ITRI Sweeps 2024 Edison Awards with Four Groundbreaking Innovations

FORT MYERS, Fla., April 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) triumphed at the recent Edison Awards™ in Fort Myers, Florida, securing recognition for four exceptional technological breakthroughs: the Novel Dual-Targeted Therapy for Glaucoma, Key Functional Cell Identity (KFCI), PureTex Sustainable Decolorization Solution, and the High Resolution Full-Color Micro LED Display. Out of 400 nominees, ITRI garnered one gold and three silver awards, the third-highest number of wins among the global contenders. This extends ITRI’s winning streak at the Edison Awards™ to eight consecutive years, placing it alongside industry giants like Dow, Corning, and DuPont.

Upon recognizing ITRI’s achievements this year, Executive Director of the Edison Awards^TM Frank Bonafilia said, “You take not just the product that you’re looking at, but you’re looking at the entire process and how it fits within the supply chain, how it’s making people’s lives better. ITRI is consistently innovating game-changing new products for the last eight years. We couldn’t be happier for your attendance this year as well.” He then highlighted the Novel Dual-Targeted Therapy for Glaucoma, the gold medal winner: “We lose our sight, and we lose who we are. So that’s very important as well. I really appreciated that product. It’s a game changer.”

ITRI President Edwin Liu expressed his pride in the Institute’s accomplishments, highlighting their commitment to market-driven development: “Our winning innovations this year address critical sectors like biomedicine, textiles, and displays, all poised for real-world impact. For example, KFCI and the glaucoma treatment have been transferred to Taiwanese biotech companies for further clinical trials. PureTex is currently undergoing extensive industry-wide validation for its potential in textile recycling, while the Micro LED display is being validated across various industries.” “Winning international honors such as this truly motivates us at ITRI. We will relentlessly continue our work in empowering industry through innovation,” added Liu.

ITRI’s Winning Innovations:

The Novel Dual-Targeted Therapy for Glaucoma is the world’s first dual-target glaucoma treatment. Compared to current glaucoma medications, this eye-drop formulation achieves greater and more sustainable reductions of intraocular pressure by simultaneously inhibiting two key enzymes. It requires only one daily application, reducing side effects such as irritation and inflammation. Developed by TheratOcular Biotek and licensed to Metagone Biotech, this medication holds patents in the United States, the European Union, and Taiwan. This innovation marked Taiwan’s first Edison gold victory for ophthalmic innovations in the health, medicine, and biotech category.

Key Functional Cell Identity (KFCI) identifies super-donor cells before clinical trials start, accelerating the development and production of cell therapy. KFCI reduces costs by up to 90% via filtering out ineffective samples and creates an allogenic stem-cell bank for over 40 different medical conditions, including diabetes and myocardial infarction. This platform is capable of mass-producing high-quality cells to generate 100,000–500,000 doses of therapeutic products from one donor. It has been licensed to biotechnology companies such as Reliance Medical Technology Corporation for clinical trials. It is a silver-winning technology in the health, medicine, and biotech category at the Edison Awards.

PureTex Sustainable Decolorization Solution is an eco-friendly solution that paves the way for closed-loop textile recycling by effectively decoloring recycled textiles to their original colors in 2–4 hours. PureTex increases the reusability of recycled fibers and reduces up to 45% of carbon emissions. The operation temperature is approximately 90°C with over 95% dye removal efficiency. Without the need for facility updates, it’s conducive to large-scale deployment. It has been recognized with a silver award in the water treatment & testing category at the Edison Awards.

The High Resolution Full-Color Micro LED Display is an ultra-high-resolution display technology that caters to the surging demand for next-gen display technologies. It outperforms alternatives by offering a resolution of 6700 PPI that meets near-eye display requirements, more than 10 times the brightness of its alternatives, and consumes only half the energy of conventional smart glasses. These make it ideal for applications like signage, transparent displays, augmented reality/mixed reality wearables, and automotive dashboards. It won a silver award in the engineering & robotics category at the Edison Awards.

Visit here to see the complete 2024 winner list.

About ITRI

Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is one of the world’s leading technology R&D institutions aiming to innovate a better future for society. Founded in 1973, ITRI has played a vital role in transforming Taiwan’s industries from labor-intensive into innovation-driven. To address market needs and global trends, it has launched its 2035 Technology Strategy and Roadmap that focuses on innovation development in Smart Living, Quality Health, Sustainable Environment, and Resilient Society.

Over the years, ITRI has been dedicated to incubating startups and spinoffs, including well-known names such as UMC and TSMC. In addition to its headquarters in Taiwan, ITRI has branch offices in the U.S., Europe, and Japan in an effort to extend its R&D scope and promote international cooperation across the globe. For more information, please visit https://www.itri.org/eng.

Media Contact

Alex Chang

Office of Marketing Communications, ITRI

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