TAR UC Researchers Commercialise Antibacterial Agent
TUNKU Abdul Rahman University College’s (TAR UC) research efforts have successfully commercialised colloidal silver, an antibacterial agent which can be used as a natural antibiotic and healing agent.
Led by TAR UC Faculty of Applied Sciences dean Assoc Prof Dr Loke Chui Fung, with assistance from Faculty of Computing and Information Technology senior lecturer Dr Poh Tze Ven, the in-depth study, which began in 2011, has found scientific evidence to prove the efficacy and effectiveness of colloidal silver as a “natural antibiotic” for killing various bacterial species.
A suitable dosage of colloidal silver can be used as a natural antibiotic and healing agent, which has antimicrobial functions and plays important functions in the immune system.
The study on colloidal silver was then commercialised in partnership with Aurora Health Sdn Bhd (Aurora Health).
Aurora Health has come up with a series of healthcare products including a multipurpose nano silver skin spray designed in TAR UC’s laboratory which is engineered from 99.99% pure silver and ultra-pure water capable of killing a broad spectrum of pathogens.
Aurora Health chief executive officer Laurel Tan Bee Hiong and chairman Leow Min Min launched the products virtually on July 7, witnessed by TAR UC president Prof Dr Lee Sze Wei and Prof Loke.
Noting that the research focused on colloidal silver’s antibacterial properties, Prof Loke said the study involved many final year students who helped to collect the necessary scientific data.
“It was discovered that pathogens with concentrations of 106 CFU (colony-forming unit) could be killed in less than five minutes when they were exposed directly to colloidal silver solution even at a very low concentration of less than 4ppm.”
She added that it was fulfilling to involve final year students in the research as it allowed them to observe the effectiveness of the colloidal silver in killing pathogens.
“Thus, adding value to their learning experience in TAR UC, ” she said.
The collaboration with Aurora also demonstrated TAR UC’s ability to build research capacity, said Prof Lee.
He added: “As an institution of higher learning, research is one of our core areas and we continue to enhance it with ground-breaking studies.
“We aim to do high impact research with the potential for commercialisation to benefit the society.”