Top News of Last Week with ANA
Azad News Agency (ANA) published a number of scientific and technological news during the past week whose top ones are as follows:
Amirkabir University of Technology in Iran to Host ‘Petrochemical Industry Clinic’
An Iranian petrochemical company is due to establish a ‘petrochemical industry clinic’ at Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT) in Tehran to promote green technology in methanol industry and decrease energy consumption.
With the aim of a long-term and fruitful cooperation in the field of innovation and technology, an Iranian company active in the petrochemical industry which is the largest methanol producer in Iran (4th in the world) and Amirkabir University of Technology decided to establish Zagros Petrochemical Company’s Innovation Center at the premises of the University.
Based on the agreement among the two parties, they also decided to cooperate in meeting the needs of the country's petrochemical industry, specially the methanol production industry, and to establish a ‘petrochemical industry clinic’.
This clinic will be set up with the aim of increasing the capacity of process units, reducing feed and energy consumption, developing green technology in the methanol industry and expanding downstream industries through joint industrial projects.
Pakistan Asks Iran to Establish Joint Nanotechnology, Biotech Research Institute
Pakistan called for the establishment of a joint research institute of nanotechnology and biotechnology with Iran.
The issue was raised in a meeting between Iran nano-technology innovation council’s director for international affairs Mohammad Baqeri Motlaq and Chairman of Pakistan's Lahore University Awais Raoof during which they discussed the potentials for developing cooperation between the two countries.
During the meeting, Raoof expressed interest in starting a nanotechnology center at Lahore University.
He stressed that Pakistan is mainly interested in cooperation in nanomedicine and military fields.
“The main challenges in the development of Islamabad–Tehran relations have been overcome and the two countries are ready to boost ties in higher education, science, and technology,” Raoof said.
Baqeri Motlaq, for his part, presented a report on Iran's advancements and achievements in nanotechnology, focusing on educational activities and joint scientific cooperation.
He also suggested conducting collaborative research, publishing joint scientific articles in Iranian journals, and holding workshops, training courses, and scientific conferences.
Baqeri Motlaq proposed signing a memorandum of understanding for cooperation which was welcomed by Raoof.
Iranian Knowledge-Based Company Produces Skin Rejuvenation Device Based on Thermo-Mechanical Energy
Experts at an Iranian knowledge-based company, operating in the field of producing medical equipment, have developed a "rejuvenation device biocompatible with skin" based on thermomechanical knowledge.
Morteza Vatani, the managing director of the knowledge-based firm, which is operating in the field of production of skincare and treatment equipment, said, “The skin rejuvenation device is based on thermomechanical science. This device non-invasively delivers 400°C heat to the skin in less than a second by a motor.”
“This device is widely used to remove skin spots, pimples in parts of the skin of the whole body that need to be cleaned and rejuvenated,” he added.
“One of the most important advantages of the skin rejuvenation device is that it does not cause any damage to the skin, including burns,” Vatani also said.
"Apart from rejuvenating and cleansing the skin, this device is used for mesotherapy and combined skin treatments," he went on to say.
Referring to the technologies used in the production of the device, Vatani added that the key feature of this device that does not damage the skin is the use of a titanium tip biocompatible with DER-mis or skin.
“The risk class of this device is B, which means that it does not cause the minimum complications and have consequences to the skin,” he added.
"The software part of the device is also written by domestic programmer experts, which is not only easy to use for operators, but also it is offered in Farsi," vatani said while pointing to the software features of the device.
Iranian Company Prepares Special Plan to Optimize Cross-Section of Earthen Dams
An Iranian technological company and a member of the incubator center of Islamic Azad University’s Gorgan branch succeeded in preparing a plan to optimize the cross-section of earthen dams with the aim of reducing the cost of maintenance of earthen dams and embankments.
“One of the achievements of our company is preparation of a plan for optimization of the cross-section of earthen dams with the aim of optimizing and reducing the cost of earthen dams and embankments,” Amin Rezayian, the founder and managing director of the company, told ANA.
