In 1998, Tan Sri Tunku Ahmad Yahaya was

March 14, 2016 | Author: Theresa Wood | Category: N/A
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The CARIF Story

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n 1998, Tan Sri Tunku Ahmad Yahaya was approached by an oral cancer researcher in

his alma mater university to raise funds for oral cancer research in the UK, Tunku wanted this to be a Malaysian effort. I was at the University of Cambridge and was surprised with the idea that this could be a Malaysian independent effort. With support from Tun Dr Mahathir, the Tote Board, PETRONAS and Yayasan Lim, Tunku, Toh Puan Dr Aishah Ong, Mrs Leong Lim Siew Lian and Tan Sri Noordin Hassan became the founding Trustees of CARIF and a new chapter in Malaysian history thus began. When we started CARIF, it felt like a big experiment. Although Malaysians and Malaysian companies are generous, but is there enough money, talent and support among doctors, the universities and the ministries to get this going? So as we stand here 10 years on, everyone is asking what have we achieved.

Tun Mahathir Launches “HOPE LIVES HERE” Institute recognize CARIF as a key partner in making new discoveries relevant to Asian genes, Asian cancers, Asian resources. Other Malaysian cancer NGOs — NCSM, BCWA, HOSPIS — stand shoulder to shoulder with us in raising awareness for cancer in our outreach programmes. Money raised will be used to find a cure for cancer from Malaysia’s rich biodiversity, to find a cure for oral and nasopharyngeal cancer, two cancers more common in Asians, to find better ways to prevent and treat breast and ovarian cancer more effectively in Asian women, to enable us to expand our cancer awareness and screening programmes, to expand our research into clinical trials for new therapies, to expand our training of young Malaysians to be the new generation of cancer researchers. I applaud and thank all of you if you have taken part in a race, the Terry Fox Run, the Estee Lauder Campaign or simply for supporting us in the past 10 years. Without you, our work towards a cure for cancer would not have happened. But it is not enough.

Some now recognize CARIF as the best cancer research laboratory in Malaysia, producing talented award winners like two L’Oreal women in science recipients, numerous best young investigators awards.

I applaud and thank all our collaborators and our researchers for all your hard work in pursuing excellence in science and for collaborating in our efforts. But it is not enough.

Others from the University of Cambridge, Karolinska Institute and US National Cancer

30,000 Malaysians are diagnosed with cancer every year. Find other ways YOU can be part of our fight against cancer.

But to me, CARIF exists because each individual cancer patient deserves hope for a better future. At CARIF, we believe that Hope lives here. 2

“Cancer is a disease that has defied cure all these years. That does not mean that it will never be cured.”

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’m quite sure given time and given people like those who worked for CARIF, there may

come a time that cancer would be curable. Maybe not so soon, maybe it will take years but as they say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with the 1st step. I think the first step has been taken in Malaysia and I would like to congratulate CARIF for going into this field which is very daunting. That is because we are not going to have easy results. It can be terribly disappointing because for all the time and the money you spent, you may make very little progress indeed. But then if you don’t, you’ll make no progress at all and that is why CARIF is very important. It is not often that we see in Malaysia, a voluntary organization attempting to do this kind of work as a service to the community. Of course this will not be confined to Malaysia alone, if CARIF do find something, the whole world would benefit. This is the kind of work that requires passion. People like these deserve our appreciation and deserve our support. Of course this work is not cheap, it requires people who are highly qualified and even though they may have passion and willingness to work, they still have to live and still need money. We need to pay them, we also need to pay for the equipment, time and all kinds of chemicals that they may have to use.

It is important that the public at large appreciates this. But the appreciation should not be just appreciation, a little bit of donation I think, voluntary donation would be very welcomed for this organisation. There is a need for us to make progress in terms of curing people and certainly cancer deserves our attention because cancer is not the same for every parts of the world. I think we should all be grateful that there are passionate people who are devoting their time and their lives (almost) to cancer research in Malaysia. I pray and I hope that one day they will come up with a cure or partial cure and the world would benefit from the research that they are doing. I would like to congratulate CARIF for making it to 10 years. Not many such voluntary organizations last 10 years but CARIF have lasted for 10 years and they deserve to stay on for longer. But in order for them to stay on a longer time, they need money, not necessarily 1 million dollars, 999,000 will do but if you don’t have that kind of money, please give whatever you have because someday you’ll find that their work has done us all a great deal of good.

