He's one of a rare breed
31 March 2008
The Straits Times
Home, Page H6
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DR TAN Min Han, 33, has found a way to select the most appropriate kidney cancer treatment for a patient.
He can create a character profile of the tumour by using a gene chip to find out how patients will respond to different treatments.
In this way, medicines can be tailor-made to each patient.
The young specialist's medical discovery at the National Cancer Centre of Singapore has brought into focus how relatively junior researchers can do significant work.
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Dr Tan's work has received support to the tune of $500,000 since he started research five years ago. The most recent funding injection came three months ago from the National Kidney Foundation.
He took the plunge into research training in the United States in 2003 as a medical officer, when most other junior physicians would not have deferred their clinical training.
He remains the exception.
Each year, only one or two junior physicians choose to spend the bulk of their time in research, he said. Most are anxious to enter the workforce.
Other reasons include the rigour of long hours juggling patients and - unless they win funding support like Dr Tan - doing their research only during breaks, evenings and weekends, which often leads to burn-out.
The thrill of his work is the thought that he may help more people than he can meet as a doctor.
'As a scientist, I see a series of humbling failures with rare successes. But with those few research successes, I hope I can help many more by transforming what individual doctors do for the better,' he said.
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