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BioAsia 2024: NCKU Showcases Medical Alliance and Research Platform Innovations.
The annual biotech and pharmaceutical industry event, the "2024 Asia Biotech Expo," grandly kicked off on the 26th, connecting the global biotech industry. National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), a leader in southern Taiwan, showcased its participation led by President Shen Meng-ju. The exhibition featured nearly 30 teams from the NCKU Medical Alliance, including 7 hospitals, 12 schools from the Greater Southern Taiwan Research and Industry Platform, industry-academia collaboration enterprises, and emerging startups. The themes of the exhibition included AI precision health and smart medical devices, new drug development and cell therapy, telemedicine and aging technology, real-time diagnostics and smart healthcare, as well as health care and daily wellness, demonstrating NCKU's leading role in gathering diverse research and technological capabilities.
Vice President Bi-Khim Hsiao visited the NCKU booth to listen to the research outcomes in biotech medicine and smart healthcare from his hometown NCKU and praised NCKU's role in connecting southern Taiwan's biomedical R&D cooperation through its alliances. Additionally, National Science Council Deputy Director Chen-Kang Su attended the opening ceremony and visited the NCKU booth to learn about the research achievements of the "Greater Southern Taiwan Research and Industry Platform" guided by the National Science Council.
The Biotech and Pharmaceutical Research Center established by NCKU Vice President and Chair Professor Woei-Jer Chuang focuses on protein structure design, development, and modification of protein and antibody drugs. It employs techniques such as disulfide bond introduction, proteinization (HSA, Fc), and PEGylation modification to develop high-activity, specificity, stability, solubility, and half-life protein drugs, cytokines, collagen, and fibronectin. Successful innovations include low-side-effect anti-angiogenesis drugs, anti-thrombotic drugs, bispecific cancer drugs, anti-fibrosis targeting drugs, and bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) proteins.
The team led by Professor Pau-Choo Chung Dean of the College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, developed the ALOVAS digital pathology AI analysis platform. This platform provides comprehensive image analysis for cellular features, tissue structure, quantitative assessment, and disease detection, generating various quantifiable data to assist physicians in diagnosis. ALOVAS allows doctors to review pathology image analysis results across platforms via mobile devices, facilitating case discussions anytime and anywhere, and providing intuitive images and quantitative data for patient explanations.
The "NCKU Medical Alliance" led by NCKU includes 7 teaching and research hospitals at the level of medical centers, including Cheng Hsin, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Changhua Christian Hospital, Chung Shan, E-Da, Chiayi Taichung Veterans General Hospital, and Chiayi Christian. The exhibition showcased numerous clinical research and development technologies and sought opportunities for integrated clinical field verification cooperation.
Mega Radiance, leverages AI technology to enhance abdominal CT imaging. It accurately segments the core abdominal muscle group, serving as a tool for evaluating overall muscle mass and providing early warning for sarcopenia. It is currently the only tool capable of quantifying muscle quality, detecting muscle fat degeneration as an early biomarker for obesity and insulin resistance.
Taichung Veterans General Hospital developed an AI-assisted evaluation technology for ankylosing spondylitis (AS), using deep learning models and automated image processing to precisely mark and extract spinal images, input them into a symptom classification model, and calculate the modified Spinal Osteoarticular Structural Score (mSASSS). This significantly improves the accuracy and speed of assessing disease severity using X-ray images. The technology won the 2023 SNQ National Quality Mark "Bronze Award," highlighting Taichung Veterans General Hospital’s innovation in rheumatology.
Taichung Veterans General Hospital also developed a diagnostic and treatment system for pigmentary diseases, addressing evaluation standards for conditions like vitiligo and hyperpigmentation. The system involves four steps: 1) Accurate detection of affected areas, feature extraction, and mask adjustment; 2) Image correction using facial features and physiological parameters to generate proposal boxes; 3) Image reconstruction; 4) Data analysis using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to assess treatment effects and recovery. This technology significantly improves diagnostic and treatment accuracy, winning first place in the 2024 Taichung Veterans General Hospital Clinical Innovation category, showcasing innovation in pigmentary disease treatment.
Changhua Christian Hospital developed a virtual hand-washing assistant system using AI to verify correct hand-washing steps, utilizing fluorescent agents and UV detection boxes to measure the effectiveness of hand scrubbing and capture images. AI analyzes the fluorescence location and area in the images to quantify results, which are displayed on a screen for users to understand their hand-washing efficacy. The data is also uploaded to the cloud for hospital statistics and auditing of hand-washing effectiveness, addressing previous gaps in knowing if hands were washed thoroughly.
Chung Shan Medical University developed the "Aero-Hi" oxygen mask with a piston-sealed cover, foldable gas storage chamber, and MDI drug nozzle. It effectively solves the problem of administering medication to patients requiring high concentrations of oxygen, improving the internal and external oxygen concentrations to 56.7% and 84.0%, respectively, with a drug output efficiency of 83.6%, significantly enhancing treatment effectiveness.
