Tag: Thailand

Thammasat University, international experts, and ASMG are developing new ASEAN guidelines for H. pylori treatment, supporting the region’s advancement towards becoming a Medical Hub.

The Center of Excellence for Gastrointestinal Diseases at Thammasat University (TU), in collaboration with the ASEAN Stomach and Microbiota Study Group (ASMG) and a panel of international experts in gastrointestinal diseases, has developed the “Bangkok Consensus 2025 on the Management of Helicobacter pylori Infection.” This document has been ratified as a standard guideline for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection at the ASEAN level, aiming to enhance the quality of treatment for this pathogen, which is a significant cause of chronic gastritis, gastric ulcers, and gastric cancer, thereby improving efficiency while ensuring appropriate budget utilization in both Thailand and ASEAN.

Prof. Dr. Ratha-korn Vilaichone, M.D., Head of the Center of Excellence in Academic Gastroenterology at Thammasat University and Secretary-General of ASMG, stated that H. pylori is a bacterium that is contracted through food and can be easily transmitted through shared items. Poor diet, like eating grilled foods or having few fruits and vegetables, contributes to the bacteria developing into more severe diseases. However, successful treatment significantly lowers the risk of developing these diseases, including stomach cancer. The risk of reinfection is also low due to improved immunity. Testing for the bacteria is simple and available through methods such as urine, blood, or breath tests.

In Thailand, over 20 million individuals are infected with H. pylori. The ASEAN region, with a population of 700-800 million, estimates 200-300 million infections, while globally, 2-3 billion people are infected. Critically, 7-15% of those infected may develop severe, potentially fatal diseases. Effective H. pylori eradication is essential to prevent severe illnesses like gastric cancer and ulcers. Collaborative ASEAN efforts are needed to establish unified guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring, offering a key academic partnership opportunity for Thailand.

Prof. Dr. Ratha-korn announced this approved framework is ASEAN’s second, updating the 2018 guidelines. Key changes include incorporating country-specific antibiotic resistance data, regional treatment formula adjustments (boosting efficacy from 60-70% to over 90%), emphasizing new molecular diagnostics, and focusing on preventing recurrence and long-term surveillance for gastric cancer. Thailand will promote these guidelines nationally, using them to reference adjustments for H. pylori reimbursement criteria across the Universal Health Coverage system, ensuring effective citizen access. Other ASEAN and Asian countries can adapt these guidelines based on their national context and drug resistance data.

Furthermore, in the recent past and currently, Thailand has been recognized as a destination for many countries around the world seeking medical treatment, due to its high-quality healthcare that is on par with international standards, yet at a lower cost than in many other countries. Therefore, if Thailand continues to advance in medical technology or innovation, along with possessing strong knowledge and a solid academic foundation, it will help attract more foreign nationals to seek services in Thailand, thereby generating revenue for the country and positioning Thailand as an international medical hub.

Prof. Dr. Varocha Mahachai, M.D., Chair of ASMG, announced that this Thammasat-supported, Thai-led treatment guideline is a new and effective dimension for ASEAN healthcare. They aim for international publication in a journal like the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology to establish it as a fourth primary global guideline, alongside the existing three (Maastricht, American, and Asia-Pacific).

Professor Kentaro Sugano of Jichi Medical University, Japan, noted that despite the release of “Helicobacter pylori management in ASEAN: The Bangkok consensus I” in 2018, the first regional H. pylori treatment guideline, significant advances have occurred. H. pylori remains a major health challenge. This revised guideline is essential for ASEAN countries to treat infections appropriately and contribute to global knowledge. He emphasized that ASEAN-specific guidelines are necessary because Western approaches are insufficient due to regional differences in prevalence and medical resources.

Thammasat University is launching three new programs to cultivate human resources at all levels, from entry to senior executive. These initiatives, reinforcing government and private sector cooperation, aim to equip organizations to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ensure secure, sustainable adaptation across the entire supply chain.

