Tag: Chulalongkorn University

Chula Pharmaceutical Science helps increase public confidence to keep COVID-19 at bay with their new test kit to verify the safety and efficacy of hand sanitizers and alcohol-based gel and spray products.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many are now accustomed with the New Normal lifestyle in which require social distancing, frequent hand washing, and sanitizing with hand sanitizer and alcohol sprays to clean their hands and belongings. But how can we be sure that the products we use are safe for our health and effective in cleaning and disinfecting?

Asst. Prof. Dr. Supakarn Chamni, Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Chulalongkorn University, explained the problems of hand-sanitizing gel and spray products as appeared in the media and reported from the Smart Buy Testing Center, The Foundation for Consumers.

“Sixty-seven percent of the products surveyed have alcohol concentration lower than 70% by volume, which is not adequate for killing germs. Moreover, these products were found to be contaminated with harmful chemicals that could irritate the respiratory tract, and if it gets into the eyes, can cause blindness.”

Based on such concerns, Asst. Prof. Dr. Supakarn has developed the Q-E-S-T 3-in-1 Alcohol Test Kit to enable the public to check the standards and safety of alcohol and sanitizing products by themselves.

“This test can analyze both the type and concentration of alcohol to confirm the effectiveness of its cleaning and disinfection property to reduce the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus.”

Get to Know the different types of alcohol

Alcohol has antimicrobial properties against viruses, bacteria, and fungi, by killing or stopping the growth of the microbes and can therefore be used to clean and disinfect the skin and various surfaces.

There are different types of alcohol depending on their chemical structures:

Ethanol and isopropanol are the alcohol types used for human consumption. Ethanol is the alcohol found in liquor. It can be used both externally and orally. It costs the highest compared to other types of alcohol. Isopropanol is for external use only, such as for cleaning wounds.

Methanol is an alcohol used in the fuel industry. It is a solvent in the paint industry and a precursor in the plastics industry.

All three types of alcohol have similar characteristics. They are all clear, colorless liquid that evaporate easily and is flammable. The only difference is the smell.

“Isopropanol used to clean wounds has a pungent smell, while ethanol and methanol have a mild scent. Therefore, it is difficult to distinguish them olfactorily,” Asst. Prof. Dr. Supakarn warned about the potential danger should unscrupulous manufacturers mix methanol in with hand sanitizing alcohol.

Methanol poisoning and symptoms

Methanol is highly toxic to humans, and should not be inhaled, let it come in contact with the skin, or, under no circumstances, ingested. Those working with methanol need to wear masks and gloves for protection.

Exposure to more than 40 mg/kg of methanol or inhalation of more than 200 ppm per day can lead to nausea, vomiting, respiratory problems, bronchitis, and even blindness, and death.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Supakarn cited incidents in foreign countries as a warning of the dangers of methanol. “In 2020, there was a reported 1,000 deaths from methanol-contaminated alcohol in countries such as Iran, Russia, and Mexico, and data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) showed 15 people in Arizona and New Mexico accidentally ingested alcohol-based hand sanitizer – four were dead, and three went blind.”

Basic alcohol test you can do yourself

“Alcohol-based hand sanitizers have become essential items to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, consumers must be able to check the efficacy and safety of the products themselves,” Asst. Prof. Dr. Supakarn said.

“The Q-E-S-T 3-in-1 Alcohol Test Kit can test both pure alcohol and alcohol-based gel and liquid products, or even products with added colors and scents. The chemicals used for testing are safe, and have been certified by the National Institute of Metrology (Thailand).”

The test kit can detect all three types of alcohol: ethanol, isopropanol, or methanol, and can specify the ethanol concentration in the range of 30-90 percent (±10 percent) by volume (v/v) within three to five minutes.

“The test is simple to use. Measure one ml. of the alcohol sample into the provided container. Then add five drops of the first solution which is an alkaline solution, and add one drop of the second solution that is green. Close the cap, shake well, and observe the color change at the three-minute mark to interpret the result according to the color chart,” Asst. Prof. Dr. Supakarn explained.

Ethanol is displayed in orange, but if the result is yellow, it means that it is methanol. Isopropanol is displayed in gradients.

For ethanol concentration analysis, read the result at the 3-minutes mark. If 80% v/v ethanol is present, an orange precipitate will form. With 70% v/v ethanol, the solution will become orange, and if there is less than 70% ethanol v/v, the solution will be brown, or greenish-brown.

“Quality alcohol can kill germs. The test result should be orange,” Asst. Prof. Dr. Supakarn reminded us.

How to store alcohol over a long period

Alcohol is a volatile substance at room temperature, so, care should be taken when storing and choosing the right container.

“Putting alcohol in a wide-mouth pump bottle will allow the alcohol to evaporate more easily than a spray bottle. Alcohol should be stored in a container with a tight lid. Do not leave the lid open or leave it in the sun for a long time. Once opened, or repacked into other containers, the expiration date changes.”

