MIRI: Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) PhD candidate Ivan Sam Jian Hung recently showcased his research project at the American Chemical Society (ACS) Middle East, Africa & Europe (MENA) Research Conference: Chemistry and Chemical Engineering in Doha, Qatar.
He was among four student representatives representing Malaysia at the conference under the sponsorship the ACS.
A Curtin spokesperson said that Sam enrolled in Curtin Malaysia’s Higher Degree by Research (HDR) programme following his graduation from the undergraduate chemical engineering programme.
He is currently conducting postgraduate research relating to ethnobotanical plants and malaria parasites.
Sam presented a poster highlighting the synergistic medicinal benefits of turmeric and black pepper, which is part of his postgraduate research work entitled ‘Enhancement of Antimalarial Property of Alpinia galanga Extract through Nanoemulsion Formulation with Essential Oils of P. nigrum, C. odontophyllum, N. sativa, C. domestica and P. betle’.
The research project, which aims to provide an alternative to current antimalarial drugs utilising local and traditional plants from Sarawak, is being supervised by Associate Professor Stephanie Chan Yen San, Associate Professor Jobrun Nandong and Dr. Jibrail Kansedo of Curtin Malaysia, and Dr. Angela Siner of University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS).
According to Sam, the research incorporates traditional plant remedies with current technologies to increase the effectiveness in inhibiting malaria, which is friendlier compared to western medication.
The ACS MENA Research Conference is a regional research conference of the ACS dedicated to chemistry and chemical engineering and provides a platform for young researchers and scientists in different parts of the world to learn, explore and connect.
Sam thanked the Sarawak Research Development Council (SRDC) for funding his research project, and Curtin Malaysia, the Curtin Malaysia Graduate School and the Sarawak Biovalley Pilot Plant at the Curtin Malaysia campus for providing the necessary resources and facilities to carry out the research.
