Co-author: Associate Professor Ts. Dr Noor Hasmiza Harun
A surface coating too thin to be seen by the human eye could hold significant potential for environmental safety and biomedical research.
From 1 to 5 June 2026, Universiti Kuala Lumpur British Malaysian Institute (UniKL BMI) researcher, Associate Professor Ts. Dr Noor Hasmiza Harun undertook a research mobility programme at Indonesia’s Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN).
Conducted under the UniKL Global Research Mobility Incentive 2026, the programme strengthened international research collaboration between UniKL and BRIN in advanced materials, environmental monitoring, radioactive waste management and biomedical sensing.
At the centre of the research was a gold surface covered with an extremely thin and carefully arranged layer of molecules, known scientifically as a Self-Assembled Monolayer, or SAM.
In simpler terms, the layer functions like a highly sensitive coating. Researchers can observe how its surface reacts when it comes into contact with specific chemicals or biological cells.
The UniKL–BRIN research examined two possible applications: understanding how the surface interacts with cesium and studying how it responds to breast cancer cells.
Cesium is an element that can be associated with radioactive materials. Understanding how it attaches to different surfaces is important for environmental monitoring and the safe management of radioactive waste.
During the programme, researchers prepared the gold-coated samples and exposed them to cesium chloride. They then examined whether the cesium caused changes to the surface.
The findings could contribute to the future development of sensitive monitoring tools capable of identifying or tracking contaminants in the environment.
The study was supported by researchers from BRIN’s Research Centre for Nuclear Material and Radioactive Waste Technology, who contributed their expertise in radioactive contaminants, material behaviour and waste-management technologies.
The second part of the research investigated how the specially prepared gold surface interacts with breast cancer cells.
Researchers harvested and prepared the cancer cells before planning further laboratory tests to examine how the cells attach to and affect the molecular coating.
This research does not represent a completed cancer diagnostic test. Instead, it provides early scientific groundwork for the possible development of biosensors and other technologies that may help researchers study biological changes more accurately.
Such biosensors could eventually support medical research by providing a controlled surface on which scientists can observe how cells behave and interact with different materials.
Beyond the laboratory work, the programme created new opportunities for long-term cooperation between UniKL and BRIN.
Both institutions discussed developing a Letter of Intent to formalise future collaboration in biosensor technology, advanced materials, environmental monitoring and biomedical research.
Potential initiatives include joint research publications, collaborative grant applications, student attachments and researcher exchange programmes. A journal article based on the research is also planned for publication in December 2026.
The initiative contributes particularly to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being through biomedical and cancer-related research, and SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure through the development of advanced materials and sensing technologies.
It also supports SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production through research related to radioactive waste and environmental safety, as well as SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals through international research collaboration between Malaysia and Indonesia.
