The first Hepatitis B vaccine was introduced in 1969, but its widespread adoption was years in the making. Dr Gabriel Oon played a vital role in making this vaccine available to Singapore. After completing his medical degree in Cancer Immunology from Cambridge University, Dr Oon returned to Singapore in 1973. With funding from the Lee Foundation and Shaw Foundation, he formed a team to study liver cancer, then the country’s number one killer. 

Dr Oon was later made the Principle Investigator for the World Health Organization and International Agency for Research in Cancer to study the prevention of liver cancer by the Hepatitis B vaccine abd aksi received S$1.3 million in funding from the Ministry of Trade and Industry. In 1983, Dr Oon tested a plasma based prototype vaccine on himself and volunteers despite the uncertainty linked to the potential danger of unidentified AIDS agents in blood. When he and his volunteer staff were well, he administered the vaccine to his two children. 

In 1985, the DNA vaccine developed with American manufacturers was tested in Singapore and found to be effective and safe. The talk uncovers our pioneers’ strides towards eliminating liver cancer and the Hepatitis B virus.

Join us to hear Dr Oon talk about his successful journey.