UTAR receives RM30,000 for bird's nest research

Mock cheque presentation (from left): Dr Lim, Prof Dr Cheong, Dato' Seri Dr Abdullah Fadzil, Loke and Tan

UTAR officially received a RM30,000 grant for research in edible bird's nest (EBN) from its corporate partner Royal Bird's Nest Sdn Bhd (RBN), the research arm of Swiftlet Eco Park Group of Companies, at a ceremony on 23 June 2013.

UTAR and RBN signed a memorandum of understanding on 3 December 2012 to collaborate on research and development in the fields of medical, health and agricultural science and engineering, especially areas that are related to health supplement products such as EBN.  The research project under the RM30,000 grant is one of the collaborative activities the two parties.  UTAR will use the grant to conduct research on the effects of EBN on the global gene expression and differentially expressed proteins in stem cells.  The principal members of the research team are Tan Chee Hong, Group Executive Director and CEO of Swiftlet Eco Park Group of Companies, UTAR Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Dean Emeritus Professor Dr Cheong Soon Keng and UTAR Centre for Cancer Research Chairperson Dr Lim Yang Mooi.

At the ceremony for RBN Global and Investors' Day, Swiftlet Eco Park Group Executive Chairman Dato' Seri Dr Abdullah Fadzil bin Che Wan handed over a mock cheque of RM30,000 to Prof Cheong.  Also present at the ceremony were Dr Lim, Tan and RBN Group Managing Director Loke Yeu Loong.  During the ceremony the group launched its new product Royal Bird's Nest 4-in-1 White Coffee.  Dr Lim was an invited guest speaker and she shared about the nutritional values and medicinal properties of EBN.

 Dr Lim sharing on the benefits of consuming EBN

EBN has been highly valued food tonic by the Chinese since the Tang Dynasty (618AD to 907 AD).  It has long been regarded as an important traditional Chinese medicine and prescribed for treating common cold, viral infections, and skin diseases, for regulation of physical weakness, and even for retarding ageing.  Studies have reported that the medicinal properties of EBN come from its high nutrient content.  Despite many health claims associated with EBN and its long history of medical applications, its therapeutic value and mechanism of actions remain largely unknown and scientific research and discoveries on its medical usage are relatively few.

Prof Dr Cheong answering a question during the Q&A session