“Another achievement of our company is the design, construction and implementation of geodesic structures as one of the most popular contemporary structural systems whose application is very wide and beyond civil structures to the extent that in addition to using them as temporary and permanent structures, they can be used as greenhouses, indoor bioparks, building domes, camp tents, temporary accommodation in natural disasters like earthquakes and floods, urban furniture, villa furniture and tourist places,” he added.
Rezayian described the third achievement of his company as the innovative construction of widely-used elements in Iran’s public facilities, saying that since they are often made of metal or contain reinforcements, they are stolen.
“We should have found a way so that these facilities cannot be stolen and, therefore, we produced anti-theft caps for telecommunications ponds and sewage ponds,” he added.
Iranian Knowledge-Based Company Produces Jaw, Face Medical Products
Experts at an Iranian knowledge-based company have managed to produce different products related to jaw and face as well as exercise instruments waiting to receive the necessary permits from the health ministry to offer them to the market.
Mina Shafiei, the director of research and development department of a knowledge-based company in Fars province in the Southwestern part of Iran told reporters that her company operates in various areas of the jaw and face, making different kinds of implants in the body, and spinal and exercise products, etc.
“We now have 40 files to receive licenses on the website of the Director General of Medical Equipment, each of which includes different models,” Stating that any of the product produced in their company is not produced inside the country by any other companies, Shafiei said while poiniting out that the mentioned product has been produced for the first time in Iran.
She added that all their products have been imported into the country so far, costing the country millions of dollars, therefore, domestically producing those products in their company would prevent the exit of considerable amount of foreign exchange.
Iranian Researchers Acquire Know-How to Produce Molybdenum-99 Using Nuclear Technology
Iranian researchers have managed to acquire the know-how of producing the molybdenum-99 radioisotope as a kind of radiopharmaceutical from the fission of uranium-235 on an industrial scale.
“Molybdenum is used to detect some diseases. Every week, hospitals and nuclear medicine diagnostic centers across the country need radiopharmaceuticals based on the use of technetium-m99, and more than one million patients benefit from technetium-m99 every year,” Ali Bahrami Samani, the project manager of the Molybdenum macro plan said.
“The country's need to molybdenum-99 radioisotope has been met so far by this company through the imports of 120 curies of the product, which is sometimes affected by the production conditions in the country or political tensions which have sparked concern to patients and their relatives,” he added.
“Moreover, all the links of its supply chain, except for the link of the radiochemical process of its separation and purification, i.e., facilities for the production of target uranium at 20% enrichment level and the possibility of irradiating it in Tehran Nuclear Research Reactor and facilities for the production of various types of related radiopharmaceutical kits, are now available inside the country. Therefore, the production of this strategic product inside the country has begun,” he added.
Samani said that there is no experience of producing molybdenum on a scale of about 120 curies during each time of the process implementation in the country, adding, "The production of radioactive materials comes with reservations and if they are not taken into account, the risk of investing in the immediate transfer of laboratory results to the industrial stage is high and there is a possibility of irreparable damage."
Iranian Experts Design Application for Cryptocurrency Exchange
Specialists of an Iranian knowledge-based company succeeded in designing a home-made web and mobile application for cryptocurrency exchanges which can be used for managing the financial transactions.
“This product is used to manage digital currency exchange to determine the supply and demand and value of digital currencies,” said Nasser Mahmoudi, the managing director of the knowledge-based company.
“In fact, these exchanges become the interface between the seller and the buyer and receive money for this operation, and digital currency exchanges are online platforms through which traders can exchange a cryptocurrency for a fiat currency (for instance rial or dollar),” he added.
“In other words, it is like changing currency in a bank, airport or stock market,” Mahmoudi said.
“With this application performing all types of transactions in currency pairs, P2P, OTC, placing orders, and even futures transactions is possible,” he noted.
“This product can be used in investment companies, financial asset management centers, endpoint users and any sector that needs digital currency services,” Mahmoudi said.
Iranian Scientists Study Optimization of Egg Freezing Process by Using Magnetic Field, Nanoparticles
Iranian scientists at Royan Research Institute studied optimization of the egg freezing process with the help of magnetic field and nanoparticles with the aim of preserving the female sex cells as best as possible in infertile patients.
