Products & Technology

“BiotechCorp acquired via its technology acquisition programme, a worldwide, exclusive license for the manufacture of nanoparticles and development of nanotechnology related applications such as Drug Delivery Systems and Diagnostics in the non-oncology field.”

Technology

The technology platform acquired allows the design and synthesis of multifunctional inorganic nanoparticles of specified sizes for various applications. With the combined development of biology, physics and chemistry of nanoparticles, new therapeutic approaches can be developed today via the generation of physical or chemical reactions controlled by external activation of nanoparticle such as:

• nanoMag : Activation by a magnetic field (e.g. MRI)
• nanoPDT : Activation by Laser
• nanoXRay : Activation by X-Ray

This activation is revolutionary and differs in comparison with the usual approaches of the pharmaceutical industry.

23 applications have been identified which can be developed in the field of healthcare, environmental and agriculture as well as in food and cosmetic industries using the platform technology.

Opportunities

1. Collaboration with both local and international nanoscience / nanotechnology research institutions/ organisations

2. Potential clients:

• Pharmaceutical companies.
• Skincare manufactures.
• Biotechnology companies.
• Plantation companies.
• Universities.
• Research institutions.
• Regional and international partners.

Technology

Antibody microarrays are measurement devices used in biomedical research applications to determine the presence and/or amount of proteins in biological samples such as blood and serum. The value proposition of this technology lies in the combination of a particular disease-specific biochip and its associated disease-specific software which is able to diagnose the particular disease the software is designed for.

Potential applications of the DotScan™ technology includes biomarker discovery, disease diagnosis, characterisation of signalling and protein pathways, drug target discovery etc. For clinical research, diseases which could be diagnosed include haematological malignancies and other cancers and melanoma. The greatest demand for antibody microarrays is likely to be in basic research where scientists looking at biological systems at the molecular level need to identify large groups of interactions simultaneously. Given the promising and growing research undertaken in research institutes and universities in Malaysia, there is ample possibility for licensing deals.

Opportunities

1. Current developed application is the diagnosis of leukaemia using the DotScan™ technology.

2. The DotScan™ technology can also be applied for:

• Biomarker discovery.
• Disease diagnosis.
• Drug target discovery.
• Drug response profiling.
• Clinical research: haematological malignancies and cancer.

3. Potential clients:

• Companies interested in up-taking the developed applications in the diagnosis of leukaemia.
• Medical device / In vitro Diagnostics manufacturers.
• Collaborators in the development of diagnostic tools.

Technology

Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) technology takes advantage of the unique properties of a gas, Carbon Dioxide, CO2, at temperatures and pressures approaching and exceeding its critical point. At this state, it has a high density, typical of a liquid, as well as a high diffusivity, characteristic of a gas. The technology that arises out of this science is a totally new way of conducting extractions that overcomes inherent limitations in conventional fluid extraction and distillation. The critical temperature of CO2 is 31ºC. This means, an extraction in the supercritical region will be at relatively mild temperatures compared to distillation. SFE is a green technology, as this method of extraction does not utilise organic solvents, which have harmful effects. The SFE technology also possesses another trait; a controlled release capability by varying pressures which produces fine powders, leading to standardised extracts.

Technologies available at the Supercritical Fluid Centre (SFC):

• Soxhlet Extraction.
• Supercritical Fluid Extraction.
• Fractionation.
• Aqueous and Organic Particle Formation.

Services that will be provided by SFC:

• Research & Development.
• Industrial Scale Extraction.
• Standardised Extracts.

Opportunities

1. Collaborators – to undertake studies on process conditions for extraction, separation, and particle formation.

2. Potential clients:

• Natural products manufacturers.
• Herbal remedies manufacturers.
• Flavours, food additives and fragrances manufacturers.
• Pharmaceutical manufacturers.
• Nutraceuticals manufacturers.
• Industry players interested in toll manufacturing of their product(s).
• Industry players utilising conventional aqueous or solvent extraction methods that wish to produce standardised extracts of high quality, purity and consistency.

3. Sub-licensees of the technology (companies that want to set up their own Supercritical CO2 extraction and particle formation plant using this acquired technology).

Technology

Marker Assisted Selection (MAS) technology uses DNA markers in the process of selecting desired plant varieties in a breeding programme. Scientists can now detect polymorphism (variability) not only on the phenotype (physical traits) of the plant but also associate them with the genotype (DNA Markers/Sequences) of the plant. The technology will enable scientists and plant breeders to systematically organise a plant breeding programme to select the desired traits and expedite the process, shortening the time to achieve the desired results from 5-6 years to 2 years. MAS is also useful for traits that are difficult to measure, exhibit low heritability, and/or are expressed late in development.

Technologies available utilising MAS at the Centre for Marker Discovery and Validation (CMDV):

• Discovery & Validation of Molecular markers.
• Molecular Breeding in livestock and crops.
• DNA fingerprints.

Services that will be provided at CMDV:

• DNA extraction.
• Marker identification for validation: IMP, SNP, SSR.
• Genotyping of plant and livestock.
• Marker-trait associations.
• Marker-assisted selection.
• Marker-assisted backcrossing.
• Varietal / accession identification, variety infringement & biodiversity protection.
• Consultations on marker usage in agricultural breeding and conservation.
• Training.

Opportunities

1. Collaborators to work with CMDV with the aim of introducing novel plant and animal traits into the market.

2. Potential clients:

• Plant breeding (local and international) companies.
• Biotechnology companies.
• Biodiversity centres.
• Research institutes.
• Plantations.
• Seed companies.