The duration of use depends on the environment. Asst. Prof. Dr. Supakarn suggested that “if you put (the alcohol) in a bag and stay in an air-conditioned office, it will last about six months. If it is placed outside the building, it will last three months. Do not put alcohol in the car, because alcohol can evaporate, and permeate the cabin, and could spark if exposed to a lighter or a charging port. This can be dangerous.”

Use alcohol safely, and stay away from diseases

Asst. Prof. Dr. Supakarn reiterated the guidelines for safe use of alcohol that “every time after touching public objects, you should sanitize your hands with hand sanitizers with 70% v/v ethanol by rubbing the sanitizer evenly over all areas of the fingers, palms, and wrists for at least 30 seconds.”

“If you touch the alcohol, and it’s no longer cold to the touch, or if the alcohol has abnormal characteristics such as stratification, coagulation, sedimentation, or discoloration, don’t use it.”

Finally, Asst. Prof. Dr. Supakarn advised consumers to purchase alcohol sanitizing gel and spray from reputable sources, with a label indicating the registered number, and expiration date. And if you are not sure of the product’s efficacy, you can also check it with the Q-E-S-T 3-in-1 Alcohol Test Kit.

“If the tested product has ethanol alcohol content of less than 70%, or methanol is found, you can send the tested sample for confirmation to the Bureau of Cosmetics and Hazardous Substances, Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health,” Asst. Prof. Dr. Supakarn said.

Q-E-S-T 3-in-1 Alcohol Test Kit is available at Osotsala, Faculty of Pharmacy, Chulalongkorn University, Tel. 0-2218-8428-9. (A test kit is priced at 200 baht containing 10 tests).

November 18, 2021 – Chulalongkorn University held Chula The Impact 5 Seminar on “The Progress on ChulaCov19 — an mRNA vaccine by Thais — the World’s Hope“. Also discussed was the progress of Chula-Baiya, Thailand’s first protein subunit vaccine from tobacco leaves by Baiya Phytofarm Co., Ltd., and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University. Prof Dr. Bundhit Eua-arporn, Chula President gave the opening remarks and joined the discussion with the panel including Prof. Kiat Ruxrungtham, M.D., Executive Director of the COVID-19 Vaccine Development Project, Chula Vaccine Research Center (CVRC), and Asst. Prof. Dr. Suthira Taychakhoonavudh, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and CEO & Co-Founder of Baiya Phytofarm Co., Ltd. the developer of the Chula-Baiya vaccine.

Prof. Dr. Kiat said that the clinical trials Phase 1 and 2 of ChulaCov19 are now done. Preliminary results show the volunteers to develop good immunity with only mild to moderate side effects which improved within 1-2 days. The FDA has already given the green light to Phase 3 human trial, which will also be benchmarked against the Pfizer vaccine for efficacy and safety. The trial will start in early 2022 and is expected to be complete in March. Tests in younger volunteers, preparation for mass production in collaboration with Bionet-Asia Co., Ltd., as well as preparation for Gen 2 and 3 vaccines that respond well to mutated strains are also underway. These next generations of vaccines have already been tested in lab animals.

ChulaCov19 vaccine can boost the immune system, and prevent cross-infection in both B Cells and T Cells — twice higher than the Pfizer vaccine. The vaccine design is different from the existing mRNA COVID-19 vaccines to avoid copyright issues, and its encasing is using the latest technology. ChulaCov19 can be stored for 3 months at 2-8 degrees Celsius which is longer than its counterparts. With a 2.3-billion-baht budget, mass production of the vaccine is estimated to be in June-September 2022 after the FDA approval.

On the progress of Chula-Baiya Vaccine, Asst. Prof. Dr. Suthira said that this protein subunit vaccine from N. benthamiana tobacco leaves uses a recombinant protein production with genetically-altered pathogenic bacteria in tobacco leaves. Currently, the industrial-grade vaccine factory, with a monthly capacity of 1-5 million doses is complete. Phase 1 clinical trials started on September 27 and no worrisome side effects have been found in volunteers, but the efficacy and safety of the vaccine are pending the data. Phase 2 trial is underway. Meanwhile, a second-generation vaccine is being developed from more than 10 strains of mutated viruses to combine into a cocktail vaccine. Phase 1 clinical trial on volunteers is expected in January 2022. The best vaccine will be selected for Phase 2 trials in February. Chula-Baiya vaccine can be approved for use in the 3rd or 4th quarter of 2022.

A Chula lecturer from the Faculty of Science has analyzed sugar and amino acid content in durian stems to indicate the age of the fruits before harvesting them to help growers identify the right products for distribution and export, and aims to develop a sensor to detect ripeness in all varieties of durians.

“Durian”, the king of fruits from Thailand, the number-one export that’s dominating the world’s market with its taste, smell, and unique texture is beloved among Thai and foreign connoisseurs. With its massive export value, growers need to carefully harvest the durians just at the right age to ensure their great taste to be sold both domestically and internationally.

But one of the major problems for growers is how to make sure that the durians are just right and ready for harvest because premature harvests will affect the taste, quality, and price. Therefore, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thanit Praneenararat, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, has come up with a way to help growers to accurately assess the ripening age of durians before harvesting.