Improving egg freezing by using magnetic field and nanoparticles is the title of the project that Fatemeh Bani Assadi, a PhD student in the field of physics, solid state and condensed matter, from Shahid Beheshti University, completed in the form of her postdoctoral project at Royan Research Institute.
“In this method, due to the use of high concentration of antifreeze and short water extraction time, the water is quickly removed from the cell and the surrounding environment of the cell suddenly turns into glassy ice or amorphous ice. The reason for using these compounds is to keep the concentration of the solution constant during freezing. Despite the high concentration of these protectors, speeding up the cooling and heating of the sample reduces the problems,” Bani Assadi said.
“Unlike the slow freezing method, glass freezing does not require expensive tools, however, the use of high-concentration antifreezes has caused toxicity in this method. To deal with the problem of the toxicity of antifreezes in glass freezing and the formation of ice crystals in slow freezing, auxiliary and even alternative solutions should be sought,” she added.
Noting that to deal with the problems in freezing methods, the first suggestion is to use magnetic or electric fields, Bani Assadi said, “In the next step, iron oxide nanoparticles should be used.”
“Optimization of egg freezing process with the help of magnetic field and nanoparticles, optimal preservation of female sex cells by freezing method in infertile patients with the least amount of damage was one of the goals pursued in this project and fortunately, we were able to successfully conclude this research,” she stated.
Iranian Company Produces Combined Oral Drug for Diabetes
Experts at an Iranian pharmaceutical company have managed to produce an oral combined drug that help keep blood glucose levels at goal in people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is a common condition that causes the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood to become too high. It is mainly the result of two problems: cells in muscle, fat and the liver become resistant to insulin. As a result, the cells don't take in enough sugar. The pancreas can't make enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels within a healthy range.
"TRYTIS which is tablet combined of metformin, empagliflozin and linagliptin with three different mechanisms of action, reduces blood sugar in diabetic patients. In the production of this drug, a combination of slow release technology and rapid release of active ingredients of the drug has been used for optimal and long-term control of blood sugar in diabetic patients,” Reza Karimi Mostofi, the managing director of a knowledge-based ActoverCo pharmaceutical company based in Alborze Province next to the capital Tehran, said.
“At least 11% of the country's population over 20 years of age suffer from diabetes, and nearly half of the sufferers are not aware of their disease. Today, the use of combination drugs with the lowest number of tablets taken per day and with high effectiveness has created a great evolution in the control of diabetes and increased the success of the treatment,” Karimi Mostofi said.
“Empagliflozin in TRYTIS tablets will reduce mortality rate resulting from the complications of cardiovascular diseases, heart failure or diabetic kidney diseases. Taking this drug in diabetics can reduce the risk of problems related to cardiovascular and kidney failure,” he explained.
Knowledge-Based Company in Iran Meets Labs Need for Cellar, Molecular Diagnostics Kits
Experts at an Iranian company operating in the field of genetic and cellular engineering have managed to produce a broad range of diagnostics and extraction kits and have offered them to laboratories across the country.
Fazel Gorjipour, the managing director of a knowledge-based company, pointed to the specialized activity in the field of genetics and the production of recombinant proteins and antibodies with research, diagnostic and therapeutic applications in their company, and added, “Considering the interdisciplinary nature of biotechnologies, our activities are related to various fields such as biomaterials, nanomaterials, cell therapies, smart drug delivery and biosensors.”
“At the beginning, the experts at this company focused their production activities on the production of kits for measuring cytokines and biomarkers based on ELISA, and continued to offer to the market products such as the cell death detection kit using the flow cytometry method,” he added.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, our company was one of the first groups that produced spike antigens of the coronavirus in a recombinant form in mammalian cell hosts. These antigens are the active ingredient of recombinant vaccines and also its RBD part is used as antigen of antibody assay kits to check vaccine immunogenicity,” the manager of the company said.
