MDBD 2026 OPENS NEW FRONTIERS FOR EARLIER AND MORE ACCURATE DISEASE DETECTION
More than 150 scientists, medical practitioners, researchers, policymakers and industry representatives from Malaysia and abroad gathered in Penang to explore new approaches to earlier disease detection and more precise treatment through molecular diagnostic technologies and biomarker discovery.
This was the key focus of the 8th International Conference on Molecular Diagnostics & Biomarker Discovery 2026 (MDBD 2026), held over two days from 19 to 20 August at Marjorie Hall 1, Iconic Marjorie Hotel, Penang.
Organised by the Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), with Thermo Fisher Scientific as the sole sponsor, the conference carried the theme “Redefining Healthcare: Multi-Omics Driven Diagnostics and Therapeutics”.
The theme focused on the latest technological developments with the potential to accelerate diagnosis, enable targeted treatments and support more personalised approaches to healthcare.
USM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), Professor Dr. Habibah A. Wahab, said that USM, as an APEX university, is committed towards ensuring that research findings are translated from the laboratory into tangible benefits for patients and, subsequently, contribute to the formulation of accessible public healthcare policies.
“Behind every biological sample we analyse, every genomic sequence we run and every biomarker algorithm we develop, there is a patient waiting for answers,” she said in her opening address.
The conference was also supported by the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics and Biomarker Discovery (JMDBD) as a platform for publishing and disseminating research findings related to molecular diagnostics, biomarker discovery, precision medicine and health technologies.
The combination of MDBD 2026 and JMDBD is expected to strengthen the links between scientific discoveries, knowledge sharing and technological development, while creating opportunities for further collaboration and the translation of research findings into practical applications.
The collaboration between academia and industry was also emphasised through the participation of Thermo Fisher Scientific as the conference’s sole sponsor.
Ms. Imelia Wong said that the future of healthcare requires a combination of scientific expertise, data, technology and human capabilities to develop solutions that benefit society.
“The future of healthcare will be shaped not by a single technology or discovery, but by our collective ability to bring together science, data, technology and people,” she said.
MDBD 2026 is expected to continue serving as a platform for strengthening networks within the scientific and healthcare communities, while supporting efforts to generate discoveries that can transform how diseases are understood, detected and treated, and shape the future of healthcare in Malaysia.
