HOME-grown scientist Dr Victor Tong, 31, has been honoured as one of the world's top 35 young innovators in science and technology. He is one of just four winners of the T35 awards who are not from the United States.

The Massachussetts Institute of Technology's (MIT's) Technology Review magazine, has recognised Dr Tong for his visionary work towards producing personalised medicine - considered by international scientists as a grand challenge of the 21st century.

Using bio-informatics, Dr Tong, a biochemist who is also trained in computer science, works with virologists, computer scientists and chemists to find a universal vaccine which can work for individuals even if they react differently from the general population to a virus.

His work maps how individual genetic variations cause people to react to viruses differently.

It could even find a matching prophylactic to prevent new highly infectious viruses like influenza from entering and wreaking havoc on the body.

Read the full story in Tuesday's edition of The Straits Times.