FINDING THE CURE

It took Malaysian haematologist Swee Lay Thein 20 years to discover the gene that led to a cure for sickle cell anaemia; she hopes it will take far less than that for women to be recognised equally in the science industry

By Zabrina Lo

When Malaysian haematologist Swee Lay Thein stepped onto the stage at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre last November to receive The Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine, it was a celebration of two milestones in human history: first, her discovery of a genetic mechanism that can alter haemoglobin between the foetal stage and adulthood, leading to the world’s first cure for beta-thalassaemia and sickle cell anaemia; second, she became only the sixth female laureate in the award’s history. The selection process for The Shaw Prize, which is presented to scientists who make discoveries fundamental to the advancement of civilisation, has always been open to all genders. But between its launch in 2002 and last year, there had only been five female laureates in the life science and…

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Tatler Hong Kong (Digital) - 1 Issue, February 2025

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