Devastated, young Rebecca was left confronting a painful question: had cancer taken her mother’s life? Or had chemotherapy? That tragedy ignited in her a profound resolve – to understand, to prevent, and to heal. This deeply personal loss set Dr. Rebecca on a path to bridge personal experience with medical innovation, fueling her dream of finding better solutions. It was the beginning of a mission rooted equally in heartbreak and hope.
Before her biological mom passed away, she extracted a promise from Dr. Rebecca’s father that he would remarry a woman who could care for their three daughters. By God’s grace, he wed a woman whose love knew no bounds—Dr. Rebecca’s stepmother—who, out of selflessness, even chose to forgo having children of her own during her fertile years to devote herself entirely to young Rebecca and her two sisters. This second mother’s unwavering devotion became Dr. Rebecca’s guiding light.
Dual PhD Bridging and Molecular Medicine
Determine to channel her grief into a passion for science and medical discovery, Dr. Rebecca pursued an extraordinary academic journey—earning a dual PhD, one in Pharmacy at the University of Nottingham (UK) and one in Molecular Medicine at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). This rare achievement wasn’t just a line on her résumé, it was a stepping-stone toward real impact. During her doctoral training in Nottingham, she was invited to teach pharmacogenomics (PGx) in a problem-based learning program, where she was struck by the potential of PGx to prevent adverse drug reactions. That teaching experience opened her eyes and she realised how personalized medicine could save lives by tailoring treatments to a patient’s genetic makeup, instead of relying on today’s one-size-fits-all approach.
A Life-Saving Start from Home
The true power of pharmacogenomics hit home in 2019, Dr. Rebecca’s stepmom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Faced with the very real possibility of losing a second mother figure, become intensely personal once again, Dr. Rebecca sprang into action. Armed with her dual-PhD expertise and knowledge of PGx, she and the healthcare team meticulously analyzed her stepmom’s pharmacogenomics profile to identify the safest and most effective treatment options. This PGx-guided treatment was then complemented by nutrigenomics-guided medical nutrition therapy to support her quality of life. The outcome was nothing short of remarkable: her stepmother not only achieved cancer-free status (confirmed by PET Scan), but went on to enjoy an excellent quality of life for more than five years after her diagnosis.
A Promise Fulfilled through Pharmacogenomics
Back in 2019—when Dr. Rebecca’s boys were just in Standard 1 and 2—she and her stepmom made a heartfelt agreement and held unwavering hope that she would witness her grandchildren embark on university, even as she battled stage 4 cancer. Five years later, with her stepmom cancer-free, they celebrated together as her now 12- and 13-year-old grandsons began university journeys for engineering courses. Dr. Rebecca forever cherish this moment and as a powerful testament to precision medicine. This personal victory demonstrated how science and compassion combined could literally save a life, reinforcing Dr. Rebecca’s conviction that no patient should be lost due to preventable adverse drug reactions.
Founding Precision Diagnostics on Compassion and Science
These experiences culminated in the founding of Precision Diagnostics, an endeavor born not out of commercial ambition but of a heartfelt, mission-driven to bridge cutting-edge science with compassionate patient care. In partnership with her husband and a close-knit team — and thanks to Dr. Rebecca’s extraordinary to connect the dots, visionary leadership, unparalleled expertise, and stedfast perseverance — they successfully established an award-winning clinical pharmacogenomics service, recognised for ““First Clinical-Recommended Genome-Wide Pharmacogenomics” and genetic breakthroughs that marked a significant milestone in advancing precision medicine and pharmacogenomics across the Asia Pacific. The goal was clear: to make state-of-art medical genetic testing available and affordable, so that doctors and patients could make informed decisions and avoid the tragic outcomes that shaped her own life. Today, Dr. Rebecca remains a tireless advocate for Clinical-Accredited PGx—rather than unregulated commercial genetic tests—educating clinicians, healthcare professionals and the public about the dangers of substandard tests and upholding the highest standards of accuracy and safety. From day one, her focus has been on the human stories behind every test: every test result is an opportunity to give another family, another person, to have a fighting chance at better health.
Every Patient Deserves a Fighting Chance with Pharmacogenomics
Warm and humble in demeanor, Dr. Rebecca carries her personal story from loss-to-mission into every board meeting, lecture, and patient consultation. “I care every patient as I would my own mother,” she says, wanting to help them live their fullest life possible. Her broader vision is to bring pharmacogenomics into everyday healthcare – to make personalized medicine a standard part of medical practice. Today, Dr. Rebecca works alongside policymakers, fellow scientists, clinicians, pharmacists and clinical geneticists to shift healthcare from a “one-drug-fits-all” paradigm to truly personalised prescribing. It’s about, as she puts it, “breaking barriers to personalized medicine” and giving every patient “a fighting chance”. From the depths of personal loss to the heights of professional achievement, Dr. Rebecca Tay’s journey is a touching reminder of science and empathy must go hand in hand and one person’s passion can spark hope and healing for countless others.