New treatment for superbugs discovered?

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian doctorate student Lam Shu Jie (pix) was ecstatic to know that the public is interested in the potential of her medical research.

The 25-year-old Johorean, who is based with a 10-person team of researchers at the Melbourne School of Engineering, may have discovered a new treatment for the antibioticresistant bacteria known as “superbugs”.

The method uses star-shaped structures called structurally nano-engineered antimicrobial peptide polymers (Snapps), which meant it was very effective as it did not hurt healthy cells, she told theSun yesterday.

She says it is important for her to have outside interests due to the long hours of research work and the possibility of failure.

“I’ve just watched the Korean movie called Train to Busan. I also like trying new cuisines and exploring cafes here because the food culture’s very strong,” she laughed. She lamented that the initial experiments were daunting, which left her in fear. “My experiments kept failing, but later I learned what went wrong. I like the investigating part of research. It’s beyond being in the labs or reading books and also allows me to speak with other experts,” she said. The second child of three siblings still has strong ties with home.

“I try to come back for Chinese New Year each year because I miss my family.”