Her work paved the way for breakthrough treatments in two blood disorders

Dr Thein (right) and Prof Orkin were announced as one of the three Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences winners at the 12th Breakthrough Prize ceremony in California, US, last Sunday (April 19, 2026). — Getty Images

It began with a simple question: why do some patients with beta-thalassaemia live relatively normal lives, while others depend on lifelong blood transfusions?

For Malaysian-born consultant haematologist Dr Thein Swee Lay, that question would spark a decades-long scientific journey.