TECH OFFERS

As an increase in people’s awareness of health, traditional Chinese medicine becomes more and more popular. Among many of the Chinese medicines, Tiepi Shihu (i.e. one of the types of Dendrobium) and Cordyceps sinensis are two of the most expensive products. Dendrobium is one of the largest genera in the plant family Orchidaceae, and more than 1,100 species of Dendrobium have been identified. Among them, Tiepi Shihu is traditionally recognised as the best Shihu for tonic purposes, such as nourishing the stomach, protecting the throat and eyes. The uncharacteristic appearance and high price of Tiepi Shihu could lead to the occurrence of adulterants, confusion of species and counterfeits. Therefore, authentication and quality analysis of Tiepi Shihu is crucial for ensuring safety and efficacy. One of the conventional authentication methods greatly depends on the experience of botanical experts and subjective judgement; and the other is based on DNA bio-coding, which is very expensive and time-consuming. These existing methodologies are extremely intricate, difficult and time-consuming, and therefore they are not suitable for routine quality control. This patented technology aims to target some unique polysaccharide markers which can be successfully applied to the authentication of Tiepi Shihu and Cordyceps products. We have identified that only Tiepi Shihu or Cordyceps sample shows its unique peak in the high molecular size range by using high-performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC). Apart from authentication, this method can assess the herb’s quality by distinguishing the quantity of the polysaccharide.   The key of this technology is to provide a low cost, efficient, stable and convenient tool with reduced uncertainties in the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of Dendrobium officinale. The technology is now being adopted by the industry for both qualitative and quantitative authentication of herbal products. The technology has been successfully applied to the authentication of Cordyceps and extended to other products such as edible bird’s nest and Ejiao. This technology provides a new detection method with the following advantages: High specificity: It can accurately distinguish the genuine product from other varieties. Quick detection: It only takes about one hour for detection. The larger the sample size, the shorter the average measurement time for each sample. High-throughput detection can be achieved, and it is suitable for large-scale detection by enterprises. Low cost: The detection process is simple, and no other reagents are needed. Owing to the high sensitivity, tens of milligrams of samples are adequate for the detection. This greatly reduces the detection cost of precious Chinese medicines. The invention is based on the polysaccharide marker authentication and can be successfully applied to the authentication of expensive Chinese medicine such as Tiepi Shihu and Cordyceps samples. Currently, this is being adopted by the industry for both qualitative and quantitative authentication of these expensive Chinese medicines. A customer base platform is currently being developed to provide more services for authentication of more different types of expensive Chinese medicines such as edible bird’s nest and Ejiao. The annual output of Tiepi Shihu and Cordyceps in China have reached 27,000 tons and 100 tons respectively. The market sales of Cordyceps has reached 41.6 billion RMB in 2017. So, the demand is huge. It facilitates the upgrading of the traditional Chinese medicine industry with the support of innovative technologies and helps to boost consumer confidence in the long run. authentication, biomarker, Chinese Medicine, herbs, plants, quality control, Dendrobium, Cordyceps, Tiepi Shihu, edible bird’s nest, Ejiao, polysaccharide Foods, Quality & Safety

