May-June. 2026 | The HEALTH

INNOVATION

B-cell lymphoma / leukaemia 11A( BCL11A) and identified it as a key regulator of fetal haemoglobin production. Independently, Dr Orkin discovered the same gene and demonstrated how it functions as a molecular " switch " controlling the transition from fetal to adult haemoglobin.

• Malaysia ' s first-ever ' Oscar of Science ' winner is helping transform treatment for millions with blood disorders.

• From a childhood in Kuantan to the global stage, Dr Swee Lay Thein made Malaysian scientific history.

• Her discovery of the BCL11A gene paved the way for breakthrough therapies for sickle cell disease and beta-thalassaemia.

The award recognises scientists whose discoveries have transformed medicine, physics and mathematics. Each prize carries a cash award of US $ 3 million( RM12 million), making it one of the world ' s most lucrative scientific accolades.

Dr Thein, who currently serves as the Sickle Cell Branch Chief and Senior Investigator at the U. S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, shared the award with Dr Stuart H. Orkin of Harvard Medical School. Together, their work unlocked one of the most important mechanisms in blood biology and paved the way for new treatments for inherited blood disorders.

SOLVING A MEDICAL MYSTERY

After graduating from the University of Malaya medical school in 1975, Dr Thein moved to the United Kingdom and spent decades investigating why some patients with blood disorders suffer severe symptoms while others experience much milder disease.

Her research focused on fetal haemoglo-

ELITE HONOUR: Dr Swee Lay Thein and Dr Stuart H. Orkin share the 2026 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, recognising discoveries that transformed understanding of haemoglobin regulation and blood disease treatment

bin, a form of haemoglobin produced before birth that can protect against diseases such as sickle cell disease and beta-thalassaemia. Shortly after birth, however, the body switches off fetal haemoglobin production and begins producing adult haemoglobin.

Dr Thein wanted to understand what controlled that switch.

Her search took her across the United Kingdom, collecting blood samples from affected families. She also travelled to Malawi to study a family comprising 270 members across seven generations.

Years of research eventually led to a breakthrough. In 2007, she discovered the gene

DRIVEN CURIOSITY: Years of research, international fieldwork, and scientific perseverance led Dr Swee Lay Thein to the discovery of the BCL11A gene, a breakthrough decades in the making

TRANSFORMING PATIENT CARE

The discovery established BCL11A as a therapeutic target and laid the foundation for gene-editing therapies for sickle cell disease and beta-thalassaemia, inherited blood disorders that affect an estimated 9 million people worldwide.

Among the therapies made possible by this work is Casgevy, the first CRISPR-based treatment approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration for sickle cell disease and beta-thalassaemia.

The Breakthrough Prize recognised the pair ' s achievement in elucidating the mechanism driving the switch from fetal to adult haemoglobin and validating it as a therapeutic target.

Dr Thein described the award as a tremendous honour.

" To be the first Malaysian to receive this recognition is not just a personal milestone; it belongs to everyone who believed in me, mentored me and to the country that shaped me," she said.

A TRIBUTE TO FAMILY AND EDUCATION

Born in Kuantan as the seventh of nine siblings, Dr Thein grew up moving between towns as her father worked as a civil servant.

Her mother, who never completed her own schooling, nevertheless believed strongly in the power of education.

Accepting the prize, Dr Thein reflected on her unlikely journey.

" As a child hanging out with my brothers, playing on the old railway tracks in Malaysia, I never imagined I would be here today," she said.

She dedicated the moment to her mother, whose faith in education helped shape her future.

LOOKING AHEAD

Despite receiving international recognition, Dr Thein remains focused on improving patients ' lives.

" Every setback at the bench reminded me how long the road to discovering BCL11A was," she said. " That memory pulls me back, driven by the quiet hope that the treatments we were developing would one day make a difference to patients I might never meet."

She hopes to help develop new therapies to prevent severe pain crises in patients with sickle cell disease.

" We are closer than ever to therapies that not only manage the disease but also allow patients to live alongside it," she said.

" With effective treatment, education and self-care, many patients can achieve a good quality of life."

The 2026 Breakthrough Prize follows another major honour for Dr Thein, who received the 2024 Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine for the same pioneering discovery.- The HEALTH