22
The Health | june-july, 2020
| Insight |
Malaysian
doctor joins
in search of
Covid-19 vaccine
Dr Nur Amalina gets involved with
UK Imperial College team through
recruiting and vaccinating healthy
volunteers
By CAMILIA REZALI
Dr Nur Amalina Che Bakri.
Last year, a United Kingdomtrained
Malaysian doctor, Dr
Nur Amalina Che Bakri, paved
the way for Ainual Mardhiah,
a baby diagnosed with rare
germ cell tumour, for surgery
in London. Ainul is today a
bubbly child.
This year, she is again stamping her
mark. She was recently recruited by the
UK Imperial College team in search of a
vaccine for Covid-19, which has infected
210 countries and territories around the
world.
Amalina has been tasked with finding
suitable volunteers to take part in the
vaccine trials being held at the Imperial
College’s National Institute of Health
Research (NIHR).
The 32-year-old doctor twitted: “I’m
involved in recruiting healthy volunteers
and vaccinating them in the next few
weeks.”The tweet received reactions from
followers congratulating her.
This is the first time such trials are
being conducted in the UK. It will be led
by Dr Katrina Pallock, who is a Senior
Clinical Research Fellow in Vaccinology
and Honorary Consultant at Imperial
College London.
On April 22, the Imperial College
London reportedthe UK government has
pledged to provide a £22.5mil (RM121.1mil)
grant to the two leading UK vaccine teams
at Oxford University and Imperial
College.
The allocation was
announced by UK Health
Secretary, Matt Hancock.
He stated: “In the
long run, the best way
to defeat Covid-19 is
through a vaccine.
“The UK is at the
forefront of the global
effort... and for all the
efforts around the world,
two of the leading vaccine
developments are taking
place here at home, at Oxford
and Imperial.”
A vaccine for Covid-19 is not
found yet and experts have said
it may be years before a vaccine
is found. As of April 22, DrAmalina
noted there were already two
candidates for the vaccine trial.
Dr Nur Amalina was born in
Kota Baru but raised in Johor Baru.
In the long run, the best way to defeat Covid-19
is through a vaccine. The UK is at the forefront
of the global effort... and for all the efforts
around the world, two of the leading vaccine
developments are taking place here at home, at
Oxford and Imperial.” – Dr Nur Amalina
She held the record of most 1As scored
in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia in 2004 by
achieving 17 1As.
She received the Kijang Emas
Scholarship from Bank Negara Malaysia
to study medicine in the United Kingdom
and did her A-levels in Cheltenham Ladies
College in the UK where she achieved
5As. She graduated as a doctor in July
2013 from the University of Edinburgh.
During her time at university she gained
an intercalated degree in Pharmacology
which awarded her as a Bachelor of
Medical Sciences (Pharmacology).
She had worked as a junior doctor
(housemanship) for two years in
Cambridge and did her Masters of
Philosophy (MPhil) in Translational
Medicine and Therapeutics (TMAT) at
University of Cambridge.
After completing her Master’s
Degree with distinction in mid-2015,
she continued her stint as a Specialist
Trainee Surgeon at Imperial NHS
Healthcare Trust. Her specialisations
are general surgery and trauma/
emergency. At the same time, she
worked at St Mary’s Hospital, Royal
London Hospital, Chelsea & Westminster
Hospital and Charing Cross Hospital.
She is doing her PhD in Medicine
at the Department of Surgery and
Cancer, Imperial College London with a
fellowship from Imperial College London
and funding from the NIHR UK. — The
Health