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:

Iranian University Renders Digital Marketing Services to Regional Businesses

The president of Islamic Azad University’s Kashmar branch underlined providing digital marketing services to the regional businesses, saying that three smart agriculture projects in collaboration with two research centers as among the university's activities.

“Among the special programs of Islamic Azad University’s Kashmar branch are the launch of an innovation center and technology accelerator in the field of smart agriculture with the aim of supporting the production of agricultural products using modern technologies, the implementation of a project to produce enriched eggs and cross-breeding of light livestock with regard to biotechnologies and smart animal husbandry, with the aim of developing livestock products and creating added value,”  Mohammad Javad Mousavi told ANA.

“Other programs include planning joint research projects with related industries and organizations, using new technologies, specially artificial intelligence, to solve regional problems, developing information and communication technology infrastructure, improving the level of knowledge and digital skills of students and professors, and establishing innovation centers and technology accelerators in manufacturing areas, creating and developing cloud-based software to create specialized marketplaces in various fields, and providing Internet telephone services and a cloud call center with the ability to integrate with (CRM) and (BPM) software and artificial intelligence,” he added.

Scientists Use AI Model in Colorectal Cancer Treatment

Researchers have used artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce unnecessary surgical resection in colorectal cancer patients after local excision, the South China University of Technology (SCUT), located in Guangdong Province in south China, said.

The team developed and validated an AI prediction model to assess the risk of recurrence following local excision of colorectal cancer, using pathological images of endoscopically or transanal surgically resected T1 rectal cancer (RC) specimens. The study has been published in the European Journal of Surgical Oncology.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide, accounting for around 10 percent of all cancer cases. For patients with early-stage colorectal cancer, local resection serves as the primary treatment. However, some high-risk patients still require additional surgeries to prevent recurrence, which not only increases the physical burden but also significantly diminishes their quality of life.

Researchers from the SCUT and Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital developed an artificial neural network model to predict recurrence risk in T1 RC patients -- thereby providing physicians and patients with guidance for post-excision decision-making.

The AI-based prediction model has helped reduce unnecessary additional surgeries by about 34.9 percent in all enrolled patients, compared with the current U.S. guideline in this regard.

The model not only aids physicians in decision-making but also demonstrates the remarkable performance and potential of histopathology image-based AI in predicting tumor behavior, researchers said.

Iranian Scientists Produce Smart Nanocomposite Coating

Iranian researchers at Amirkabir University of Technology succeeded in designing smart nanocomposite coatings that increase the corrosion resistance of metals and allow real-time monitoring of corrosion status by sending anodic signals.

These coatings are based on polyaniline, graphene, and gabapentin, and when exposed to corrosive agents like chlorine ions, they send anodic signals to the steel substrate as the environment becomes acidic.

These signals prevent localized corrosion and pitting through anodic protection. By converting corrosion signals into sound, the smart coating allows for the detection of the depth and number of possible pits. This feature is vital for daily corrosion monitoring in sensitive industries.

Using an anodic deposition method similar to electroplating, monolithic layers have been created on 304 stainless steel. This process is scalable and can be produced on an industrial scale.

“Conventional coatings become a corrosion agent by absorbing moisture, but our technology intelligently both prevents corrosion and converts it into audible sound,” said Mobina Moradi, the main researcher of the project.

Iranian Experts Manufacture Induction Motor Invertor for Water-Cooled Air Conditioners

Technologists of a knowledge-based company in Iran succeeded in making two products of induction motor inverter and a brushless motor inverter used in water-cooled air conditioners.

These products are considered as important steps towards optimizing energy consumption in the home and industry sectors.

“20 million worn-out water-cooled air conditioners in Iran should be updated with BLDC motors (ultra-low-power motors) but since these low-power motors work only with inverters, these two products are necessary and indispensable to each other,” said Mohammad Shahab Daliri, the managing director of the knowledge-based company.

“Our company was the fourth company to produce this model of inverter (specifically for use in water coolers) in Iran,” he added.

This product fully complies with the standards set for BLDC electromotors. In fact, the product manufactured by our company has two very important parameters (PFC>0.9 and THD<10) that reduce electricity consumption in water-cooled air conditioners and greatly help solve the problem of electricity imbalance in the country,” Daliri said.

