The institute's location in Borneo allows us to study tropical diseases in the areas where they naturally occur. We are currently pursuing research projects on enteroviruses, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, adenoviruses and respiratory related diseases. We work closely with the public health sector including the setting up of several surveillance studies across a number of public hospitals in Sarawak. As a result of this, we have been able to respond successfully to new and emerging health threats within the Sarawak community, such as the Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) epidemic in 1997 which caused a spate of infant deaths. In these projects we have followed an integrated approach which addresses the fundamental causes of the disease, epidemiology as well as practical methods for molecular diagnosis.

All our research findings have been published in international peer-reviewed journals and we are proud to have contributed originals findings of importance in our field of research. The institute is affiliated with Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), and we provide postgraduate training to talented students interested in the work that we are pursuing. Over the years, the institute has also forged research collaborations with a number of research laboratories around the world and occasionally host visiting researchers from these laboratories. We are excited about the continuing potential for research in Sarawak and hope to continue expanding our staff and the scope of our research efforts in the years to come. We invite potential research collaborators and students who share in our vision of research in Sarawak to contact us for further enquiries.