HKBU Scholars' Inventions Win Two Gold and One Silver Awards at International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva

HONG KONG, April 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A delegation from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) won a Gold Medal with the Congratulations of Jury, a Gold Medal and a Silver Medal at the 47th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva held in Switzerland from 10 to 14 April 2019.

HKBU submitted three entries this year. The winning projects are:

• The "Non-invasive, urine-based prostate cancer detection kit" invented by HKBU and its spin-off company New Life Medicine Technology Company Limited (NLMT), which won the Gold Medal with the Congratulations of Jury.
• The "OH Furniture Collection" invented by Mr Andrea Ingrassia, a lecturer from the Academy of Visual Arts, which won a Gold Medal.
• The "OHO Jewellery Collection" invented by Mr Andrea Ingrassia, a lecturer from the Academy of Visual Arts, which won a Silver Medal.

Extending his wholehearted congratulations to the winning teams, HKBU President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Roland Chin said that the awards signified that HKBU's innovative research has been recognised by the international academic and professional community.

Professor Chin thanked the scholars for creating new knowledge through impactful research that can solve real-world problems. Such an impact was notably achieved by the winning project "non-invasive, urine-based prostate cancer detection kit". He also commended Mr Andrea Ingrassia's achievements, as his two awards are among the few non-science and non-medical awards that HKBU scholars have won at the Geneva event.

The award-winning prostate cancer detection kit developed by HKBU's Head of the Department of Chemistry Professor Gary Wong Ka-leung and NLMT could revolutionise the detection of prostate cancer, which is the third most common cancer in men in Hong Kong. While medical statistics have reported that one in six men will develop prostate cancer during their lifetimes, the disease is curable with minimal side effects if detected early.

The innovative test, which can detect the biomarker affected by cancer cells with an accuracy of up to 90%, can be easily used at home as users simply need to mix a urine sample with the chemical agent. After a short period of time, users will know if they are likely to have prostate cancer and whether they require further screening and tests.

The novel method is faster, non-invasive and can help address the limited sensitivity and specificity problems associated with traditional blood tests, which have an accuracy of around 40% and can only be conducted in a professional laboratory setting. The invention has been filed with patent applications in the United States, Europe, mainland China, Taiwan and the PCT Procedure. This prostate cancer detection kit technology was licensed to Jacobson Pharma Corporation Limited for commercialisation.

The "OH Furniture Collection" and "OHO Jewellery Collection" consist of an interlocking design invented by Mr Andrea Ingrassia. The invention has been granted patents in the United States and mainland China. The interlocking mechanism can be applied to a variety of products for daily use, such as jewellery and furniture.

The unique invention, which can be scaled up accordingly, enables flexibility and customisation, while also facilitating simple disassembly. By integrating the design into furniture, chairs can be easily stacked and also turned into tables, providing a modern solution to our interior needs. Likewise, pieces of jewellery can be easily modified depending on the occasion.

Media enquiries

Communication and Public Relations Office, Hong Kong Baptist University (hkbunews@hkbu.edu.hk)

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