Chiayi Taichung Veterans General Hospital’s Dr. Shih-Hsien Wang’s team pioneered the "Needle Hernia Beauty" pain-free, non-hospital hernia surgery needle kit. The core technology involves using inner and outer cannulas and a guide needle to tie off the hernia defect and leave the suture in the nerve-free peritoneal layer, providing a revolutionary post-surgery experience with no pain or scarring, almost zero recurrence and infection rates, and effectively reducing medical and social costs.
Apart from hospitals, NCKU corporate member Eternal Materials invested in developing new nucleic acid detection platforms in response to the prevalence of respiratory diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, vector-borne diseases, and gastrointestinal infections in the post-pandemic era. They also focus on enzyme development techniques to address climate change issues, emphasizing low-energy consumption product decomposition and recycling processes.
CancerFree Biotech focuses on cancer surrogate medicine, using circulating tumor cells (CTC) to create and analyze personalized external tumor surrogates, aiming to reduce the physiological burden on cancer patients. Cancer surrogate medicine is a form of precision cancer treatment that requires only liquid biopsies, providing exclusive tumor surrogate anti-cancer drug testing services to help doctors devise the best treatment strategy and improve treatment accuracy.
The "Greater Southern Taiwan Research and Industry Platform" consists of 12 universities with unique specialties, including NCKU, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Chung Shan Medical University, Hu-Wei, Far East, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Kun Shan, Chang Jung Christian University, Cheng Shiu University, National Pingtung University, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, and National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences. These institutions also presented their key biomedical technology highlights at the exhibition.
The "Smart Tour Technology" and "Heng Xin Technology" startups, which were nurtured by NCKU’s new venture support system and established in 2023, are notable examples of NCKU's successful new venture incubation. Smart Tour Technology developed the world's first wearable sEMG and G-Sensor sensor for health promotion services, generating health reports through big data analysis and customizing personal training content. Professional staff can remotely monitor user training status in real-time. Heng Xin Technology developed a smart dynamic cardiac function assessment system that uses patented core algorithms to monitor and calculate exercise indicators in real-time during each rehabilitation session, ensuring optimal intensity and effectiveness for users and providing a comprehensive and innovative rehabilitation method.
The 2024 Asia Biotech Expo, with AI as its theme, was led by NCKU and featured the NCKU Medical Alliance hospitals, Greater Southern Taiwan Research and Industry Platform schools, listed companies, and startups. The event showcased the collaborative achievements of southern Taiwan’s biomedical R&D efforts led by NCKU and realized President Lai’s vision of a "Healthy Taiwan" through nationwide cooperation.
Vice President Bi-Khim Hsiao visited the NCKU booth to listen to the research outcomes in biotech medicine and smart healthcare from his hometown NCKU and praised NCKU's role in connecting southern Taiwan's biomedical R&D cooperation through its alliances. Additionally, National Science Council Deputy Director Chen-Kang Su attended the opening ceremony and visited the NCKU booth to learn about the research achievements of the "Greater Southern Taiwan Research and Industry Platform" guided by the National Science Council.
The Biotech and Pharmaceutical Research Center established by NCKU Vice President and Chair Professor Woei-Jer Chuang focuses on protein structure design, development, and modification of protein and antibody drugs. It employs techniques such as disulfide bond introduction, proteinization (HSA, Fc), and PEGylation modification to develop high-activity, specificity, stability, solubility, and half-life protein drugs, cytokines, collagen, and fibronectin. Successful innovations include low-side-effect anti-angiogenesis drugs, anti-thrombotic drugs, bispecific cancer drugs, anti-fibrosis targeting drugs, and bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) proteins.
The team led by Professor Pau-Choo Chung Dean of the College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, developed the ALOVAS digital pathology AI analysis platform. This platform provides comprehensive image analysis for cellular features, tissue structure, quantitative assessment, and disease detection, generating various quantifiable data to assist physicians in diagnosis. ALOVAS allows doctors to review pathology image analysis results across platforms via mobile devices, facilitating case discussions anytime and anywhere, and providing intuitive images and quantitative data for patient explanations.
The "NCKU Medical Alliance" led by NCKU includes 7 teaching and research hospitals at the level of medical centers, including Cheng Hsin, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Changhua Christian Hospital, Chung Shan, E-Da, Chiayi Taichung Veterans General Hospital, and Chiayi Christian. The exhibition showcased numerous clinical research and development technologies and sought opportunities for integrated clinical field verification cooperation.
Mega Radiance, leverages AI technology to enhance abdominal CT imaging. It accurately segments the core abdominal muscle group, serving as a tool for evaluating overall muscle mass and providing early warning for sarcopenia. It is currently the only tool capable of quantifying muscle quality, detecting muscle fat degeneration as an early biomarker for obesity and insulin resistance.
Taichung Veterans General Hospital developed an AI-assisted evaluation technology for ankylosing spondylitis (AS), using deep learning models and automated image processing to precisely mark and extract spinal images, input them into a symptom classification model, and calculate the modified Spinal Osteoarticular Structural Score (mSASSS). This significantly improves the accuracy and speed of assessing disease severity using X-ray images. The technology won the 2023 SNQ National Quality Mark "Bronze Award," highlighting Taichung Veterans General Hospital’s innovation in rheumatology.
