The Malaysian bio-trade and investment mission in conjunction with the 2014 Bio International Convention in San Diego resulted in seven exchanges of documents for collaboration in the biomedical and wellness industry.

The first exchange of documents was between Algae International Bhd (AIB) and Nutrigae to develop mutually beneficial programmes/projects to generate algae related products, a statement released by the Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation (BiotechCorp) said yesterday.

The second exchange was between Sengenics Sdn Bhd and CollabRx Inc to expand turn-key whole-exome clinical diagnostic services.

The third was between Neopeutics and Felda Wellness Corporation, paving the way for the potential discovery of new therapeutic substances from traditional Malaysian medicines and Malaysian biodiversity for the international market.

Felda Wellness will also collaborate with Gordagen in a project aimed at extracting a new compound from palm oil to create products for exercise endurance, heart health and glycaemic control.

The fifth exchange of documents, involving Felda Wellness and Malaysian Genomics Resource Centre Bhd, is for a genome sequencing service for plants and a genetic screening service for humans known as Dtect, which screens DNA for known genetic markers associated with risks for diseases.

Each Dtect test is customised for a specific group of diseases, such as cardiovascular, metabolic and paediatric diseases, and the results can help manage health for the general population.

Felda Wellness will also collaborate with data mining company Seeloz to help it identify market opportunities and expand operations globally, creating more jobs and bringing economic benefits for Malaysia.

It will also collaborate with Seoul-based consulting firm Naerok in research and commercialisation of functional cosmeceutics in South Korea, which the company plans to make its manufacturing hub for the East Asia region.

The delegation, led by Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk Dr Ewon Ebin, included Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya, Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang, officials from the Kedah, Sabah and Sarawak state governments, industry players, economic corridor development authorities and investment promotion agencies.

The mission was designed to explore investment and partnership opportunities with global players in the biomedical and bioindustrial sector and to position Malaysia as the prime hub for bioeconomy investment in Asia.

More than 150 global companies participated in the three locations in networking sessions and one-to-one partnering meetings.

Source: The Rakyat Post