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To’ Puan Noraini and Puan Juniwati, VP of Human Resource, Petronas of (3rd and 4th from the right) received CARIF’s recognition award.

Recognition award for CARIF core donors. From left: Dato Seri Ismail (Al-Bukhary Foundation), Mr Richard Eu representing Datuk Anne Eu (Joseph Eu Foundation), Toh Puan Aishah Ong, Tunku Tan Sri Ahmad, Tan Sri Richard Cham (Lembaga Totalisator and Selangor Turf Club), Tun Mahathir, Tun Musa (Yayasan Sime Darby and SD Group), To’ Puan Noraini, Puan Juniwati (PETRONAS), Mdm Lim Siew Lian (Yayasan Lim), Prof Teo Soo-Hwang.

CARIF turns TEN! This year, CARIF commemorates its 10th year anniversary with a simple, yet powerful theme: “Hope Lives Here”. The arrival of Tun Mahathir with Senator Dato Seri Idris Jala (right).

The theme encapsulates CARIF’s belief that the answer for cancer prevention and treatment lies in our very own population, in our very own genes, in our health habits and in Malaysia’s own biodiversity. The 10-year celebrations event was held at Sime Darby Convention

Centre and was graced by YA Bhg Tun Mahathir Mohamad, who launched CARIF 10 years ago. T h e e v e n i n g ’s f e s t i v i t i e s began with a cocktail cumart exhibition and world-class pianist, Bobby Chen enthralled the guests with a masterful and enchanting performance, as well as performances by Malaysianbased acapella group, The SnL Singers with their off-the-edge brand of contemporary, pop, jazz and swing stylings.

British High Commisioner HE Mr Simon Featherstone greeting Tun Mahathir with Tunku Tan Sri Ahmad Yahya.

Sime Darby Group CEO, Dato Bakke Salleh greeting Tun Mahathir with Prof Teo Soo Hwang. 4

Tun Siti Hasmah, Toh Puan Aishah Ong together with Datin Seri Pang(2nd row left), Mdm Lim Siew Lian and Toh Puan Zulaikha (far right) sharing a light moment.

Tun Mahathir presented special recognition awards to the top six donors of CARIF Yayasan Sime Darby and the Sime Darby Group of Companies, PETRONAS, Yayasan Lim, Lembaga Totalisator and the Selangor Turf Club, Joseph Eu Foundation and Eu Yan Sang, and Yayasan Al-Bukhary Tun Mahathir thanked the donors who had enable the success of CARIF and called upon the new prospective donors to enable CARIF to move forward to the next 10 years in their fight against cancer.

Mdm Lim Siew Lian with Chairman of Top Glove Tan Sri Lim Wee Chai (middle) and wife Puan Sri Tong Siew Bee (left) .

Far left: Dr. Lee Hong Boon from CARIF, Mr. Chuah Beng Swee (Petronas) and Prof. Ho Chee Cheong (Fellow of Academy of Science M’sia).

Tun Musa, Chairman of Sime Darby Berhad received CARIF’s recognition award.

Art of Science Exhibition. Above from right: Prof. Cheong Sok Ching (CARIF) and Chairman of Selangor Turf Club Tan Sri Datuk Richard Cham. Below right: Roy Navonil from Maxis with Datin Dr. Amyza Saleh (CARIF).

A moment to remember. Far left: CEO of Stylo International Datuk Nancy Yeoh, Datin Chai Schynder and Talent Corp CEO, Johan Merican listening intently to Tun Mahathir’s opening speech.

