Professor Malik Peiris
Intro
The distinguished Sri Lankan medical research scientist Professor Malik Peiris was formally admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Science on July 14 2006 at a ceremony in London, for his outstanding work on human viral infections that causes respiratory diseases including SARS and avian flu, and for previous studies on antibody enhancement of viral replication.
The Royal Society is the world’s oldest scientific academy in continuous existence, and has been at the forefront of enquiry and discovery since its foundation in 1660. Its Fellowship is elected for life, and currently there are more than 60 Nobel Laureates amongst the Society’s approximately 1400 Fellows and Foreign Members. Past members have included distinguished scientists such as Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin while more recent members include Stephen Hawking.
Joseph Srial Malik Peiris, an old boy of St. Anthony’s College Katugastota and a medical graduate of the Peradeniya University and now teaching at the University of Kong Kong became the first Sri Lankan scientist to be honored with this rare fellowship considered one of the highest in the Commonwealth of Nation.
Despite being awarded one of the prestigious honors in the field of science, Professor Peiris felt that it was totally out of his expectation, “I was pleased but equally surprised to receive this honor. It was not only a recognition of one person but of the whole research team at The University of Hong Kong.” “Moreover, it was a recognition of science and research in Hong Kong and Asia. It showed that Hong Kong achieves excellence in Science,” Professor Peiris added. During the Fellowship induction process, Professor Peiris signed the Charter Book and the Obligation of the Fellows of the Royal Society. The Charter book, with a history of 400 years, was touched by many distinguished scientists such as Issac Newton and Charles Darwin and is still signed in the traditional manner using a quillpen. Professor Peiris regarded this as an experience of life time.
All started from a book
The success of eminent scientists is never accidental. Professor Peiris started to develop his interest in research of microbiology as early as the age of 14. He was inspired by a book on the life of Louis Pasteur, a famous French scientist and the founder of the science of Microbiology. “We were supposed to study Pasteur’s book for English but I found the book extremely fascinating from a scientific point of view and was attracted by the topic of Microbiology.” To pursue his interest in Microbiology, Professor Peiris received his undergraduate medical training at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and further training in virology at the University of Oxford, UK. To continue his fight against infectious diseases, Professor Peiris returned to his home country, Sri Lanka, to help establish a virology laboratory from scratch. Work done in the next six years at that fledgling virology and cell culture laboratory was to lead to 20 international research papers including the development and characterization of the world’s first monoclonal antibodies to Plasmodium vivax and identification of antigens related to transmission blocking immunity. In 1995, he was invited to join The University of Hong Kong to help develop a clinical virology laboratory at the Queen Mary Hospital. This decision led him ultimately to the battle against avian flu in 1997 and SARS in 2003.
Battle against SARS
In March 2003, Professor Peiris played a key role in the discovery of a novel coronavirus which was the aetiological agent of SARS. He recalled, “In the early phase of the outbreak, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. There were many patients then suspected as SARS but only very few were genuine cases. But those in the HKU / QMH team brought diverse skills to bear on the problem and that in the end led to success.” “Collaboration with the Department of Health, the Hospital Authority and clinicians in Guangdong was all equally important,” he said. Professor Peiris said, “Preparedness and creativeness were important. But equally, it is critical to have a systematic approach to rule out red herrings and false-leads before coming to a conclusion. Concerns of safety to laboratory staff was also paramount in my mind. This infection was being transmitted efficiently in Hospital Wards and there was the possibility of its transmitting in the lab. Most important of all, it was the teamwork that accounted for the ultimate success.”
Family and him
At home, Professor Peiris has a loving and caring family who has never complained about him being unable to spend much time with them due to his constant commitments at the laboratory. Professor Peiris said, “I am lucky that my wife is a daughter of a scientist who understands and supports my work”. “During the fight against SARS, my worry, as with many others dealing with this novel disease, was the risk of infecting my family,” he recalled. Professor Peiris has a liberal view about his children’s career and does not insist on them also becoming scientists to follow his footsteps. Indeed, he recognizes that different individuals have differing potentials, talents and interests. “My daughter is studying social anthropology, which is about society and culture. Also, she is very good at writing. I believe she will be able to find something that is most suitable for her talents.”
Looking ahead
Professor Peiris believes that the 21st century belongs to biomedical science. He hopes that the government can put more resources in the related research and development. He also encourages the medical students to participate in research during and after their undergraduate studies. “This century belongs to biomedical science and research. It is your century. I hope some of you will take part in it!” Professor Peiris pleads.
We at AUGA hereby salute him on his momentous achievement and the fame he has brought unto the dear Alma Mater.
Reference: University of Hong Kong Medical News article; Online news sources