The cause of caries (tooth decay) is a formation of biofilm lying on the teeth and subsequently becoming mature. The acid created by specific bacteria (S. mutans) dissolves the hard tissues of the teeth (enamel), which can result in pain and difficulty with eating or even tooth loss and infection.  Severe dental caries can impair quality of life but is preventable by maintaining good oral hygiene such as using fluoride toothpaste with brush and dental floss or toothpick to clean between the teeth. However, small children, older adults or people with severe disabilities may find it hard to apply.  Besides, Fluorosis may be resulted if there is overexposure to fluoride. People with Fluorosis will develop white opaques on their tooth surface, which affect the appearance. In addition, some mouthwash products contain chemicals like alcohol and chlorhexidine to help kill bacteria. The use of these chemicals has some potential drawbacks like altered taste sensation and staining of teeth. Our new compounds, dihydro-resveratrol or its derivatives can be used for preventing the formation of biofilm and inhibit the growth of bacteria which are cost-effective and very safe to use as they are herbal extracts, which have fewer harmful effects in comparison with those chemical‐based products. Dihydro-resveratrol or its derivatives have a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of bacteria, particularly S. mutans. Moreover, the solubility of the said compounds was at least 5 times higher than that of the traditional product, trans-resveratrol. Furthermore, by assessing the mitochondrial metabolic rates of acini, the cytotoxicity of our compounds was approximately 500 µM while the traditional product was roughly 250 µM. That means our compounds were much safer. These facts demonstrated that our compounds can be good for anti-microbial agents.   The said compounds can be used at least twice a day, in the form of toothpaste, oral gel, toothbrush sanitiser, mouthwash or chewing gum for the management of oral hygiene to prevent dental caries. Since our compounds are non-toxic and natural, it would not cause health issue unless a large amount is swallowed. Tooth decay or caries is one of the most prevalent conditions and a major public health problem globally. According to the 2017 World Health Organization (WHO)’s Global Burden of Disease Study, caries has become a common problem for different age groups. It is estimated that 2.3 billion people (~30% of the world population) suffer from caries. Among these, 620 million people with primary teeth were affected. Besides, it has been reported that there is a correlation between caries in primary teeth and caries in permanent teeth. Since there are abundant quantities of raw materials in nature, dihydro-resveratrol or its derivatives can be largely produced at a minimal cost. Besides, they are easily synthesized with simple steps and will not lead to environmental issue due to disposal. Furthermore, there is no concern of safety, unless a large amount of the compounds are consumed by an individual. Last but not least, our compounds have no smell and they are tasteless so that clients can customize the favour according to their preference. Dental caries, cariogenesis, tooth decay, anti-microbial, antibacterial, oral health, oral hygiene Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals & Therapeutics, Chemicals, Bio-based, Sustainability, Sustainable Living

In every 3 seconds, there is one person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) as reported by the World Health Organisation. As the ageing population is expanding, dementia has become a tremendous socioeconomic issue. Nowadays, there are over 33 million of people having AD that is accounted for 0.4% of the world population. Unfortunately, there is no cure for AD, only early diagnosis and treatment can ameliorate the symptoms and delay its progression. Several biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) have been recognized and established for AD diagnosis with high diagnostic accuracy over 85%. However, the collection of CSF is invasive and causes discomfort and side effect on patients. On the other hand, the collection of urine and saliva is relatively simple and non-invasive. Our technology provides a solution for early Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis by using magnetic nanoprobe for sensitive detection of the target biomarker in different body fluids including blood serum, saliva and urine. In addition, our detection assay has a wide dynamic range that allows the quantification of biomarkers in a minute amount (a few microliters) of samples. It is proven practically useful for different body fluids. It is a non-invasive, rapid and cost-effective alternative for accurate diagnosis of AD. Our detection assay is an immunocomplex based approach with magnetic nanoprobe for sensitive detection of the target biomarker in different body fluids including blood serum, saliva and urine. Once the target biomarker is captured, a sandwich immunocomposite will be formed. The immunocomposite will then be labelled by our tailor-made fluorophore which gives amplified fluorescence signal for quantification.  When comparing to commercially available ELISA kits, our new diagnostic kit provides additional options on the sample types and allows testing on saliva and urine. Furthermore, our assay is 100x more sensitive than the commercially available ELISA kit. The limit of detection (LOD) is down to Femto (10E-15) molar regime (0.104 pg/mL), that means the concentration requirement of AD biomarkers being detected for the new kit is much lower than the cut-off for those ELISA kits. Besides, our new kit takes only 1.5 hrs to obtain result while the ELISA kit may generally take 18 hrs for that. For a typical analysis, speed is one of the merits. It saves running cost. Short time allows future point of care products more feasible. Last but not least, the cost of the new kit is about 100 USD, which is 50 times cheaper than the ELISA kit. Key features: - Non-invasive - Ultra-sensitive (100x more sensitive than commercially available ELISA kit) - Cost-effective, simple and direct AD early detection and diagnostics - Low sample consumption (a few µL) With our novel nanoparticle-based technology, a diagnosis kit is developed for: - High-throughput detection of Alzheimer’s Disease biomarkers - Non-invasive point-of-care diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease Besides, two different diagnostic approaches will be further developed: 1)    A non-invasive and user-friendly magnetic nanoparticle platform for direct quantification of circulating biomarkers in body fluids. 2)    A novel biomarker specific MRI contrast agent for in-vivo imaging of the disease-associated protein plaque in the brain. These diagnostic tools could provide a practical platform for population-wide screening for neurodegenerative diseases. - Early detection and diagnostic for neurodegenerative diseases, which is cost-effective, simple and quick - Measure the subtle changes in the expression profile of disease-associated biomarkers Alzheimer’s Disease, Diagnostic, Non-invasive, Biomarker, Nanoprobe, Fluorophore Healthcare, Diagnostics, Life Sciences, Biotech Research Reagents & Tools, Chemicals, Bio-based

