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Tag: Taipei Medical University

Clinical venture and innovators assess new biomed accelerator projects in TMUxBE Accelerator’s Demo Day 2021

Posted on by Taipei Medical University

The TMUxBE Accelerator’s Demo Day is the first Hospital Joint Venture in Taiwan that focuses on innovative counselling projects for smart healthcare. The exhibition of projects passing the first-phase selection was held in July 2021.

Nine biomedical start-up companies shared their experience in product development and how they accelerated business growth. These nine groups’ products span fields from AI disease prediction, AI smart co-employment, and smart wearable devices, to big data analysis platforms, peritoneal dialysis platforms, lung disease care, and biotechnology analysis reagents.

In addition to showcasing actual results, this event also promoted the upcoming Market Expansion Pilot Trial. US Partner Christine Winoto, Executive Director of UCSF Rosenman Institute in the United States; and Japan Partner Yujiro Maeda, Co-director of Japan Biodesign & Co-founder of Premo Partner, were invited to participate and facilitate overseas expansion of Taiwan’s medical startup teams.

The TMU Biomed Accelerator is the first international-level innovative medical university accelerator in Taiwan, targeting three major themes including digital medicine, artificial intelligence and medical equipment.

Taking advantage of TMU healthcare system’s resources and exoertise, the Biomed Accelerator guides start-up teams in developing strategies for product clinical trials to accelerate commercialization of their research outcomes and linkage with the international ecosystem.

TMU student wins the Future Fellowship 2021/2022 Grant for Women in Science

Posted on by Taipei Medical University

Thomashire Anita George, a third-year Ph.D. student in the College of Biomedical Engineer of Taipei Medical University won The Future Fellowship 2021/2022 Grant for Women in Science offered by the Schlumberger Foundation.

The Schlumberger Foundation is committed to gender equality in science; by providing research scholarships for outstanding female scientists, it strengthens women’s ability and influence in scientific development. Recipients must have excellent academic research and demonstrate that they are committed to returning to their home country after graduation to promote the economic, social and technological development.

Anita is from the Republic of Sierra Leone. She is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces and was an attending physician in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the military hospital. In addition, she also served as the director of the Department of Microbiology in the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences at the University of Sierra Leone.

Anita came to Taipei Medical University to pursue her studies in order to learn more professional knowledge and improve her skills in biomedical engineering. Her thesis advisor is Professor Thierry Burnouf and her co-advisor is Professor David Lundy. She likes the learning environment in Taipei Medical University and is very grateful to her two advisors for their guidance.

After graduating, she will return to her home country to help establish a national-level medical and health system. With the professional knowledge and skills she has learned at TMU, she will establish an institute of biomedical engineering with University of Sierra Leone to provide a learning environment for students who are committed to biomedical engineering research. She hopes that the institute can cultivate outstanding medical engineering talents, enhancing social and economic development, as well as the national welfare.

TMU’s research indicates hope for Alzheimer’s treatment

Posted on by Taipei Medical University
The global Alzheimer’s population continues to rise rapidly. The Taiwan Alzheimer’s Disease Association estimates that one out of every 80 people has dementia in Taiwan. According to the Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI), the global Alzheimer’s population will grow up to 152 million people by 2050. This means that there will be one person suffering from Alzheimer’s in every 3 seconds; no effective medicine has been found in current.
A research team comprising members from Taipei Medical University (TMU), the National Health Research Institutes and the Tri-Service General Hospital has found that immune chemokines (CCL5) can regulate the activity of hippocampal neurons in mice to improve the memory circuits formation, as well as learning and memory ability. This research was recently published in the top neuroscience journal, Molecular Psychiatry, under the world-renowned Nature series.
 
Associate Professor Szu-Yi Chou from the Ph.D. Program for Neural Regenerative Medicine at TMU pointed out that 90% of the CCL5 is expressed by neurons in the hippocampal gyrus, where there is a response for memory formation. The study found that CCL5 greatly affects the aerobic metabolism in neurons and contributes to memory-cognition performance in mice. This suggests that CCL5 plays a pivotal role in the regulation of neuronal energy and affects the immediate energy supply during the process of memory formation.
Associate Professor Szu-Yi Chou reiterated that direct use of immune chemokines for treatment may bring high risks and is therefore not the best solution. Future research mainly further identifies applicable drugs that are based on the mechanism, such as finding safe drugs that can increase the function of CCL5 in order to achieve the effect of improving learning and memory.

Head Trauma: Towards a new treatment

Posted on by Taipei Medical University

An international collaboration (NeuroTMULille international laboratory) between Taipei Medical University (Ouada Nebie, Thierry Burnouf) and Lille Neuroscience & Cognition (David Blum, David Devos, Luc Buée) just published in the journal “Brain” that the complex pathological consequences of TBI can be alleviated by the delivery of a Human Platelet Lysate (HPL) specifically formulated for brain administration.

The published work demonstrated that HPL improved motor function, mitigated neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in the injured cortical area and reduced synaptic alterations in two mouse models of TBI. “This platelet biotherapy would represent a treatment addressing the multiple physio-pathological causes of TBI and avoid progression towards neurodegenerative processes” David Blum commented on the findings.

HPL are composed of a balanced composition of protective neurotrophic factors with the capacity to activate multiple biological protective pathways and represent a novel therapeutic approach in regenerative medicine. They are prepared from platelet concentrates collected by whole blood donations or apheresis procedures from healthy donors. Platelet concentrates, the source of the human platelet lysates, are essential medicine according to the WHO, and are available worldwide, meeting stringent quality and safety criteria in many countries.

“Our results suggest the importance of a careful formulation of human platelet lysates to ensure optimal safety and efficacy for brain administration. The potential, yet to be confirmed in humans, to deliver this product by the intranasal route opens extremely exciting prospects in the treatment of neurological diseases,” commented Thierry Burnouf.

“The potential, yet to be confirmed in humans, to deliver this product by the intranasal route opens extremely exciting prospects in the treatment of a range of brain neurological diseases. It is now vital to move into further pre-clinical assessment and carefully controlled and monitored clinical studies, ” added Thierry Burnouf.

TMU reaches out to the local communities

Posted on by Taipei Medical University

Taipei Medical University(TMU) links arts with community care to promote good practice in enhancing health of the elderly in the local communities.

In collaboration with Chiayi County Health Bureau in southern Taiwan, the TMU Center
for Arts and Humanities once again took its health empowerment program to southwestern
Taiwan with a series of activities including handicraft courses, puzzle games
and qigong courses for the elderly in Chiayi County.

Integrating learning of knowledge and visitation to galleries and museums, the community care helps improve the elderly’s quality of life through immersion in artifacts. In doing so, the idea of “localizing the artistic culture, aestheticizing the community medical care” is brought alive.

The significance of active ageing is to “activate” the vitality, the meaningful living, the wisdom of the elderly, and the solutions for an ageing society through the high-quality services for the elderly with singing, dining and
living together of fun.

 Apart from paying attention to one’s own physical health under the pandemic, companionship and mental health are of importance to keep one from panic or anxiety while the social distancing policy is being widely implemented.

 For that reason, Taipei Medical University Active Aging Center has been offering group courses such as gong sound healing and body structural realignment to communities since October 2020, bringing much-appreciated color into the daily life of senior citizens in the neighbourhood.