M'sian University UPM Signs MoU To Develop Cancer Therapy Technology

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 (Bernama) -- Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), NM13 Sdn Bhd and Southern Tohoku Research Institute for Neuroscience, Japan, Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop cancer therapy technology. Malaysia's Ministry of Education secretary-general, Dr Zaini Ujang said the joint venture was also to improve activities and level of education in the field of clinical research in the country. "The idea is the proposal of a major medical group in Tohoku, Japan, to the ministry. They are honoured for the first time to share expertise in the field of cancer therapy with another country and have chosen Malaysia," he told a news conference after the signing ceremony in UPM here. Zaini said through the related collaboration the development of clinical services provided to cancer patients in Malaysia would be more advanced and of high quality. It also the opportunity to provide services to foreign patients, thereby, developing the country's medical tourism sector. "In Japan, they have advanced cancer treatment technology that is using the 'Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) method that can treat cancer without going through a long process and it does not hurt," he said. According to Zaini, for this purpose a university hospital was required and the ministry had identified UPM Hospital, which was expected to be completed in 2018, to be used for the development of the project. To ensure that the new technology research project can be realised and that the equipment used for cancer treatment can be used here, UPM has sent a group of experts to Tohoku, to see for themselves how the treatment is conducted. Meanwhile, the director of the Centre for Diagnostic Nuclear Imaging (PDN), Prof Dr Abdul Jalil Nordin said the PBT method was more effective when compared with the 'Photon Beam' method used now. -- BERNAMA