Stem cell therapy is one of the most promising potential treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. It involves cultivating stem cells for differentiation into new and healthy cells, which can then be transplanted to the human body to replace damaged or dead cells. The conventional methods for cultivating stem cells typically require the use of animals and biochemical growth factors that may also encourage the growth of cancer cells. These methods are costly and the cells produced are often cancerous. The technology is a method for growing stem cells without the need for animals or biochemical factors. The device, called inorganic sculptured extracellular nanomatrices (iSECnMs), uses nanoscopic structures on its surfaces to stimulate growth and differentiation of stem cells by physical stimulation as well as inhibit other directors of differentiation. Thus, it substantially reduces the risk of inflammation or cancer cell formation. The material is biocompatible and low-cost, so the device is well-suited for mass production. The technology could generate healthy and functional cells for use in regenerative therapy, as well as treatment for neurodegenerative, chronic and joint diseases. Technology features include: -    High biosafety level -    Controllable stem cell differentiation -    Suitable for mass production -    Stronger functions of cultured neurons -    The cell growth rate of using this technology is more or less than the same as the current methods with growth factors By varying the stiffness, density and arrangement of the nanostructures, or the shape of the matrix layer, the stem cells can be differentiated into different desirable functional cells. This technology is feasible to be applied to human because: 1. The materials which the iSECnMs are composed of have been well demonstrated to be biocompatible with no toxicity;  2. The neural stem cell differentiation on the iSECnMs will be operated outside the human body. Areas where the technology can be applied include the following:  -    Research institutions and laboratories to develop stem cell therapy, -    Clinics and hospitals, and -    Therapeutic agents to cure some diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The team has plans to extract the patient’s neural stem cells and develop them into a therapeutic agent for incurable diseases for clinical tests. New opportunities for incurable diseases: This invention has shown great potential for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and other incurable diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and certain types of cancer. It could provide a safe platform for research into stem cell therapies using the latest, novel nanotechnology, and also help boost the development of regenerative medicine. Nano-matrix, nano-structure, stem cell therapy, cell replacement, regenerative medicine, cell culture, cell differentiation Healthcare, Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals & Therapeutics, Life Sciences, Biotech Research Reagents & Tools

