Siriraj Faculty Represents at ICTMM 2024, Malaysia

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From September 19th-23rd, 2024, Asst. Prof. Kasem Kulkeaw, from the Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, was invited to speak at the International Congress for Tropical Medicine and Malaria (ICTMM) 2024 in Malaysia. His presentation, titled From Lab to Diagnosis and Treatment: Lessons Learned from the Studies of Brain-Infecting Amoeba and Plasmodium falciparum, highlighted key insights from his research, fostering both national and international research collaborations.

ICTMM is one of the largest global congresses in tropical medicine, drawing thousands of researchers, experts, policymakers, and key stakeholders from around the world. The event covers a wide range of topics, including malaria, infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, neglected tropical diseases, drug resistance, parasitology, zoonoses, travel medicine, and other pressing public health issues.

Elective Study at Parasitology

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Welcome Ms. Pinsumon Chomchai, 2nd-year Medical Student from Royal College of Surgeon in Ireland (RCSI), Ireland to undertake an elective study at Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, July 1st – August 30th, 2024.

Siriraj Faculty Abroad at ‘ISEV Annual Meeting’ in Australia

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Asst. Prof. Ladawan Khowawisetsut, Ph.D., a lecturer of the Department of Parasitology and a member of the Siriraj Center of Research Excellence for Microparticle and Exosome in Diseases, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, attended and presented a research poster at the “International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) Annual Meeting”. The event occurred from May 7th – 12th, 2024, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Asst. Prof. Khowawisetsut’s poster, titled “Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Naegleria Fowleri Stimulate Cytokine Production by Innate Immune Cells” showcased her latest findings. The meeting allowed her to update her knowledge and learn about advanced technologies that are valuable for enhancing her research. She also had the chance to connect with leading international researchers in parasitology and explore potential collaborations.

The ISEV Annual Meeting is the premier international event dedicated to extracellular vesicles (EVs) in basic science, innovative research, and clinical applications. ISEV2024 featured plenary and highlighted abstract sessions, 23 expert introductory speakers, 115 oral presentations, and over 500 poster presentations and attracted more than 1,000 attendees from 54 countries.

Siriraj International Visiting Scholars at the Department of Parasitology

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Assoc. Prof. Prapat Wanitpongpan, M.D., Deputy Dean for Corporate Communication and International Relations, along with Assoc. Prof. Darawan Wanachiwanawin, M.D., Chairwoman of the Department of Parasitology, Assoc. Prof. Kasem Kulkeaw, M.D.,  and the administrative members of the department welcomed Asst. Prof. Christopher Aaron Rice, Ph.D., an expert in molecular parasitology from Purdue University, USA, to serve as the Siriraj International Visiting Scholar at the Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, during the period of December 12th – 16th, 2023.

A Seminar by Siriraj International Visiting Scholar at Department of Parasitology!

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Join us for an enlightening seminar featuring Asst. Prof. Christopher A. Rice as he delves into the topic of “Bridging the gap from drug discovery to treating patients from pathogenic free-living amoeba.”
Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights on December 15th, 2023, from 10:00 to 12:00 hrs. All are welcome!

Siriraj Faculty Abroad at ‘IEEE EMBC 2023 Conference’ in Australia

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Lecturer Dollaporn Anopas, M.D., of the Division of Nematology, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, attended and presented an academic poster on the topic “Unsupervised Learning for Real-Time and Continuous Gait Phase Detection” at The 45th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (IEEE EMBS 2023) between July 24th – 27th, 2023, in Sydney, Australia.

The Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC) dedicates itself to helping the biomedical engineering community achieve its goals. Since its first technical conference in 1960 in London, England, EMBC is known for convening academics, clinicians, industry, students, and researchers in the biomedical engineering and Medtech community. An essential destination for global biomedical engineers, the event features sessions, workshops, showcases, an exhibition hall, and various networking opportunities. EMBC proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together.

Siriraj Faculty Abroad at The 15th Asia Oceania ORL-HNS Congress 2023!