Professor Dr. Supasawad Chardchawarn, Rector of Thammasat University, stated that Thailand and the rest of the world have a tight five-year deadline to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets by 2030. The Rector emphasized the critical nature of the SDGs, noting their role in shaping new global regulations such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and in unlocking vast economic opportunities. Specifically, the global green economy is projected to be worth $10.3 trillion (300 trillion baht) by 2050.

To capitalize on this trend and boost Thailand’s economic growth and competitiveness, educational institutions must prioritize the development of a workforce skilled in SDGs. This aligns with the national BCG Model and the global shift toward ESG frameworks, as specialized human resources are essential for the public, private, and industrial sectors in Thailand.

For Thammasat University, three new programs have been developed to support the establishment of a sustainable foundation for the country. These include: 1. Bachelor of Science Program in Sustainable Management, 2. Bachelor of Arts Program in Human Potential and Well-being, and 3. Training Program for Leaders in Sustainability: TU ESG NEXT FOR SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP (for senior executives).

The Bachelor of Science program in Sustainable Management at Thammasat University is a collaboration between the Interdisciplinary College, Social Administration, Puey Ungpakorn School of Development Studies, Science and Technology, Engineering, and Global Compact Network Thailand (GCNT). Dean Assoc. Prof. Dr. Saifon Suindramedhi stated its goal is to train a workforce for in-demand sustainability (ESG) roles and develop innovators for community and societal collaboration. The curriculum emphasizes practical experience, requiring over 1,000 internship hours, which students can design globally or locally from year one, supported by GCNT’s network of over 140 private organizations. Students gain interdisciplinary knowledge in sustainability, environmental science, biodiversity, sustainable management, economics, business, and applying digital technology and AI to sustainable practices.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Adisorn Juntrasook, Dean of the Faculty of Learning Sciences and Education at Thammasat University, highlights that the uniqueness of human potential and well-being lies in integrating multidisciplinary knowledge (neuroscience, psychology, art therapy, social equality, etc.). This integration develops graduates with knowledge, self-management, relationship skills, and diverse perspectives on societal conflicts, ultimately promoting well-being and enhancing others’ potential. Dr. Adisorn notes this professional role is currently scarce but highly sought-after. Many large organizations now hire Well-Being Specialists to enhance potential, oversee organizational well-being, and bridge generational gaps for harmonious coexistence. This position is expected to become standard in nearly all organizations in the future.

Internal conflicts significantly impact organizations, even causing skilled staff to resign, and require human intervention, not just technology or AI, stated Asst. Prof. Dr. Adisorn. The Leadership Training Program for Sustainability, according to Professor Dr. Teera Sindechaluck, Director of the Institute for Continuing Education and Human Resources at Thammasat University, aims to cultivate leaders across all sectors (government, state enterprises, private) to integrate ESG sustainability concepts into their organizations and build a network for advancing Thai society towards SDGs. The TU ESG NEXT program at Thammasat University features expert faculty and national speakers, including Bangkok Governor Mr. Chatchart Sitthiphan and Dr. Sorapol Tulayasathien of the Stock Exchange of Thailand, to share ESG knowledge, real-world insights, and practical learning. The goal is to create a network of leaders ready to drive change in a complex world. Registration details are at https://icehr.tu.ac.th/.

While most eye diseases are treatable, some conditions like accidents or tumors can lead to irreversible vision loss and eye removal, impacting patients’ social confidence. Artificial eyes are crucial for these patients to maintain their self-assured lifestyle. Off-the-shelf ocular prosthetics often lack realism. To address this, Thammasat University’s ophthalmologists and dentists created “3D Printed Customized Ocular Prosthesis in One Visit Delivery.” This innovation uses 3D printing and photographic imaging to produce personalized, realistic ocular prosthetics in a single day, eliminating long waits for patients.

