The new partnership between the Pandemic Sciences Institute (PSI) and Universiti Malaysia Sabah marks a significant milestone in their collaborative efforts.
The Memorandum of Understanding, signed this month, signifies a commitment to strengthening collaborative research, educational exchanges and joint initiatives in the field of pandemic sciences. The partnership aims to foster impactful research and development that benefits global public health.
The collaboration will focus on a number of key areas, starting with research into infectious diseases through a "living laboratory" approach. One of the first projects will be the establishment of the Zoonotic and Vector-Borne Disease Living Lab at UMS, which will provide critical insights into the diseases that affect the region.
Colleagues from across PSI welcomed a delegation from UMS on 8 November 2024 for a roundtable discussion to launch the partnership.
As part of the visit, colleagues toured the laboratory of Professor Miles Carroll, seeing first-hand the current research activities and meeting with PSI staff and students.
Professor Miles Carroll, Principal Investigator and Professor of Emerging Viruses at PSI, said: 'Here at the Pandemic Sciences Institute, we need to have knowledge of what is happening in the environment to inform and drive our research priorities. Working with colleagues at UMS and conducting serological surveillance in communities in regions high in biodiversity is essential.
‘Our recent collaborative studies suggest prior spillover of H5 avian influenza in Malaysian Borneo. We now have an opportunity to study the immunological footprints left behind by other emerging viruses that are able to spillover from their natural animal reservoirs into humans. This new partnership will ensure we can conduct further surveys in rural and forest communities in Malaysian Borneo, giving us a small piece of vital intelligence into the larger environmental picture.’
UMS Vice Chancellor Professor Datuk Dr. Kasim Hj. Mansor highlighted the transformative potential of the partnership. He said: ‘Through this MoU, we are building a foundation for health security that brings global resources directly to Universiti Malaysia Sabah. This partnership signals our commitment to public health as a shared global responsibility and places Sabah as an active contributor in the fight against infectious diseases.’
Professor Mansor also emphasised that addressing infectious diseases is central to fulfilling Sabah's healthcare agenda and advancing the region’s mission to improve lives.
The partnership brings together PSI’s expertise in pandemic sciences with UMS’s commitment to establish a clinical research institute at UMS, which will focus on advancing healthcare research specific to Sabah and the wider region.
The collaboration will also work towards developing reliable, fast, and mobile diagnostic methods for infectious diseases, further strengthening global health security.