UTAR Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) Doctor of Philosophy (Medical Science) student Ooi Kai Xin made the University proud by sweeping the BioFactors Best Poster Award at the virtual 16th Congress of the Federation of Asian and Oceanian Biochemists and Molecular Biologists (FAOBMB) which took place from 22 to 25 November 2021.

The research paper which won her the award was titled “Oncostatic Property of Maslinic Acid against Colorectal Cancer via NF-KB Pathway Inhibition”. The project was under the supervision of FMHS academic Prof Ts Dr Lim Yang Mooi.

Ooi walked away with a cash prize of 200NZD and a certificate.

When asked to describe her award-winning poster, Ooi explained, “The title of my poster is ‘Oncostatic Property of Maslinic Acid against Colorectal Cancer via NF-κB Pathway Inhibition’. The objective of my project is to assess the therapeutic effect of a natural compound, maslinic acid (MA), against colorectal cancer (CRC), the second most common cancer in Malaysia. We aim to study the remedial effect of this compound in both in vitro and in vivo animal model systems and the transcriptomic profiling to identify the differentially expressed genes associated with maslinic acid treatment and to elucidate the molecular mechanisms through pathway analysis. In the poster, I have presented the in vitro works, including the results from cytotoxicity assay, apoptosis assay, cell cycle analysis and protein expression analyses, suggesting the inhibition of CRC by MA via NF-κB pathway inhibition. The construction of the GFP-luc2-CRC cell line, which is going to be used in the xenografts models, was discussed in the final part of the poster.”

She added, “When I was told about this event, I found that it was a chance of learning and exploration for me, so I decided to grab this opportunity to join and present my work in the Congress. It is absolutely a great honour for me to be given the poster prize at the international event. I found my hard work paid off; it boosts my confidence and motivates me to conduct my research further.”

Adding to that, Prof Lim said, “I was glad and proud when Ooi was awarded the Best Poster Award. It is worth mentioning that the construction of the HT-29-GFP-luc2 cell line of the project was established through the collaboration with the Molecular Pathology Unit from the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) and Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI), Australia. Dr Marco Herold from WEHI provided the GFP-luc2 plasmid, while the transcription, transduction, and cell sorting works were conducted in IMR with technical help from the team. The establishment of this cell line will be used for the in vivo bioluminescence imaging of the tumour using the IVIS system in downstream animal work. This allows the tumour to be visualised via a non-invasive optical imaging modality. So we can better monitor the tumour development. This is the first international Congress the student participated in. The Congress itself and the poster award given helps build the student’s confidence, let her be more prepared for the next event when the opportunity comes and have the courage to go for an oral presentation, which is more challenging.”

The Congress of FAOBMB was organised by FAOBMB and International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB) and hosted by New Zealand Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (NZSBMB), Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), Australian Society for Microbiology (ASM), New Zealand Microbiological Society (NZMS) and New Zealand Society of Plant Biologists (NZSPB).

The Congress was fully held online. The theme of the Congress was ‘Molecules, Life, Diversity’. The Congress attracted over 740 delegates as well as 58 sponsors or exhibitors from 28 countries. The local organising committee assembled an excellent programme of 15 plenary and nine award lectures, and three Education Symposia. A further 50 symposia sessions were covering broad aspects of molecular sciences including cell signalling, proteomics, microbiology, immunology, bioinformatics, cell biology, plant biology, virology, metabolism and enzymes.