Far left: Dr Saunthari (NCSM), Dr. Azlina (Pantai Hospital), Puan Sri Datin Seri Dato’ Akmal, Patron BCWA , Ranjit Kaur CEO of BCWA, Paul Slavin, Katrina Liew and Yap Mei Fong representatives from Estee Lauder M’sia enjoying the moment. 5

Dato’ Nancy Yeoh Founder and CEO, STYLO International, and cancer survivor

Everyone said “How could you have cancer; you don’t look like it”. But there is no profile, anyone can get cancer. Cancer survivors like us are beneficiaries of the work done by people like the scientists at CARIF in the last 10 years.

Professor Dato’ Dr Tunku Sara Tunku Ahmad Orthopaedic Surgeon and cancer survivor

I’m alive today probably because of targeted therapy – which is not a sledge hammer of general chemotherapy. It’s something that target particular cells and I think that’s the way to go in cancer research. Support CARIF. Support cancer research in Malaysia. For more information, visit www.carif.com.my.”

Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina

Dr. Chow Yock Ping

Actress and Film Producer, Enfiniti Productions

Post doctoral Scientist, CARIF

Having a family member or someone close to you such as your mother with cancer makes you very angry and hopeless, thinking about why is there no cure. I’m sure out there somewhere there is a cure for cancer, and organisations like CARIF gives us a glimmer of hope.

Tan Sri (Dr) Francis Yeoh It’s very painful to see somebody you love suffer, although I must say I have the best doctors. And I thank them all. But whatever they do are not good enough to save my wife in this world. Cancer treatment is very debilitating for cancer patients. They are severely weakened before they can even recover.

Breast cancer survivor

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Professor Dr. Cheong Sok Ching Group Leader, Oral Cancer Research Group, CARIF “Loreal for Women in Science” recipient and UICC Fellow

Oral cancer is rare but getting more common, and most of these cancers occur among Asians. The biggest problem is that there is not enough money or research done on oral cancer and in Malaysia, half of these patients die within the first 2 years. Working at a hospital, I see cancer patients every day who are fighting for their lives. I feel the urgency to find new cures for cancer. People are dying and there is no time to wait.”

Founder, YTL Group of Companies

Leong Pui Ling I developed breast cancer when I was 28. My father’s sisters had breast cancer, but we never knew that it could affect me too. Through the doctors at University Malaya and researchers at CARIF, I now know my genetic status and I am taking steps to make sure that I live a full cancer-free life. My aunts are gone now, taken by metastatic breast cancer at a young age. They would have wanted me to make every effort to save my own life and I want to make sure that I do everything for cancer research so that my daughter will not have to go through what I went through. We need more research that is specific to Malaysian breast cancer. The knowledge I was provided by CARIF saved my life. Let’s continue to give this powerful gift to many more!”

Nasopharyngeal cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in Malaysian men and 90% of these cancers occur among Asians. The biggest problem is that most patients are diagnosed at a late stage and we know little about the genes that drive these cancers. We are using next generation sequencing technologies to help us find genes that cause nasopharyngeal cancer and hope that this will help us to develop better ways to detect the cancer early and treat it more effectively.

Sharifah Nurain Zanaruddin

Dr. Lee Hong Boon Group Leader, Drug Discovery Research Team, CARIF

Even though many cancer drugs have been developed, there is still a lot to do. We hope to find better drugs with fewer side effects, and to find new cures for cancers. Malaysia is blessed with a variety of plants and organisms that may hold the key to finding new anti-cancer drugs. My team combines the best of cancer biologists and chemists to develop new ways to find a needle in the haystack. We leave no stones unturned and even use the simple zebrafish in our search for cancer because zebrafish develop cancers that are similar to humans. My hope is to find a drug from the Malaysian forests within my lifetime.

Professor Dr. Teo Soo Hwang Chief Executive, CARIF

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Malaysia. Our biggest problem is that we have an incomplete understanding of how the disease develops. My team is finding genes that drive breast cancer and dissecting how these interact with our lifestyle to cause breast cancer. We use this knowledge to help families survive and prevent breast and ovarian cancer. We are just not doing enough, not fast enough. Time is a luxury most cancer patients don’t have.

