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Hematogenix has made research support available to facilitate global clinical trials in Malaysia.
The oncology laboratory will focus on early-stage drug development in the country.
Hematogenix is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and has been operating since 2007.
It has three other branches, one in Manchester, United Kingdom, covering the European market and another in Shanghai, China.
Hematogenix in Malaysia
Hematogenix has been operating in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, since June 2021 and will serve the Asia Pacific market.
“The facility in Cyberjaya is now in operation with 40 trained and qualified members, said President and CEO of Hematogenix, Dr Hytham Al-Masri.
Hematogenix has managed at least 18 clinical studies and processed over 2,000 shipments of biological specimens since 2021, he added.
The majority are from global pharmaceutical multinational companies based in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Australia.
Through Hematogenix, Malaysia will become the epicenter of cancer clinical trials in the Asia Pacific region.
Moving up the R&D food chain
Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) Deputy CEO Lim Bee Vian said that the entry of Hematogenix is expected to bring more international clinical trials to the country,
“Our local scientists and healthcare professionals can benefit from Hematogenix in terms of knowledge and technology transfer,” said Lim.
She added that the project would push Malaysia’s pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors further up the value chain into research and development.
So far, the project has already attracted over RM39 million in realised investment.
Realising MOH’s vision
The opening of Hematogenix is in line with the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) vision to increase Malaysia’s visibility for global studies, mainly sponsored clinical research, said Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM) CEO, Dr Akhmal Yuso.
The clinical research industry has created over 2,291 skilled jobs.
The Medical and Research Ethics Committee has approved approximately 1,806 sponsored research projects since 2012.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin stated that Hematogenix would spur more local collaborations.
This collaboration will provide cutting-edge diagnostic services, resulting in more knowledge exchange and training for scientists within the MOH, he said when he officiated at the laboratory’s opening.
Various tests for cancer biomarkers are available locally, resulting in a shorter diagnosis duration, directly benefiting cancer patients.