Iran-Made Tilmanocept Nanomedicine, Revolution in Cancer Diagnosis

A knowledge-based company in Iran put Iran among the leading countries in cancer diagnosis technology by producing the advanced nanomedicine, Tilmanocept.

Tilmanocept uses a polymer macromolecule carrying a radioisotope to bind to receptors on the surface of cancer cells and, with scanning, shows the exact location of infected lymph nodes. This technology prevents unnecessary surgeries and the resulting complications.

This drug can be used for breast, lung, genital and other cancers that metastasize through the lymphatic system. The technical knowledge for producing this drug, which was monopolized by the US since 2013, has entered the clinical phase by the Iranian specialists.

Incorrect or late diagnosis of lymph node involvement in cancer forced surgeons to remove extensive tissues, which led to complications like weakening of the immune system and blood circulation. Tilmanocept, with its high accuracy, solves this challenge and makes the need for old methods obsolete.

Unlike FDG-based radiopharmaceuticals, which also bind to non-cancerous cells, Tilmanocept, with its peptide structure, greatly increases the accuracy of detection. Its small molecule compared to antibody-based radiopharmaceuticals reduces the risk of allergic reactions.

Iran to Host Qualifier Competitions of FIRA RoboWorld Cup 2025

The 12th International Free FIRA RoboWorld Cup competition is due to be held in Tehran on April 15-18, 2024.

The competition, which is a qualifier for the FIRA RoboWorld Cup 2025 of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence in South Korea, will be participated by a record-breaking 480 teams from 8 countries.

The top teams from this competition will advance to the FIRA RoboWorld Cup 2025 in South Korea.

The Federation of International Robot Sports Association (FIRA) is the oldest robot soccer competition in the world.

Iran-Made System Diagnoses Cerebral Hemorrhages in Modality with AI

Iranian researchers at Kashan University of Medical Sciences succeeded in designing an artificial intelligence-based system that can diagnose cerebral hemorrhages and diseases like Alzheimer's, brain masses, and MS in CT scan images, with speed, accuracy, and lower cost than the conventional methods.

“This system was implemented by processing 30,000 CT scan images (equivalent to data from 5,000 patients) and is able to detect normal and abnormal images with high accuracy,” Mohammad Afshari, a graduate of Kashan University of Medical Sciences and head of the research team, told ANA.

He added that the initial goal of the project was to detect hemorrhagic strokes, but it can also be expanded to other diseases like Alzheimer's and MS, adding that it reduces the time for doctors to analyze images and prevent human errors.

“Using this technology in Iran can significantly increase the speed of disease diagnosis and reduce treatment costs through early detection,” Afshari said.

Nanocoating Enjoys Largest Share in Iran’s Nanotechnology Products Market

Figures show that nanocoating has the largest share in the nanotechnology products market while nanocatalyst stands in the second place.

A recent report assessed the nano products market in Iran by studyin the technologies used and analyzed the share of each technology in this market.

The results show that nanocoating enjoys the largest share and other nano-related technologies have also been widely used in various industries.

The most important reasons for the high share of nanocoating is the wide range of applications in industries within Iran, the high market demand due to Iran's climatic conditions, the effect of this technology in reducing costs and increasing the lifespan of equipment, and its connection with booming industries, including auto-making, construction, and oil and gas.

The share of each nano-related technologies in the Iranian market is as follows; nanocoating (41%), nanocomposite (27%), nanocatalyst (12%), thermal oxidation (10%), surface finishing and treatment (4%), nanomixture (mixing of nanomaterials) (3%), other technologies (3%), drug delivery (1%).

Iranian Companies Supplying Plasma-Derived Drugs

Secretary of the Biotechnology, Health and Medical Technologies Headquarters of the Iranian Vice-Presidency for Science , Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy Mostafa Qaneyee announced new plans to establish plasma collection centers and deploy plasmapheresis machines in the northern city of Rasht.

“The country's need to plasma-derived drugs will be significantly met by the end of the next year with these efforts,” Qaneyee said.

One of the active companies in this field has a production capacity of 300,000 liters annually and another company produces 80,000 50-ml vials of albumin and 72,000 50-ml vials of intravenous immunoglobulin, meeting 25% of the country's needs,” he added.

“Also, another company has 10 beds and 10 plasmapheresis machines for plasma collection,” Qaneyee said.

