National Health Research Institutes

Established in January 1996, the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) is a non–profit organization dedicated to the enhancement of medical research and the general well–being of the people in Taiwan.

NHRI currently houses eight institutes and three centers, integrating the expertise of each unit to conduct translational research to solve majdisease problems in Taiwan. It also serves as a think tank fthe government, providing timely health–policy recommendations; it advances and coordinates biotechnology research between the public and private sectors; and it enhances the quality of biomedical research and medical care to achieve the ultimate goal of establishing NHRI as a biomedical hub in Taiwan and a center of excellence in Asia.

In its role as a think tank fthe government, NHRI provides timely health policy recommendations to decision–makers. Examples include recommendations on medical curriculum, medical practices, national health expenditures, and clinical practices. NHRI surveillance of antimicrobial resistance has led to improved use of antibiotics, which has resulted in an annual savings of up to NT$1.2 billion (approx. US$40 million). When concern grew about the widespread contamination of food items in Taiwan from the plasticizer DEHP, NHRI stepped in and offered scientific data and useful evidence–based recommendations to the public, as well as to policy makers.

營業性質

營業性質：

諮詢業者、其他

產業說明：

Medical health and biotechnology research

產業類別：

諮詢顧問

主要商品服務：

Surveillance of viruses
NHRI’s Virology Laboratory for Diagnosis and Research conducts surveillance, diagnosis, and research of important emerging influenza viruses and enterovirus in Taiwan. Epidemiological study reveals that influenza viruses in Taiwan tend to be a few seasons ahead of other parts of the world, indicating the importance of uninterrupted surveillance of viruses.

Asia-Pacific Network for Enterovirus Surveillance (APNES)
Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is the most fatal form of enteroviruses, repeatedly causing large outbreaks of hand, food and mouth disease in the Asia-Pacific region. APNES was established to provide a global enterovirus surveillance network to monitor the epidemics, virus evolution, and immune responses to vaccines for enteroviruses in the region. First phase APNES members include: the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge (IPC) in Cambodia, University of Malaya (UM) and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) in Malaysia, the Children’s Hospital No. 1 of Ho Chi Minh City (CH1-HCMC) and the Pasteur Institute of Ho Chi Minh City (PI-HCMC) in Vietnam, and NHRI in Taiwan. It is our pleasure to have Thailand joining the network in the second phase.

H7N9/H5N1/H1N1 avian flu vaccine
NHRI has completed phase I clinical trial of H5N1/H1N1 vaccines and pre-clinical study of H7N9 vaccine, with relevant technology transferred to local industry.

Enterovirus type 71 (EV71) vaccine
NHRI has completed phase I clinical trial of EV71 vaccine, and technology transferred to local industry. The vaccine has received approval from Taiwan Food and Drug Adminstiriotn to commence phase III clinical trial.

Ecological surveys of mosquitoes and associated control measures
NHRI forms a mosquito-borne diseases control team to cooperate with local government in epidemic prevention personnel training, develops new mosquito vector surveillance index-ovitrap index and unmanned vehicles for spraying and surveillance, and identifies suitable pesticide and dosage in mosquito control for respective regions.

Wolbachia-modified mosquito factory
Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes have been used as a novel bio-control technology to eliminate mosquito-borne diseases in several countries. NHRI collaborates with scientists in the U.S.A to construct a wolbachia-modified mosquito factory to infect Taiwan native Aedes aegypti mosquito strain, which has been found to inhibit the fertilization of mosquitoes and maintaining their anti-dengue virus spreading effect.

Geographic information and early warning system (GIS)
NHRI constructs an integrated database system that includes information on climate, geography, cases, vectors and epidemic prevention measures to build a dengue fever epidemic warning system and a risk-prediction model. By applying GIS technology, one is able to draw a dynamic risk map of the whole study area to identify the location of pathogen that is spreading. Therefore, providing important information to epidemic-prevention command centers and residents. The system is available in mobile App.

Value-Added MedChem Innovation Center (VMIC)
The center offers a platform to leverage integrated medicinal chemistry research with well-established drug research platform technologies to support the small molecule drug discovery projects for companies and academic/research institutes, and to provide customer-driven service or collaboration in medicinal chemistry for hit-to-lead and lead-to-candidate.

Kindly contact: http://ibpr.nhri.org.tw/en/index.php/vmic/ for services
 

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