In the vast ocean of the microbiome, every curious mind and passionate heart is welcomed. 

It never refuses the love, dedication, and wonder of the scientists who seek to uncover its hidden beauty.

Dr Lee Ching Lew, ProBionic’s Managing Director, didn’t begin her journey in science with a grand vision or a brilliant idea. 

But during her studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia, a tiny microbiome seed was planted in her heart—quiet and almost unnoticed at first—that grew stronger with each passing day, especially as she poured herself into her final-year project.

“This is something really meaningful,” she realized. “Why isn’t anyone going deeper into it?” 

At that time, Dr Lee Ching was working with probiotics. Out of pure curiosity, she began exploring something that could truly benefit people. 

“I kept going, step by step, and along the way I discovered how vast and exciting the microbiome field is,” she responded with a renewed excitement, as if she had been transported back to the very beginning of her microbiome journey.

Dr Lee Ching continued, “There were so many possibilities, so much emerging science, and countless new discoveries waiting to be made. That sense of potential is what kept me moving forward.”

“The work felt real, practical, and genuinely helpful to others—so I thought, “Why not just keep doing it?”

This simple thought is what started it all. And it’s the reason she is still doing this work today.

Suddenly, Dr. Lee Ching turned to me, her eyes sparkling with energy and purpose, and asked, “Would you like to know how Professor Park first began his journey as a scientist?”

There was so much possibility and hope in that question that I couldn’t say no, and my head started nodding unconsciously twice per second. 

In Dr Lee Ching’s own words:

When Professor Park was doing his master’s degree back in the 1980s, I was just a one-year-old child. Yet there he was, already leaning over a microscope, studying fecal samples.

What he saw changed everything for him.

Through that tiny lens, an entire hidden world appeared: countless bacteria, an incredible variety of flora living inside the human gut. 

That single moment of discovery sparked a deep curiosity in him—a curiosity strong enough to guide his entire career in microbiology.

At that time, no one was talking about the “microbiome.” The concept didn’t even exist in the way we know it today. It was just a “small thing,” a simple look under the microscope. 

But for him, it was like looking up at the night sky and seeing stars—so many of them, so full of mystery, and yet so little understood.

The question: “What is there, really, in this unseen world?” kept circling and circling his brain.

From that question, a lifelong journey began.

This is an example of how even the smallest glimpse of something unknown can ignite a passion strong enough to last a lifetime.

Author’s Note:

Happy World Health Day 2026: Together with health, Stand with science!

This is Part 1: The Ocean Refuses No Rivers of a 4-part series, created to honor the unwavering commitment of Probionic—both to advancing science and to improving human health. 

Dr. Lee Ching responded to the question, “What first inspired you to pursue a career in science, and how has that original spark evolved as you’ve worked to protect human and animal health?” in this story.

May these stories inspire you to look deeper, question more, and believe in the power of discovery and love.