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TeamTalk: Meet the MiRXES Wonder Women
Amid the pandemic, female heads of government like Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan have won praise for their steadfast leadership in the fight against COVID-19. Much like countries with women at the helm, companies also stand to benefit from gender diversity.
In fact, a 2019 Harvard Business School study revealed that diverse firms were more productive and profitable—cementing the case for gender diversity. Women currently make up almost 60% of the MiRXES Team. To celebrate the many contributions women in science have made in MiRXES, we are highlighting five of our excellent talents and the important and diverse work they do on a daily basis.
Chan Suit Fong, MSc (Director, Product Development)
Suit Fong leads the productization, technology transfer, verification and validation activities of MiRXES’ clinical diagnostic pipeline. Though success is never guaranteed in developing innovative products, Suit Fong remains undeterred. “We often meet obstacles in research and development,” she shared. “I am inspired to learn through failures and mistakes.”
Being part of a growing team also has it perks, noted Suit Fong. “Working with multiple stakeholders from different functions opened up my mind and enabled me to absorb knowledge in different areas,” she pointed out. “It takes a tremendous amount of teamwork and joint effort to push our technology from bench through bedside. It’s a great pleasure to be part of it.”
Chung Ka Yan, PhD (Director, Clinical Development)
By managing all of MiRXES’ clinical projects from start to finish, Ka Yan ensures that our clinical studies run as smoothly as possible. She oversees everything from study design planning and liaising with clinical sites to project management and ensuring timelines are met.
“I was heavily involved in developing GASTROClear, the world’s first miRNA diagnostic test kit for early detection of gastric cancer: from assay design, kit prototyping, algorithm development, analytical to clinical validation,” she shared. “But it doesn’t stop there, seeing the kit get approval and being deployed in hospitals really inspired me.”
While her role may have its demands, Ka Yan’s drive to save lives keeps her going. For younger scientists looking to follow in her footsteps, she has one thing to say: “Find a job you love and do it with passion!”
Caroline Su, BSc (Manager, Quality Control)
In the business of health, ensuring product safety and consistency is paramount. In her role, Caroline therefore plays a crucial role in confirming that all products live up to the standard. “I manage the laboratory to run quality control samples to ensure that we deliver quality products,” she explained. “I also manage and plan stability studies for various products in our pipeline.”
Whether it is a diagnostic kit or a “Research Use Only” (RUO) reagent, Caroline says that providing customers with dependable products gives her an immense sense of fulfilment. “Being able to provide customers with quality products will enable them to accurately diagnose patients to potentially save lives or provide researchers with more accurate data to discover the next scientific breakthrough.”
Thong Sock Yue, PhD (Director, Strategic Partnerships)
In her role, Sock Yue drives the company’s mission forward by connecting with multiple stakeholders and diverse parties on a daily basis. Accordingly, good communication skills are essential in her position.
Not only must Sock Yue clearly convey MiRXES’ goals and strategies to stakeholders across the government, industry and academia, but she must be able to listen in turn too. “Listening and understanding the intentions of our partners is important to align the interests of both parties,” she explained.
Given the dynamic nature of her role, Sock Yue considers the fact that she learns something new nearly every day the best part of her job. “Science and technology in the laboratory is fun. But being able to bring it out into the real world is even more fun,” she enthused.
Yoong Li-Foong, PhD (Assistant Country Manager, Japan)
As our pioneer in the land of the rising sun, Li-Foong heads the operations and overall development of MiRXES Japan. Compared to her previous role as an academic researcher, her current position is a welcome change, noted Li-Foong.
“When I was an academic researcher, I was only working on my topic of interest,” she explained. “But in this position, I enjoy being involved in a broad range of processes—from R&D to product development and regulatory approval to marketing.”
Though setting up a new office is no walk in the park, Li-Foong is motivated each day by MiRXES’ potential impact. “We are bringing findings of basic research to clinical application. By bringing forefront technology to end-user, which can make an impact and save lives,” she shared.
As we continue to celebrate gender diversity in science and in MiRXES’ very own workplace, we are actively looking for new talents to join our team. If you wish to follow in the footsteps of these five wonder women, take a look at our current job openings and see what role fits you the best! Access the list of open positions and apply here.
SOCIAL MEDIA
- Genomics
- Clinical Sequencing
- Research Sequencing
- Cancer Screening
- GASTROClear for Patients
- GASTROClear for Medical Professionals
- Cancer Treatment Selection
- APEX Tissue Panel for Medical Professionals
- Infectious Diseases
- Fortitude 2.1
- Fortitude 3.0
- Fortitude Syndromic Panel
- CoVClear Mutation Panel
- Swab & Saliva Collection
- RNA Extraction Kit & Instruments
As we continue to celebrate gender diversity in science and in MiRXES’ very own workplace, we are actively looking for new talents to join our team. If you wish to follow in the footsteps of these five wonder women, take a look at our current job openings and see what role fits you the best! Access the list of open positions and apply here.