INOTEX’s NextStation Event in Iran to Study Future of Businesses with AI

The NextStation 2025 event due to be held early May aims to explore the future of business with the artificial intelligence (AI) and the role of future developments in the innovation ecosystem, cognitive science, AI, and fintech in the coming decade.

The two-day NextStation event, with more than 20 panels and expert presentations and more than 30 innovation and technology activists, will be held for the fourth consecutive year at INOTEX. The overall theme of the event is transformation and change in businesses, organizations, and people’s lives under the influence of new technologies.

Exploring the role of large companies, technology trends, and future developments in innovation ecosystems are among other topics that will be addressed at NextStation 2025.

The first day of the NextStation event will be held with seven panels and expert lectures on the sidelines of the International Innovation and Technology Exhibition (INOTEX) due to be held on May 7-10.

Iranian Knowledge-Based Firm Produces Bronchoscopy Device

Experts at an Iranian knowledge-based company managed to design and manufacture bronchoscopy devices which are widely used to examine the airway and lungs.

“So far, 50 advanced devices of this medical equipment have been produced and delivered to medical centers in accordance with the international standards,” said Ehsan Sabeqinia, the managing-director of Sanaye Pishrafteh Razavi company.

This knowledge-based product paves the way for the development of Iran’s medical equipment industry and facilitates the access of medical centers to this technology,” he added.

Sabeqinia underlined that the device has been tested in selected hospitals before delivery and received the necessary approvals and is designed based on the international standards.

Tehran to Host 19th IranOpen RoboCup Competitions Late April 

The 19th IranOpen RoboCup competitions is due to be held on at the Tehran International Permanent Fairground on April 20-22.

In cooperation with the Young Researchers and Elites Club of Islamic Azad University and the National RoboCup Committee, Iran is due to host the 19th International RoboCup Competitions.

The international competition will be held with the participation of over 2,000 students and pupils in the form of nearly 360 Iranian and foreign teams at the Tehran International Permanent Fairground.

RoboCup, or Robotics World Cup, is an international project to promote artificial intelligence, robotics, and mechatronics.

The World RoboCup Federation seeks to foster research on artificial intelligence and intelligent robots by designing a standard issue whose scope calls for all available technologies to participate and test.

Iranian Scientists Design Next-Generation Processors with QCA Technology

Iranian researchers used the quantum cellular automata (QCA) technology to design smaller, faster, and lower-energy digital circuits.

“Miniaturization of digital devices and reduction in energy consumption are among the most important needs of the industry. QCA technology provides a suitable response to these needs by reducing the dimensions of the circuits and its inherent low-power nature,” said Hamid Qolami, a faculty member at the University of Mazandaran and a researcher of the project.

“In this research, the main focus has been on designing the arithmetic and logic unit (ALU) in QCA technology. Logic units are the main components of processors and play a key role in the performance of processing systems,” he said.

"The goal of this design is to reduce the number of cells and the occupied area in the design of digital circuits. These features, along with the inherent characteristics of QCA technology, make the proposed circuit a suitable option for the logic unit of next-generation processors," Qolami said.

Noting that QCA technology has attracted the attention of researchers due to its low power consumption, high speed, and small size, he said, “This technology can be used in the design of high-speed processors for various industries like telecommunications, electronics, defense and military, and computer-related industries.”

Iran to Modernize Oil Production Equipment

CEO of the National Iranian Drilling Company Mehran Makvandi announced the NIDC’s plans to increase the efficiency and modernize the equipment in oil industry.

Makvandi underlined the need for high-efficiency use of available capital, he said the company’s non-productive time (NPT) dropped from about 20% last year to 8% through improved management and focus. The goal is to further reduce NPT to 3% this year.

He elaborated on the extensive plans to upgrade and rebuild the drilling fleet, noting that by late 2026, the modernization process will cover light, medium, heavy, and ultra-heavy rigs. Outdated rigs, such as the Shahid Rajaei and Modares, will be phased out and replaced with new rigs with 1,000 to 3,000 horsepower capacity.

Makvandi also announced $800 million investment from Iran’s oil revenues for 15 onshore rigs this year, with an additional $200 to $300 million from its funds for supporting equipment.

He also highlighted plans to drill 130 to 150 wells this year, stressing that this goal depends on collaboration with clients and focused investment. Human resources and equipment are key factors in improving drilling efficiency.

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