Research Associate , CARIF

We don’t know a whole lot about cancers in our country, and we can’t continue to rely on knowledge generated from other countries — because their cancer is different! We know that cancers in the same anatomical location may have different genes and this may explain why some patients respond to treatment and others do not. CARIF’s research in the genes in cancer can help match cancer patients to the right treatments.”

Muhammad Mamduh Zabidi Research Associate, CARIF

I’m at the forefront of scientific discovery, figuring out God’s secret. I confront difficult problems that constantly challenge me, and challenge long-accepted dogmas. I have high hopes that some day we would be able to come up with our own cure for cancer. Right now, there are high-risk high-return projects that are just waiting to be funded. Each of these projects might fail, but it is important to try, rather than not doing anything!” 7

Ms Kong Yink Heay explaining her art to Tun Mahathir, Prof Dr Teo looking on.

Canvas print of cell images, available at CARIF at RM1,000 each

The Beauty of Science CARIF conducted its first art exhibition entitled “Art of Science” featuring more than 40 artwork donated from these four talented artists. 1 Ms Kong Yink Heay, a research scientist at CARIF. The fascinating beauty of the cells under microscope inspires her to portray the scientific mechanism of the cells into her painting. 2 Mr. Steve Gschmeissner, a multi award-winning photographer whose images used by Grammy award winning artist and the Royal Society of Photography. 3 Jasmine Raj, an artist that is well known for her bold use of brilliant hues on large canvases and a breast cancer survivor. 4 Zulkifli Hamzah, who is currently learning ‘glass art’ from Raja Azhar Idris, Malaysia’s foremost glass artist. As a caregiver, the works produced were inspired by a subject that is close to his heart. You can make a difference. Purchase any of the artwork now and help us build a future free from the fear of cancer. Log on to our website www.carif.com.my for more information. Do call us at 03 5639 1874 or email [email protected] to purchase the art of interest.

Tun Mahathir, En Hamid , Dato Seri Idris Jala and HE Mr Simon Featherstone admiring “The Art of Science” painting.

Tun Mahathir, Tun Siti and Toh Puan Tun Mahathir looking at the various artwork displayed. Aishah admiring the glass art.

Selected art images were incorporated into a special design Calendar 2013, which is available at only RM20. Get a copy of this special design Calendar while stock last! Do call us at 03 5639 1874 or email [email protected] to order now.

Dato Seri Ismail, VP of Yayasan Al-Bukhary (far right) discussing the artwork with Tan Sri Dr Wan Mohd Zahid (Yayasan Sime Darby). Glass Art, available at RM2,000 each.

Opportunities For Philanthropic Support Corporate Partnership As part of your Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, consider funding a cancer research grant or clinical trial, sponsoring an event or donating products and services to support Malaysians with cancer, improve cancer awareness, prevention and early detection. Whether a small business or a large corporation, we’d like to hear from you.

You Can Make a Difference!

One Man’s Race Against Cancer

Supporting cancer research is supporting a future free from the fear of cancer. Every one of us can make a difference, whether it is a small or big donation. It is our commitment that for every ringgit you donate to CARIF, at least 95% will be used for research. Do join us for the fight against cancer. You may donate to us online at www.carif.com.my or through the donation form inserted.

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rank Chong, a Malaysian cancer survivor conquered 89kms (equivalent to 2 normal marathon) to raise fund for CARIF in South Africa recently. Frank was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer that affects muscle and connective tissues, at the tender age of 12. Since then, he has actively participated in various runs, to raise funds for cancer research. “B e i n g a c a n c e r s u r v i v o r m y s e l f , I a m constantly trying to find ways to give back to the community especially to those diagnosed with cancer by following the various work done towards cancer research. I am immensely proud to be participating in this race with some of the best runners in the world who share the same beliefs and values I possess, that is in running for a worthy cause — finding a cure for cancer. Hope lives here in Malaysia!”.

