Homegrown research makes precision cancer care more accessible

Cancer remains one of Malaysia’s most urgent public health challenges, emerging as the country’s third leading cause of death in 2023 and accounting for about 13.8% of all fatalities. With cancer-related mortality continuing to rise through 2024, gaps in access to effective treatment persist, driven by high costs, limited availability of precision therapies and uneven access to specialised care across the healthcare system.

For Professor Dr Yeong Chai Hong of Taylor’s University, these challenges are deeply personal as well as professional. “As both a medical physicist and a Malaysian who has seen friends and family struggle with cancer, I am deeply motivated to create treatments that are not only effective but also affordable,” she said. “Our goal is to make precision cancer care available to all, not just those who can afford it.”

This conviction has led Dr Yeong and her multidisciplinary team to develop two complementary innovations — RadioEmbolisation Samarium Therapy (REST) and Biodegradable Holmium-166 Rods — that together form a flexible, image-guided theranostic ecosystem tailored to different tumour types and clinical needs.

REST delivers targeted radiotherapy through bloodstream

REST is a minimally invasive internal radiotherapy approach designed for small to medium-sized, well-vascularised tumours. It uses Samarium-153, a relatively low-cost radioisotope that delivers high-energy beta radiation to destroy cancer cells, while its gamma emissions allow clinicians to image and monitor treatment in real time.

In the procedure, biocompatible microspheres carrying Samarium-153 are delivered directly to tumours via their blood supply, concentrating radiation within the cancer while minimising damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Preclinical studies have demonstrated encouraging tumour reduction, with the team now preparing for a Phase I clinical trial to assess safety, dosimetry and early signs of efficacy. Potential applications include breast, liver, pancreatic and lung cancers.

A key feature of REST is personalised treatment planning. Patient-specific dose calculations are informed by gamma imaging and computed tomography (CT), enabling careful assessment of tumour size and location. “Beyond survival, REST is also about quality of life,” Dr Yeong explained. “It can offer palliative benefits through fewer hospital visits, reduced side effects, and lower overall treatment burden, particularly for patients with advanced disease.”

Holmium-166 rods tackle larger complex tumours

Not all tumours are suitable for vascular-based treatment. Larger, irregular or poorly perfused cancers often have chaotic blood flow, limiting the effectiveness of REST. To address this, the team developed Biodegradable Holmium-166 Rods, which are implanted directly into tumours to enable precise, image-guided radiation delivery.

The rods retain more than 99% of the radionuclide at the treatment site over approximately 200 hours before safely degrading and being cleared from the body. As Holmium-166 is imageable, clinicians can verify placement and dose delivery using SPECT or CT imaging. Early studies, particularly in liver tumours, have shown promising results.

Global recognition for Malaysian-led innovation

These developments have drawn international attention. REST was named among the Top 100 innovations at the Prototypes for Humanity exhibition in Dubai in 2024, while the Holmium-166 Rods were recognised as a Top 10 Groundbreaking Innovation at the 2025 edition.

“These recognitions validated years of multidisciplinary work driven by clinical need in cancer care,” Dr Yeong said. “They showed that Malaysian-led research can stand alongside leading global innovations, particularly in affordable and impact-driven healthcare.”

Supported by Taylor’s University’s School of Medicine and national research grants, the innovations reflect a broader shift towards theranostics, integrating diagnosis and therapy to improve outcomes while keeping care accessible — a critical step forward in addressing Malaysia’s growing cancer burden.