Two of BIOTEC inventions were awarded Platinum and Gold Medal awards at the 13th Taipei International Invention Show & Technomart (INST 2017) held in Taiwan from 28-30 September 2017. The Platinum award was presented to “VIP-Safe Plus”, whereas the Gold Medal was awarded to “Cassava Starch-based Hydrogel as a Superdisintegrant in Drug Tablets”, They were among 46 inventions from Thailand exhibiting at INST 2017.
“VIP-Safe Plus” is a novel integrated Point-of-Care system for detection of foodborne pathogens. It combines the specificity and rapidity of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), the sensitivity of disposable screen-printed graphene electrode-based electrochemical detection and the portability of the portable mini-potentiostat. The instrument was designed to contain a build-in battery as a power source rendering it suitable for field detection. This portable electronic device provides a low cost, portable and high-efficiency alternative to DNA-based detection of foodborne pathogens. This invention was developed Ms. Wansika Kiatpathomchai, Head of Bioengineering and Sensing Technology Laboratory, in collaboration with researchers from TOPIC (NECTEC) and Mahidol University.
Another award-winning invention is a hydrogel produced from cassava starch by chemical reaction using citric acid, an edible organic acid, as a crosslinking agent. The proposed process ensures homogeneity of the reaction throughout the product. This hydrogel can quickly absorb water and swell very fast without the formation of viscous gel layer which may interfere with the release of the active compound, making it suitable for use as a superdisintegrant in drug tablets. The quick swelling of hydrogel particles exerts a tremendous force within the tablet and causes rapid disintegration, thus enhancing drug dissolution rate and improving its bioavailability. This process also works well with other sources of native starch, yielding product with excellent disintegrating properties. The process was developed by Dr. Kunruedee Sangseethong, Cassava and Starch Technology Research Laboratory, in collaboration with researchers from Kasetsart University and Chiang Mai University.