“In the past, most of the chemistry research focused on analyzing the chemical composition of durian fruit that had been cut from the tree to determine their ripeness, but this research aims to assess the age of durian from its stem, which still receives little attention,” said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thanit.

Generally, the most common method used by growers to determine the age of durian is to count the days after the durian blossoms bloom until the day the fruit is ready for harvest.

“We found that the liquid in durian stem contains sugar compounds that correspond to the sweetness from tasting, but chemical analysis showed that when the durians began to ripen, the amount of sucrose drastically increased while glucose and fructose decreased. Moreover, it was found that certain amino acids significantly increased as the durian aged,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thanit revealed the research findings which were published in Scientific Reports, an international journal affiliated with Nature.

Research on the liquid in durian stem

“This research is the first step towards developing a method that will help growers assess the age of uncut durian, which can reduce economic losses from premature harvest,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thanit emphasized the importance of the research. He also detailed the plans to increase the number of durian samples for analysis, expand the research to include other durian varieties besides Monthong, and produce portable paper-based sensors to detect the substances discovered in this research, which will provide growers with an alternative that’s easier to use, and less prone to human error.

 

 

Chula’s Natural History Museum of Nan has received the honorable mention award under the concept “Reimage, Relearn, and Reinvent during in the COVID-19 pandemic”.

The Natural History Museum of Nan features exhibits related to the life and culture of the tribes of Nan and is home to a number of priceless local antiques. It was designed to foster the love and pride for Nan’s natural resources, arts, culture, and local wisdom, raising awareness for the need for conservation and environmental protection, and building knowledge on local ecology and sustainable use that supports biodiversity. The museum houses 10 exhibition rooms that contain specimens of plants, animals, and various biological, physical, and cultural resources in Nan province.

Watch a video clip of the Natural History Museum of Nan at https://youtu.be/_yOAS0DfZ9o

The Natural History Museum of Nan location:

2nd floor of Wichakham 2 Building, Pha Singh Research and Technology Transfer Station, Center for Learning and Academic Services, the Network of Chulalongkorn University, Nan Province.

SOPet, an online veterinary clinic and popular startup that gives instant advice on pet issues, is the brainchild of Chulalongkorn University‘s sophomore students in the Bachelor of Arts and Science in Integrated Innovation (BAScii) degree, under CU Innovation Hub – a highlight of the strength of the social enterprise, fast, reliable, and affordable.  Based on the life experience of pet owners who need urgent advice and assistance in times of crisis but are unable to rush to the clinic or veterinary hospital in time, SOPet was created.

“BAScii is an international program with an emphasis on integrated innovation and business operations under the support of CU Innovation Hub. The program offers a course called Project Seed which students are required to take, and we must form our own start-up company as a project,” said Chwin Wiriyasophon, one of the founders of SOPet, talking about the inception of the project. Their key advisors are Dr. Ronakorn Waiyawut, program instructor, and Dr. Teerakorn Ananthothai – Chief Innovation Officer and Co-Founder of Globish Startup Company.

“An idea for SOPet came from a friend, also the co-founder, who had experienced a problem when he couldn’t take his pet to the vet because his house was flooded. Plus, we’re all pet lovers, so we came up with the idea of an online veterinary business,” said Chwin, Managing Director of SOPet, while introducing 5 co-founders and 3 other team members: Napat Xiangliu, Wachirawit Siridechanon, Chananya Asawawararit, Chosiya Losuwankul, Phakamon Inthanilom, Emiri Hiraoka, Pusadee Prasertwit and Korpong Ruengwattanakul.

“We share business operations responsibilities without them affecting our studies.  Though this project is already a part of our courses, we try to find some extra time to take care of the business every day.  We outsource the admin work as well.”

Chwin explained that the current SOPet service model is still at the stage of an MVP (Minimal Viable Product) that offers services through a Facebook page.

“We are testing the market first, and soon, we will be introducing the website. Customers can send messages via Facebook chat. We have an assigned person to recommend how to choose the type of services and coordinate with veterinarians whose expertise matches the needs of customers. We have a network of over 20 veterinarians (selected from more than 80 applicants) who can offer consultation within 5-10 minutes

Chwin said that after about a year of service, the feedback has been highly satisfactory.  Based on service evaluation scores in a survey of more than 1,400 pet owners, over 98%  rated SOPet as “very good”.

SOPet focuses on giving advice through online channels via chat, voice call and video call.

For the future plan of this social enterprise, SOPet’s founding team hopes to develop an online medical service system (Telemedicine) that is top-of-mind of customers across the country. They may sign memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with agencies such as the Faculty of Veterinarian Sciences to develop a shared-service platform in the future.

“We have to thank every important party that has made this startup a reality — our friends from BAScii who have been by my side, ready to adapt and fight together all along; our teachers and mentors who spared their time to give us advice and believed in us since day one. Also, thanks to all the faculty members, staff members, BAScii executives, and all our friends at CU Innovation Hub for their support,” said Chwin.