Taichung Veterans General Hospital also developed a diagnostic and treatment system for pigmentary diseases, addressing evaluation standards for conditions like vitiligo and hyperpigmentation. The system involves four steps: 1) Accurate detection of affected areas, feature extraction, and mask adjustment; 2) Image correction using facial features and physiological parameters to generate proposal boxes; 3) Image reconstruction; 4) Data analysis using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to assess treatment effects and recovery. This technology significantly improves diagnostic and treatment accuracy, winning first place in the 2024 Taichung Veterans General Hospital Clinical Innovation category, showcasing innovation in pigmentary disease treatment.
Changhua Christian Hospital developed a virtual hand-washing assistant system using AI to verify correct hand-washing steps, utilizing fluorescent agents and UV detection boxes to measure the effectiveness of hand scrubbing and capture images. AI analyzes the fluorescence location and area in the images to quantify results, which are displayed on a screen for users to understand their hand-washing efficacy. The data is also uploaded to the cloud for hospital statistics and auditing of hand-washing effectiveness, addressing previous gaps in knowing if hands were washed thoroughly.
Chung Shan Medical University developed the "Aero-Hi" oxygen mask with a piston-sealed cover, foldable gas storage chamber, and MDI drug nozzle. It effectively solves the problem of administering medication to patients requiring high concentrations of oxygen, improving the internal and external oxygen concentrations to 56.7% and 84.0%, respectively, with a drug output efficiency of 83.6%, significantly enhancing treatment effectiveness.
Chiayi Taichung Veterans General Hospital’s Dr. Shih-Hsien Wang’s team pioneered the "Needle Hernia Beauty" pain-free, non-hospital hernia surgery needle kit. The core technology involves using inner and outer cannulas and a guide needle to tie off the hernia defect and leave the suture in the nerve-free peritoneal layer, providing a revolutionary post-surgery experience with no pain or scarring, almost zero recurrence and infection rates, and effectively reducing medical and social costs.
Apart from hospitals, NCKU corporate member Eternal Materials invested in developing new nucleic acid detection platforms in response to the prevalence of respiratory diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, vector-borne diseases, and gastrointestinal infections in the post-pandemic era. They also focus on enzyme development techniques to address climate change issues, emphasizing low-energy consumption product decomposition and recycling processes.
CancerFree Biotech focuses on cancer surrogate medicine, using circulating tumor cells (CTC) to create and analyze personalized external tumor surrogates, aiming to reduce the physiological burden on cancer patients. Cancer surrogate medicine is a form of precision cancer treatment that requires only liquid biopsies, providing exclusive tumor surrogate anti-cancer drug testing services to help doctors devise the best treatment strategy and improve treatment accuracy.
The "Greater Southern Taiwan Research and Industry Platform" consists of 12 universities with unique specialties, including NCKU, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Chung Shan Medical University, Hu-Wei, Far East, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Kun Shan, Chang Jung Christian University, Cheng Shiu University, National Pingtung University, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, and National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences. These institutions also presented their key biomedical technology highlights at the exhibition.
The "Smart Tour Technology" and "Heng Xin Technology" startups, which were nurtured by NCKU’s new venture support system and established in 2023, are notable examples of NCKU's successful new venture incubation. Smart Tour Technology developed the world's first wearable sEMG and G-Sensor sensor for health promotion services, generating health reports through big data analysis and customizing personal training content. Professional staff can remotely monitor user training status in real-time. Heng Xin Technology developed a smart dynamic cardiac function assessment system that uses patented core algorithms to monitor and calculate exercise indicators in real-time during each rehabilitation session, ensuring optimal intensity and effectiveness for users and providing a comprehensive and innovative rehabilitation method.
The 2024 Asia Biotech Expo, with AI as its theme, was led by NCKU and featured the NCKU Medical Alliance hospitals, Greater Southern Taiwan Research and Industry Platform schools, listed companies, and startups. The event showcased the collaborative achievements of southern Taiwan’s biomedical R&D efforts led by NCKU and realized President Lai’s vision of a "Healthy Taiwan" through nationwide cooperation.
Vice President Bi-Khim Hsiao Visits NCKU Exhibition Area
NCKU President Shen Mong-ru Leads Nearly 30 Teams to 2024 Asia Biotechnology Exhibition
Vice President Bi-Khim Hsiao Visits NCKU Booth, Reviewing Research Achievements in Biotech, Medicine, and Smart Healthcare from NCKU’s Medical Alliance and Daan Research and Industrialization Platform Schools
NCKU PresidentMeng-Ru Shen (in a blue tie) Leads the Team at the Exhibition
NSC Vice Chairman Chen-Kang Su (third from left) Visits the NCKU Exhibition Booth and Poses for a Photo with Vice President Woei-Jer Chuang (second from left) and Director Li Ching-wei of NCKU Hospital (fourth from left)
NSC Vice Chairman Chen-Kang Su (center) Visits NCKU’s Booth, with Vice President Woei-Jer Chuang (right) and Director Li Ching-wei (left, facing away) Showcasing NCKU’s Medical Alliance Innovations and Research Capabilities.