“3D Printed Customized Ocular Prosthesis in One Visit Delivery” is the result of the efforts of the Artificial Eye Center team at Thammasat University, led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sakchai Wongkittiruk (M.D.), Dr. Waraporn Mitsantisuk, an ophthalmologist, and Asst. Prof. Dr. Jitpimol Siriphan, a dentist. This work has successfully won the JDIE Best Invention Award at the Japan Design, Idea and Invention Expo held in Tokyo, Japan, competing against over 366 entries from 25 countries. In addition, it has also been able to receive numerous prestigious awards, such as the Gold Medal from the World Invention Intellectual Property Associations and the NRCT Special Award from the National Research Office, among others.

Create a realistic ‘artificial eye’ within one day.

Ocular prosthetics can be categorized into two types: ready-made prosthetics and custom prosthetics. The process of creating custom prosthetics originally involved several steps, including the initial printing of the eye socket, fitting of the clear glass eye, marking the position of the pupil, and applying color to the sclera and iris to achieve a realistic appearance that closely resembles the patient’s natural eye. This craftsmanship requires varying levels of skill and time. Therefore, the innovation of “3D Printed Customized Ocular Prosthesis in One Visit Delivery” utilizes technology to enhance aesthetics, reduce the time required for production, and improve the ability to predict the outcome with precision.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Jitpimol, a faculty member of the Faculty of Dentistry at Thammasat University, explained that this innovation combines 3D printing to create a sclera-like piece from a patient’s eye socket scan and a photography technique to apply the image onto it. This multi-step process for personalized prosthetic eyes is reduced to just 4 hours. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sakchai further stated that the limitation is that it previously took months, or even several months, to obtain a custom prosthetic eye. This is due to the need for various molds and steps in the process, as well as the skill of the prosthetic eye maker in replicating the appearance of the other eye. While it may be an improvement over traditional ready-made prosthetic eyes, achieving a lifelike beauty requires both science and artistry, making the results difficult to predict. This has led to the innovation we see today. Currently, we observe a significant use of 3D printing technology in the medical field, including its application in dentistry for creating dentures for patients.       

Thammasat Researchers: Innovators for Society

Thammasat University, a pillar of society, educates quality graduates and supports research and innovation to address social issues. The university is currently aligning faculty and student research with pressing needs to create tangible societal benefits. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sakchai emphasized that universities, beyond teaching, must generate practical research and innovations that improve quality of life. This specific innovation aims to empower visually impaired patients to live confidently.

The innovation “3D Printed Customized Ocular Prosthesis in One Visit Delivery” has been implemented at Thammasat University Hospital since the beginning of 2025. Currently, there are over 10 patients utilizing ocular prostheses from this innovation. The feedback received indicates increased happiness and confidence in social interactions among the patients. In the future, this innovation will be developed to reduce the time required for creating ocular prostheses, making them more aesthetically realistic, and enhancing public access to the services provided by this innovation.

Thammasat
University and the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and
Innovation give importance particularly to the development of technology for
agricultural sector application. In order to increase production efficiency, in the past,
Thammasat University has been involved in supporting the development of new
innovations in smart farming. This is a new type of agriculture that uses high–precision technology to help
in the operation, resulting in increased productivity and the most cost–effective use of resources.

However, apart
from promoting the creation of new innovations in order to foster sustainable
development of the Thai agricultural sector, it is as well necessary to create
learning platform for users in order to create suitable applications in each
area as well, such as smart farming systems for learning of all ages and sustainably
develop the Thai agricultural sector by the Thammasat University, Rangsit Campus
research team and the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) who has granted research
funding for the year 2021 in the “Development of smart watering technology for the
production of high–value commercial organic vegetables with small farmer communities’ involvement” project which has
Prof. Dr. Dusit Athinuwat as
the project leader along with a team of inventors consisting of Miss Romnalin
Chantawongse, and Mr. Chayakorn Tangsurat.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dusit Athinuwat,
Lecturer of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Thammasat University said that the smart farming system for learning of all
ages, known as “DSmart Farming“, is an extension
of innovation that focuses on creating learning platform for young people and
new generations of farmers. The innovation developed will be having specific software
and an excellent database that can be applied to the production system of
plants, herbs, mushrooms, livestock, aquatic animals and economic insects. This helps ensure worthwhile
productivity per each plot of land and solve spatial problems. This makes it
possible to sustainably raise income and elevate quality of life for people of
all ages.