The impact of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) on society is one of our biggest global challenges as it adversely affects the quality of life of patients. This irreversible disease also poses tremendous physical, emotional, and financial burdens to their family, the community medical system, and the entire social economy.  The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a few prescription drugs (i.e. Aricept® (donepezil), Exelon® (rivastigmine), Razadyne® (galantamine) and Namenda® (memantine)) for the treatment of AD. These prescription drugs can help reduce or delay some symptoms, but not cure AD.  The possible side effects of these drugs range from mild symptoms that include nausea, vomiting, headache, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, to severe symptoms that include slow heartbeat, heart block, gastrointestinal bleeding and ulcers. As stated in the 2012 Consumer Reports, the monthly medication cost of these prescription drugs is around US$200 to US$400 per AD patient.  In light of this, we have invented a patented formulation by modifying the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formulation, Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang (HLJDT, 黃連解毒湯).  Our research findings prove that the modified HLJDT (HLJDT-M) can reduce the accumulation of protein plaques and fibrous nodules (i.e. amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) and tau aggregates) in the brain that leads to rapid death of neurons and deterioration of brain function. HLJDT-M has given more significant therapeutic and pharmacological effects in treating AD with low cost and extremely low side effects. As a pioneer in the modified HLJDT formula (HLJDT-M) study, our research findings offer convincing pieces of evidence that this patented formulation is an effective, safe, and low-cost option for AD treatment and improvement of memory disorders in AD patients.  HLJDT is a famous traditional Chinese Medicine formula, which consists of four herbs, i.e. Rhizoma Coptidis (RC, 黃連), Radix Scutellariae (RS, 黃芩), Cortex Phellodendri (CP, 黃柏) and Fructus Gardeniae (FG, 梔子). It is widely used in treating stroke, senile dementia, inflammation, digestive system upsets, and cerebrovascular disease. HLJDT-M comprises RC, CP, and FG but excludes RS. It is safe for human intake as the original HLJDT has long been used by medical professionals in China and Japan. In our studies, HLJDT-M treatment at a concentration of 12.5 μg/mL could have significant therapeutic effects without biotoxicity. When compared with the original HLJDT, the HLJDT-M has a far more significant Aβ-reducing effect. In addition, HLJDT-M promotes the degradation of Aβ and tau aggregates in both laboratory and animal experiments.  Currently, there is no cure for AD and none of the medications have been shown to be more effective than the others. We suggested a pharmacological treatment that addresses the key causer (i.e. Aβ) in the pathogenesis of AD. HLJDT-M has fewer side effects than conventional drugs and can be regarded as a promising herbal formulation to prevent and/or cure AD. HLJDT-M is a TCM recipe that could be a dietary therapy for AD. It is suitable for most people as it has low side effects.  The cost of HLJDT is about US$50 per 200g. For an effective treatment, it is suggested to have HLJDT-M be orally administered at 15-35 mg/kg/day for at least three months, it indicates that the daily cost is less than US$1. Thus, it is cheaper than the current prescription drugs approved by the FDA. With an affordable price of less than US$1 per day, HLJDT-M can be taken as a health supplement or a non-prescription medicine for the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases like AD. Through the investigation of molecular interactions, we hope to extract several major monomers in the formulation and create a new drug with molecular size for the treatment of AD.  HLJDT-M is an effective, safe, and low-cost option that could give hope to patients with AD. It also helps prevent and delay the onset of AD. This herbal formula is cheaper than the current prescription drugs as approved by the FDA. With extremely low side effects, it provides a safer and cheaper alternative option for the treatment of AD. Alzheimer's disease, Chinese Medicine, amyloid β, Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals & Therapeutics, Foods, Ingredients

Many of us love the warmth and brightness of the sun; however, sun exposure often causes damage to our skin. When our skin is exposed to sunlight, which is the primary source of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, our skin gets darkened, damaged or causes various aesthetic problems, such as wrinkles, blemishes, scarring, freckles and chloasmata. These are due to the oxidative stress (i.e. generation of free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS)) in the epidermal and dermal layers. Occasionally, the UV-induced damages may even lead to the development of melanoma (i.e. a type of skin cancer). The invention is a specific class of natural compounds in a well-known Chinese medicine. The product gives skin whitening effect and improves skin condition. It is safe to use and is now available on the market. Melanin is a natural pigment in both humans and animals that makes hair, skin, and eyes colour darker. The said compounds possess both anti-melanogenic and anti-oxidative properties. In our studies, they showed a significant inhibitory effect on melanin-making cells (i.e. melanocytes) and the generation of oxidative free radicals and ROS. Besides, they are safe-proof (i.e. at least five times higher dose than the renowned anti-oxidative compound trans-resveratrol).  As these natural compounds are safe and able to reduce melanin formation in human, they should be decent depigmentation compounds against skin darkening and their antioxidant competence. In view of this, these compounds are the pertinent ingredients for the formulation of skin-whitening and skincare cosmeceuticals. Our study has provided solid pieces of scientific evidence that the use of our compounds can serve for skin protection and skin whitening purposes. These compounds can be used as multi-functional constituents for cosmetic and skincare products. Besides, they are potential nutraceuticals for skin protection and skin whitening. The active components are not only safe for applying on skin, but also for oral administration at a certain level of quantity. Anti-ageing, herbs, Natural, Organic, Skin Whitening, Skincare Personal Care, Cosmetics & Hair