Gorjipour pointed to the production and supply of cellular and biological products, saying, “Currently, various types of biochemical solutions, cell culture, molecular kits, extraction of nucleic acids, antibodies, recombinant proteins and immunoassay-based kits are being done and produced in this company. Also, the interferon gamma release assay kit for detecting infection with the agent of tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis), also known as IGRA, is in the research and development phase in the company.”
“This kit is of particular importance due to the importance of rapid differential diagnosis in the population exposed to tuberculosis given the crisis of population movements in the surrounding countries and especially the eastern neighbors, which are among the areas with a high prevalence of tuberculosis. It controls the spread of this contagious respiratory disease,” he further said.
Knowledge-Based Firm Produces Construction Materials from Natural Stone Waste
An Iranian technological company stationed at the incubator center of Islamic Azad University’s Khomeinishahr branch succeeded in producing construction materials from natural stone waste.
“Nano Fanavaran Sakhteman company was established with the idea of producing knowledge-based construction materials, and the first projects were defined as the production of self-cleaning water-repellent nano-coatings, colored concrete bricks, artificial stone, and lightweight fiber cement sheets,” Mohammad Rayeesi, the managing director of the company, told ANA.
“We set up the stone research center at Islamic Azad University’s Khomeinishahr branch because there are several industrial towns around Khomeinishahr that are active in the field of natural stone processing,” he added.
“One of the environmental problems created by these towns is a large amount of waste that is created by natural stone processing factories, and therefore, we decided to produce colored concrete bricks, artificial stone and cement slabs of fiber style with the waste,” Rayeesi said.
Iranian Scientists Develop Smallpox Virus to Treat Brain Cancer
A group of researchers from a knowledge-based company in Iran found that the weakened smallpox virus can be used in the treatment of brain cancer.
“The virus that we produced is based on the vaccinia virus from the oncolytic group of viruses. The origin of the virus is from the weakened vaccinia smallpox virus, whose pathogenic factors have been destroyed and useful and therapeutic genes have been placed in it,” said Nassim Mirbahari, a PhD student at Royan Research Institute and the director of research and development department of an Iranian knowledge-based company.
She explained that oncolytic virus specifically reproduces in cancer cells and destroys them and does not harm healthy cells, adding, “It can be used as a new treatment for all types of cancers.”
“In this method, in addition to ability to destroy cancer cells in the brain as a single treatment, the virus can increase the effects of complementary treatments in combination with other treatment methods like chemotherapy,” Mirbahari said.
“This method can be used as an independent treatment method or it can be used as a complementary method along with other methods. In our company, we have performed the cell and animal phase, and in the next phase, we will start the human clinical phase,” she noted.
Iranian Company Develops Card Reader Software
Specialists of an Iranian knowledge-based company have managed to facilitate financial transactions for the country’s businesses by the development of a card reader software.
“The knowledge-based product is the card reader software, which acts as an interface between Shoparak's (electronic card payment network) switch, Bank's switch and PSD's switch,” said Mohammad Moqiseh, the managing director of the knowledge-based company.
“We have designed this product for financial settlements and management of financial data that is transferred through the switch,” he added.
“At present, our focus is on the production of card reader software. In the next steps, we plan to reduce our dependence on imports by producing the card reader body inside the country. Finally, our goal is to produce the card reader board in Iran, so that we will not need to import this part anymore,” Moqiseh said.
Iran Records 8% Increase in Petrochemical Products Exports
The exports of petrochemical products, which accounted for 44% of Iran total non-oil exports value in the first two months of this year of 1403 in the Iranian calendar (beginning on March 21, 2024), increased by 4.5% in weight and 8% in value, according to the statistics released by the customs administration.
“The exports of petrochemical products during the first two months of Farvardin and Ordibehesht of this year (March 21-May 20, 2024) hit 8.3 million tons worth $3.5 billion, indicating an increase by 4.5% in weight and 8% in value compared to the same period last year which were about 8 million tons valued at $3.2 million,” Mohammad Rezvani-Far, the Deputy Minister of Economy and Head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) said.
He added that petrochemical exports accounted for 35% of the total weight and 44% of the total value of Iran’s non-oil exports.
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