IMU Lecturer and Team Won Silver Medal at ITEX

Dr Lee Choy Sin (Senior Lecturer, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, IMU), Prof Mallikarjuna Pichika Rao (Associate Dean for Research and Consultancy, School of Pharmacy, IMU) and Chua Bing Wei (MSc in Medical and Health Sciences (By Research) student and alumnus of BSc (Hons) Pharmaceutical Chemistry) in collaboration with Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) won the silver medal under the category of ‘Materials’ at the International Invention and Innovation Exhibition (ITEX). The team’s win was  for their innovation in the preparation of hyperbranched organometallic polymers as antimicrobial agent for coating applications. Dr Lee Choy Sin has been working on the potentials of biomaterials and polymeric systems derived from environmental friendly, biodegradable and renewable resources, ie vegetable oils and fats and oleochemicals, targeted for drug delivery systems, medical and biomedical applications. Towards this end, her team has developed several polymeric systems from natural resources, namely biodegradable and biocompatible polyurethane scaffolds for tissue engineering, non-toxic polymer carrier as solubility enhancer for poorly water soluble drugs and hyperbranched polymer for protective coatings.This collaborative project with MPOB on hyperbranched organometallic polymers had also resulted in the filing of a Malaysian patent for this product in October 2015. Next, Dr Lee Choy Sin and her team will be exploring on the multifunctional excipient properties of the polymer products in various pharmaceutical dosage forms. This year, ITEX was held from 11 – 13 May and was organised by MOSTI (Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation) and MINDS (Malaysian Invention and Design Society). Related article: IMU’s School of Pharmacy Research Team Won Silver Medal at ITEX 2019 IMU Pharmacy Alumni Clinch Gold Medal in ITEX 2014