AUGUST , 2023 | THE HEALTH

The investment will see Duopharma Biotech acquiring shares in TLGC , enabling it to secure manufacturing , marketing and distribution rights for co-developed products in ASEAN .

The investment follows the signing of a Collaboration Agreement between Duopharma and TLGC in 2022 to explore using plant ingredients and technology to replace animal , synthetic and ultra-processed ingredients in pharmaceutical products and wellness foods , in response to increasing consumer interest and demand .

Duopharma Group Managing Director Leonard Ariff Abdul Shatar said : “ In line with our vision of “ Providing Smarter Solutions for a Healthier Life ” and our mission of being the ‘ Leading Healthcare Group Providing Quality and Innovative Solutions ’, this investment into TLGC reflects Duopharma ’ s strategic focus for our Consumer Healthcare segment .

“ We are pursuing opportunities to venture into plant-based functional foods in response to rising demand among consumers keen to improve health via their diet , as well as to serve the needs of patients who require special dietary products , such as diabetic-friendly foods .

“ Since our signing of a Collaboration Agreement with TLGC last year , their innovations such as Charaka™ and Precision Fermentation are more relevant than ever in today ’ s market , so this expanded commitment and partnership is indeed timely .”

Following the investment , Duopharma Biotech is expected to expand its product offerings into wellness and functional foods via access to Charaka™ – TLGC ’ s proprietary AI-enabled search engine and discovery platform , which assists in the research and development of affordable plant-only alternatives for animal , artificial and ultra-processed food ingredients .

The investment is also consistent with Duopharma Biotech ’ s environmental , social and governance ( ESG ) policy and climate-related pledges such as net zero and carbon

A team from Duopharma Biotech led by Group Managing Director Leonard Ariff Abdul Shatar fourth from left visited The Live Green Cos Bioinnovation Centre in India recently .

neutrality targets , through the application of sustainable production methods , creation of value through green technology and potential carbon offsets .

Substituting plant-only alternatives for animal , artificial and ultra-processed food ingredients improves sustainability with less carbon emissions and more efficient use of natural resources . Products or ingredients produced by TLGC are shown to produce up to 97 per cent less greenhouse gas emissions and have up to 60 per cent lower energy demand and up to 99 per cent lower blue water consumption .

Duopharma Biotech ' s product development collaboration with TLGC is scheduled to see at least two reformulated products entering the market by Q4 2024 .

RAMSAY SIME Darby Health Care ( RSDH ), a healthcare provider , has partnered with Annalise . ai , one of the largest radiology AI solution providers , to deploy AI-powered clinician-assisting tools designed to help patients get the right care at the right time , with support from the world ’ s most comprehensive and widely adopted cloud provider , AWS .

Annalise Enterprise chest X-ray ( CXR ), an AI-powered assistive clinical tool that helps clinicians detect and interpret chest X-ray findings with speed , accuracy , and peace of mind , is planned to be deployed in radiology departments at RSDH ’ s flagship hospitals , Subang Jaya Medical Centre ( SJMC ) and Bukit Tinggi Medical Centre ( BTMC ) in Malaysia , bringing AI-powered care to patients .

Annalise Enterprise CXR uses proprietary deep learning algorithms to identify the suspected presence of up to 124 findings in chest X-rays in less than 20 seconds . These findings are relevant to various care settings , including emergency , inpatient and outpatient , and a wide range of conditions requiring urgent interventions . The AI solution can act as a precision tool for the medical team at RSDH ’ s hospitals , augmenting the clinician ’ s capacity to identify subtle details in medical images .

In a four-week proof-of-concept study , RSDH discovered that using Annalise Enterprise CXR as an assistive tool amplified the clinical team ’ s ability to detect critical findings . Built on AWS ’ s scalable , resilient , and cost-effective cloud infrastructure , the deployment of Annalise . ai ’ s solutions in RSDH hospitals can help to deliver findings faster to RSDH ’ s radiologists and represents a significant step forward in the adoption of cloud and AI-powered medtech in the region .

RSDH Group Chief Executive Officer Peter Hong said : “ We are thrilled to announce our collaboration with Annalise . ai and AWS , which reflects our progressive outlook towards technology and places our hospitals at the forefront of digital transformation in the healthcare industry .”

Annalise . ai Chief Executive Officer Lakshmi Gudapakkam said : “ I am delighted that radiologists across Malaysia may soon have access to our AI-powered tools . Together with AWS , we ’ re driving innovation through cloud adoption of AI tools , benefiting patients at RSDH and ultimately changing the face of medical imaging .”

The health tech industry in Malaysia and ASEAN increasingly uses cloud and advanced technologies like AI and Machine Learning to innovate and improve patient care .

AWS Malaysia Country Manager Pete Murray said : “ AWS is proud to work with Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care in collaboration with AWS Partner Annalise . ai to innovate at pace , achieve improved efficiencies , and to better serve the citizens of Malaysia and ASEAN .”

CRYOPRESERVATION , THE act of safely freezing and storing eggs and sperm , can help couples planning for parenthood to protect and extend their fertility . It is especially useful for those intending to delay or anticipate parenthood .

Consultant Obstetrician , Gynaecologist and Fertility Specialist from Sunway Medical Centre Velocity ( SMCV ) Dr Farah Leong Rahman explained that cryopreservation uses liquid nitrogen to freeze eggs , sperm or even embryos to sub-zero temperatures - around -320 degrees Fahrenheit ( -195 degrees Celsius ) to be stored for future use .

She said that regarding fertility options , In-vitro fertilisation ( IVF ) is a relatively popular procedure , and some may be unable to differentiate between IVF and egg freezing . Dr Farah shared that while there are similarities and the intended outcome of pregnancy is the same , the methods and processes differ .

“ In egg freezing , a woman goes through a series of hormonal medications to stimulate her ovaries to produce more eggs . Once the eggs are deemed to have reached maturation , egg retrieval is done to retrieve these eggs . From here , we can store these eggs for future use .

“ Same preparation is done for those undergoing IVF , but the retrieved eggs are now fertilised with the partner ’ s sperm in the lab . Embryologists will monitor the growth and development of the embryos . These embryos can also be frozen and can be used to transfer into a woman ’ s womb at a later date . Frozen eggs can be thawed and used in fertility treatments such as Intrauterine insemination ( IUI ) or IVF .”

With current technological advancements , specimens can be stored indefinitely through a vitrification process that causes rapid freezing ( 15000 ’ C / min ), equivalent to near instantaneous freezing . With this , the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Association supports the cryopreservation of eggs , sperm and embryos for up to 55 years .