Mutual Credit recognition programme UTAR- NYMU, testimonial by Ms Nalini PhD(Medical Science) candidate 


I’m Nalini Devi, a PhD student under the supervision of Prof Alan Ong Han Kiat and Prof Cheong Soon Keng inUTAR. I enrolled in FMHS/UTAR-National Yang-Ming University (NYMU, Taiwan) dual-degree programme whereby I will need to perform my experiments in both UTAR and NYMU. I’m being supervised by Prof Dr Chiou Shih-Hwa, a clinical professor from Institute of Pharmacology (NYMU) in Taiwan. My current research work involves elucidation of circular RNA (circRNA), a type of long non coding RNA in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). CircRNA is widely known to regulate cancer progression by interfering multiple cancer pathways, mRNA, miRNA, RNA binding protein (RBP) and act as transcriptional regulators. Due to its unique circular structure, circRNAs are highly resistant to exonucleases and therefore have longer half-life in plasma than linear messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Higher stability conferred circRNA as an ideal biomarker in clinical applications. Therefore, in my current study, we aimed to investigate circRNAs present in 3rd Generation EGFR-TKI(Osimertinib) resistant NSCLC cell lines. Osimertinib possess  high efficacy in patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC but recently some patients show intrinsic resistance and an insufficient response to Osimertinib. We hope circRNAs identified in our study may provide genome based prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for NSCLC patients in clinical settings.

A picture of myself running Western Blot.

What I’ve learned so far in both UTAR and NYMU?

During my master’s programme in FMHS, UTAR,  I was given the opportunity to reprogramme Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) into induce pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). iPSC research is a hot topic in modern medicine especially when comes to regenerative medicines. These cell types are able to proliferate indefinitely in-vitro and differentiate into any cell of the body providing much potential for the treatment of various diseases. Along my postgraduate study, I was trained in both basic and advanced cell culture as well as molecular techniques. When I re-joined UTAR in 2018 as a PhD student, my work solely focused on transcriptome analysis of circRNA in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). In Taiwan, I utilized Osimertinib-resistant cell lines which were established via step-wise dose exposure to Osimertinib over 6months in specific culture condition. I further had the opportunity to learn bioinformatic analysis and proteomics in terms of identification and quantification of target signalling pathways. I was also allowed to use NYMU core research facilities such as the Confocal microscope and Transmission Electron microscope (TEM). All these wonderful experiences from both UTAR-NYMU have prepared me well to be a trained scientist in the future.

 From Left: Lung Cancer Research Team heads by Prof Chiou Shih-Hwa, Prof Alan’s visit to NYMU in Dec 2019 and Transmission Electron Microscope from NYMU core facilities I’ve used in my study.