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During March 8th – 12th, 2023, Lect. Dr. Dichapong Kanjanawasee of the Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, attended the “15th Asia Oceania ORL-HNS Congress 2023 – Reaching Out Maximising Regional Cooperation and Resources to Advance Patient Care” in Brisbane, Australia, to deliver an oral presentation on the topic “Patient Factors Associated with Empty Nose Syndrome Versus Uneventful Outcome Post Turbinate Surgery”.

The Asia Oceania Otorhinolaryngological Head and Neck Surgery Congress (AO ORL HNS) is held every four years within the Asia Oceania Region in conjunction with the Australian Society of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Annual Scientific meeting. The congress expects to attract 1,200 delegates, predominantly from across the Asia-Oceania region.

Research Elective at Department of Parasitology

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Welcome, Miss Marija Sabol (right), a 4th-year medical student from the Faculty of Medicine University of Rijeka, Croatia, to undertake a research elective at the Department of Parasitology from August 1st – 28th, 2022. She is under the supervision of Assoc.Prof.Dr. Anchalee Tungtrongchitr.

Siriraj Launched ‘Innovative Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test Kit’

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Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University has launched an innovative rapid COVID-19 antigen test kit which can detect accurately result in just 15 minutes, at an affordable price, and easy to use!

“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to heavily and rapidly spread across the country! There is an urgent need for rapid, simple, and accurate tests to detect the COVID-19 infection compared with the ‘time and cost consuming’ gold standard real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test (RT-PCR) in the laboratory, which requires a large number of medical personnel, which causing the limited number of suspected COVID-19 cases” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anchalee Tungtrongchitr, Chairwoman of Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, told the press.

Since June 2020, the research team led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nitat Sookrung, the Director of Biodesign Innovation Center, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, started developing the innovative rapid antigen test kit based on an immunochromatographic assay which can detect precisely and accurately results without the need for lab equipment! The kits have been tested on COVID-19 patients at Siriraj Hospital and Ramathibodi Hospital and takes just 15 minutes; including the solution that comes with the test kits can kill the virus within a minute, which can prevent the spread of COVID-19 during the field tests!

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nitat said that when approval from the FDA has been issued, the manufacturer will be capable of producing this innovative rapid COVID-19 antigen test kit, around 100,000 kits in July 2021, and another 200,000 kits in August 2021!

The first batch will be for healthcare professionals in community hospitals and rural areas for a proactive case finding. The test kits still need some adjustment for home use and were expected to be released in August 2021, costing around 250 – 300 THB for each.

“At this moment, we’re producing an instructional video about how to use the kits for the safety and effective usage” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nitat added.

We will use the innovative rapid COVID-19 antigen test kits to screen asymptomatic COVID-19 patients can detect the virus in people with high viral loads early. Early detection means the patients can be treated quickly and isolated from the non-infected members of the family or in the community.

Research and Development of Diagnostic Test and Therapeutic Vaccine for Allergic

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Allergy is one of the most important chronic diseases. If the treatment is not appropriate, it may result in a long-term impact on the quality of life of the patient. Previously, the diagnosis of allergies relied on various imported reagents which are expensive. Moreover, some allergens are not substances that Thai people allergic to. Therefore, there are collaborations in many specialists, including medical doctors, scientists, and pharmaceutical companies, in research and development of diagnostic tests and therapeutic vaccines. This collaboration results in effective diagnosis and treatment.

The impact of this research is the availability of good quality vaccines at a reasonable price and suitable specific region, which is not only Thailand but also for the ASEAN. It complies with the national strategy in terms of collaboration of the academic sector. This project is the translational research project which involves research and development in the laboratory into real medical practice and transfers the technology for product development in the industrial scale. The output from this research project creates outcomes and impacts for the society because it tackles the need for precision diagnosis and treatment for the common problem. This project also contributes to the field of education as well because several master’s degrees and doctoral degree students have been involved with these projects.