The majority of the local indoor farmers grow crops that are harvested for their leaves. One way to increase the growth rate of such leafy greens is to provide a longer period of light. However, some of the crops grown, e.g., spinach, are long-day plants that flower when the light periods are longer than their critical day-length. While important to a plant’s life cycle, this vegetative to reproductive phase change is undesirable for farmers, not only because it shortens the harvest period hence reducing the yield, but also because it changes the taste profile. To tackle this problem, a light recipe that was able to suppress flowering was formulated. Plants grown under this light recipe showed a faster growth rate than those grown under flowering-suppressing short-day photoperiod. Moreover, they do not flower even when the light period has surpassed the critical day-length. Positive results were obtained when this light recipe was tested on spinach and arugula. This technology would work for other long-day crops, and it will be beneficial to indoor farmers who are interested to try it. The technology uses lights of different wavelengths to control the molecular switches, the phytochromes, of plants. It tricks the plant into suppressing its floral transition even when the long-day photoperiod is conducive for flowering. This is an improvement compared to the usual method of just providing short-day photoperiod to suppress flowering as the growth rate is now faster. This is particularly useful for crops, such as spinach and arugula, that can be harvested multiple times. With this extended harvest period, growers can have more cycles of continuous harvest within one batch of plant growth, thus increasing their yield. No additional chemical or Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) are used to achieve this flowering repression. This LED light recipe is suitable for: Farmers who are looking to improve and increase crop yields Indoor farms that use LED lightings Lighting developers or producers can be potential partners to provide this technology as a package. Customer benefits include - Increased yield through: The extended harvest period for crops that supports continuous harvesting Overall reduction of waiting time for plant establishment during lag phase Customizable recipes to suit different crop types We have completed the current proof-of-concept stage and are looking for project collaborators or consultancy projects to test the technology on the client’s crop choice. increase crop yield, growth rate, indoor farming, LED light recipe Life Sciences, Agriculture & Aquaculture, Sustainability, Food Security

The most common cryopreservation media used in laboratories consist of 10% DMSO and 20% to 90% fetal bovine serum (FBS). DMSO was thought to reduce the size of ice-crystals during freezing, thus reducing mortality whereas FBS improves the viability of cells during recovery.  Although effective for cryopreservation of most cell types, FBS poised significant risks, including the possible risk of cross-species virus infections such as the “mad cow disease”, as well as the possibility of triggering an adverse immunogenic response from the recipient. Our serum-free cryopreservation formula allows the cryopreservation of mammalian cells without the need for serum. The technology utilise a product from insect cells to replace serum in the cryopreservation media. Since insect cells are very distant from mammals, there is less likelihood of cross-species viral infection. The formula was comparable to the traditional serum-containing formula commonly used to cryopreserve mammalian cells. Furthermore, when tested against 3 different mammalian cell lines, our serum-free cryopreservation media has comparable post-thaw cell survival and recovery when comparable to 3 commercially available cryopreservation media. Cryopreservation of cell line for Research and Development (cell culture) Cryopreservation of cells for clean meat production Cryopreservation of cells for cell banking Cryopreservation industry was estimated to be worth USD2.2 Billion globally and cryopreservation reagents are estimated to be worth 20% share of the total value (estimated USD 440 million) A novel method in cell preservation without the need for blood product. For the cell preservation industry, preserving cells using this technology could reduce the risk of cross-species virus infections such as the “mad cow disease”, as well as the possibility of triggering an adverse immunogenic response from the recipient. cryopreservation Life Sciences, Industrial Biotech Methods & Processes, Biotech Research Reagents & Tools

This Technology Offer allows automation of the process of monitoring stock levels in the warehouse, and when they drop below a certain threshold, trigger a certain event.  This technology can be used to address the following challenges: What items are on the shelf? What is the current inventory level? What items need to be restocked? How many items need to be restocked? This technology can automatically trigger material top-up quantity from a cloud platform to suppliers, based on visual signals using webcams. Two types of technology concepts are used: 1) Webcam scans AR code to detect stock to be replenished or 2) Webcam compares area occupied vs empty (ROI image area mapping), and calculates stock to be replenished Thus, stock management can optimized and no longer require storage in warehouse; they can be directly sent to Centralized Packaging, hence saving staging space & inventory. This technology would be useful for companies that are interested in automating the warehouse processes. This in turn could reduce the time and manpower required to do inventory checks. The technology can also be applied in places with high turnover stock rates or unpredictable selling rates, e.g., pharmacy or supermarket. This technology allows for automatic monitoring and top up triggering of inventory levels, thus reducing time and manpower required to do inventory checks. Inventory Management, Logistics, Warehouse Management Logistics, Inventory Management