DSmart Farming is a system with developed software that responds to the actual needs of plants, including
the need for nutrients in the soil, namely nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, water
needs, light intensity as well as appropriate temperature and humidity for each
stage of plant growth, controlling the conditions suitable for the production of
many crops in the same plot. Users are able to click and
view the data from the past one year and then use
to analyze the amount of production factors that are suitable for each plant species,
which potentially reduces the amount of water used in the plant production system
by 41–60%. This thus, save costs, save energy and increase
productivity by 20 – 29%.

The system will
focus on creating learning platform for users. Users are able to view real–time data from the web service and receive notifications
about the operation status of the artificial intelligence system via line
notify and application 24 hours a day. The system works independently, resulting in learning the
operation of intelligent agricultural systems that correspond to the actual
needs of plants.

 “For system testing which is funded by the National Research
Council of Thailand (NRCT). The system is
currently being tested in Sa Kaeo, Lopburi and Chiang Rai provinces. This system will
help meet the needs of farmers in terms of rotten crops from overwatering. At the same time,
it helps reduce water consumption in water–scarce areas. Most importantly, farmers are able to learn the system
usage and able to access the specific informations of each plant, which is a
body of knowledge plus local wisdom stored in the cloud database as well,”Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dusit concluded. 

Thailand’s household debt reached 16.2 trillion baht (87.4% of GDP) by Q1 2025, exceeding the 80% international threshold. A concerning trend shows 1 in 2 Gen Z individuals are in debt, with over 1 in 4 having NPLs, the highest rate among generations, due to social media influence and easy credit access. This silent threat affects all ages, including elderly individuals with an average debt of over 400,000 Baht and younger generations trapped in overspending, undermining quality of life and the Thai economy.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dumrong Adunyarittikun, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs at Thammasat University, stated that the current situation reflects a fragile economic structure and has become a ‘debt trap’ for households and the overall economic stability of the country. More than two-thirds of total household debt is consumer debt that does not generate income, such as credit card debt and personal loans, while investment debt in appreciating assets, such as homes or businesses, accounts for only 4%. This has led to a debt burden that perpetuates a cycle diminishing purchasing power and reducing households’ ability to save.

Thammasat University’s “Financial Literacy” curriculum aims to equip all graduates by 2027 with financial and investment knowledge before they enter the workforce. The curriculum covers financial planning, saving, taxes, debt laws, and modern assets like digital currencies. It also addresses behavioral economics to help students avoid digital-age financial traps like “must-have” items or 0% installment plans. Collaborations with financial institutions offer elective investment courses, providing both theoretical and practical experience to foster stable financial attitudes.

Courses offered include Financial Knowledge for Individuals (SET), an E-Learning course on personal financial planning, income/expense management, savings, and basic investments; Comprehensive Investment (SET), an E-Learning course introducing various investment instruments (stocks, bonds, mutual funds) and fostering sustainable investment; Investment in the Stock Market (SET), an E-Learning course providing in-depth exploration of stock investments, mutual funds, Derivative Warrants (DW), and practical analysis using the Stock Exchange’s Streaming program; Blockchain Innovation and Cryptocurrency (Gulf Binance), the newest course, available Online and Onsite, covering blockchain basics to cryptocurrency and digital asset investment; and Professional Investment (Bangkok Bank), an onsite course focusing on in-depth investment in various asset types, with workshops and lectures from financial experts.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dumrong emphasizes that strong financial citizens possess investment skills, financial discipline, planning abilities, and the capacity to handle economic uncertainties, thereby avoiding informal debt. This foundation leads to national economic stability and sustainability, reducing default rates, non-performing loans, and government subsidy burdens while increasing household savings, investments, and national competitiveness.

The “financial vaccine” of financial literacy is crucial for vulnerable groups like recent graduates, single parents, and the elderly to build financial immunity and avoid bad debt. Countries like Australia and Singapore demonstrate that integrating financial knowledge into basic education fosters saving discipline and reduces debt, a model Thailand can adopt.