BIOTEK-M bags gold medal at Salon International des Inventions de Genève

Date published: 16 April 2018

BIOTEK-MTM Dengue Aqua Kit , a Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) assisted technology, was one of the gold awardees during the 46th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva held on 11-15 April 2018 at Palexpo, Geneva.

Engr. Edgar Garcia, Director of Technology Application and Promotion Institute (DOST-TAPI), and Ambassador Evan Garcia, Representative of the Philippines to UN and Other International Organizations in Geneva, accepted the award for the Filipino Inventions and DOST-assisted technologies - Smart Surface and BIOTEK-M during the event.

BIOTEK-M is an affordable and locally developed rapid test kit for accurate detection of dengue infection within an hour. It is part of the “Lab-in-a-Mug Project” where diagnostic kits are integrated in an isothermal unit as small as a “mug” which functions as a diagnostic device similar to a portable laboratory. The local innovation has high sensitivity, high specificity, robust, and is less expensive than current diagnostic tests in the market.

It was created by experts from the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines Manila led by Dr. Raul Destura. BIOTEK-M was developed through funding from DOST, PCHRD, and its commercialization is supported by TAPI.

The development of the technology generated the first spin-off company from the University of the Philippines since 1908, the Manila Healthtek, Inc. The R&D company on health biotechnology focuses on developing and providing affordable diagnostic technologies for communicable and non-communicable diseases.

BIOTEK-M was one of the thousand inventions on display during the international exhibition. Inventions related to health, medicine, environment and safety had the strongest presence during the show. In fact, the Grand Prix is a medical invention from Hong Kong, a multi-segment lens for glasses designed to defocus short-sighted vision which enables myopia to be controlled.

The exhibition is regarded as the world's most important event exclusively dedicated to inventions and a unique marketplace for industry professionals. This year, the annual exhibition attracted 31,050 visitors, 822 exhibitors, and 1000 innovations from more than 40 countries.