Be Our Community Champion – Host Your Own Fundraiser Support CARIF by hosting your own fundraiser. These events cover a wide scope of activities that may include a one-off event, an annual affair or an on-going initiative that runs for a specified period of time. If you have a great fundraising idea and would like to lend a hand, we would love to hear from you.

You Can Make a Difference!

Frank has recently donated his Comrades Marathon medal to CARIF. Support Frank’s initiative by purchasing the special designed t-shirt at RM60. T-shirt are avalaible at CARIF and Running Lab, Tropicana City Mall. You can make a difference and help us to have a future free from the fear of cancer.

Participate in Our More than A Mammo Programme COME AND JOIN US in our

“More Than A Mammo” programme. Made possible through the fund raised from the Sime Darby LPGA tournament, this program offers Malaysian women over 40 subsidised mammogram at only RM50. Plus, women participating in this program also contributes to a Malaysian study to determine the impact of genes, lifestyle and breast density. Your participation and contribution will help us develop better ways to fight breast cancer. Everyone of us can make a difference! Together, we can beat cancer. More than a 1,000 Malaysian women have already taken part. What are you waiting for? Register now — for your mother, sister, cousins and even yourself at the Breast Care Centre, 1st Floor Outpatient Centre, Sime Darby Medical Centre Subang Jaya, Mondays to Fridays, or telephone +603 563 91340 or log on to www.carif.com.my for more information. 10

Bobby Chen Charity Piano Concert

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quatorial Hotel Kuala Lumpur together with The British Malaysian Society, AirAsia and Yamaha organised a charity piano concert featuring Bobby Chen the world renowned Malaysian concert pianist with part of the proceeds going to Cancer Research Initiatives Foundation (CARIF). The concert raised RM11,000 to fund cancer research at CARIF . Bobby Chen himself was moved by the stories of cancer patients and their efforts undergoing treatment. He further added “For this concert, I felt that even after it ended, the audience left affected by the music, as well as enlightened

about the emotional effects of cancer. I am just delighted that I could play such a tiny part to help” 11

Oil Paintings & Canvas Prints & Glass Art

FOR SALE

Support Us! You may also consider donating to CARIF via the donation form inserted!

Fridge Magnet RM5 each

A Note From The Chairman, Board of Trustees I am honoured to welcome each of you to join CARIF in our 10th year anniversary. As we turn ten, we thank everyone who have stood by our efforts, for understanding and supporting our cause.

Teddy Bears RM25 each Set of 5 at RM100

We did it because we believe in a future of long healthy lives. We did it because we hope that everyone diagnosed will be fortunate enough to have hope. Roller pen Colour: Black

RM25

We did it because we hope Malaysian scientists and doctors would come together and share their research efforts. CARIF’s work is possible because of the support of Tun Dr Mahathir and our donors, supporters and collaborators.

Postcards Hari Raya Cookies RM100 per hamper

RM10 each

Pack of 3

Together we can build a world free from the fear of cancer. Support cancer research in Malaysia. Support CARIF.

RM3 Shoe bag

Afghan Crisps / Sugee / Oatmeal Chocolate Chips / Peanut Butter / Crispy Almond

Colour: Blue

Hand Towel Colour: White

Calendar 2013

RM20

Umbrella Notebook

RM10

RM15

Colour: Red

RM20

2 Designs – Images from the “Art of Science“ exhibition

T-shirt

RM30 RM

Colour: Red, Blue, Pink Size: S, M, L, XL

CONTACT US

Cancer Research Initiatives Foundation [CARIF] 2nd Floor, Outpatient Centre, Sime Darby Medical Centre, 1, Jalan SS12/1A, Subang Jaya, 47500 Selangor, Malaysia Tel: +603 5639 1874 Fax: +603 5639 1875 Email: [email protected] EDITORIAL TEAM : Prof Dr Teo Soo Hwang, Datin Dr. Amyza Saleh, Chan Li Jin, Katrina Low

DESIGNER: Cara Chan

RM25 YM Tunku Tan Sri Ahmad Yahya

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