An Iranian knowledge-based company has produced surgical blades that only a few companies are selling worldwide because of the specialized technology involved.
“The production of surgical blades, despite their simple appearance, requires a complex technological process. For the production of these surgical blades, four processes are required, one of which is the steel heating process,” Shahriar Homayoun Farmanesh, the CEO of Mathlab Electronic Paydar Company, was quoted as saying by the news portal of Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology.
“Usually, the highest accuracy that Computer Numerical Control machines have is one-hundredth of a millimeter, while the tip of surgical blades is 60 nanometers, for which an electronic microscope must be used to measure its size.”
According to the company, only six firms in the world are producing surgical blades and Iran is the newest member to join these producers.
Another product of this company is a blood transfusion pump (also known as infusion pump).
The CEO of this knowledge-based company noted that since red blood cells contain hemoglobin molecules that may split while administering a normal injection and make it difficult to inject blood via traditional methods.
In such cases, doctors and medical staff will use a blood transfusion pump.
“In some emergency cases, the patient urgently needs a large volume of blood and a drop-by-drop injection is not effective, therefore, a blood transfusion pump is used,” he added.
The device produced by this domestic knowledge-based company is sold at half the price of its Australian and American counterparts while having the same quality. And unlike imported models, this device offers after-sales services and a warranty.
According to Farmanesh, the Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology has formed the ecosystem of medical equipment, which includes hundreds of knowledge-based companies.
“We tried to focus on the production of equipment and devices that were either not produced domestically, or the foreign counterpart is expensive and difficult to import due to international sanctions,” he said.
Domestic Anesthesia Machine Ensures Safety of Operation
A knowledge-based company has designed an anesthesia machine with a price advantage over foreign counterparts.
The anesthesia machine monitors the patient's breathing during surgery and ensures the safety of operation.
A member of the Board of Directors of Premiere Electromedical Care Company explained that the anesthesia machine is one of the basic devices used in an operating room and many sensitive operations cannot be conducted without this machine.
“The main function of the anesthesia machine is to control the patient's breathing during surgery,” Fatemeh Norouzi was also quoted as saying by the news portal of the Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology.
During a surgery, oxygen and anesthetic gases are administered to the patient by the anesthesia machine and excess carbon dioxide is removed.
The anesthesiologist continually gives a dose of anesthetic drugs to the patient so that the patient does not regain consciousness during the operation, and it is vital to maintain this condition.
The anesthesia machine combines a fixed amount of medical gases such as oxygen or nitrous oxide with a fixed amount of anesthetic gases such as isoflurane and ensures a constant and safe gas flow for the patient.
The machine has a complex and special technology due to its sensitive function before and during the operation.
The most common type of anesthesia machine developed by foreign companies and used worldwide costs about 9 billion rials. This is while the domestic counterpart is available at half that price with the same quality and capabilities.
Norouzi noted that about 70 people are working in the electronic medical equipment company that is also exploring its export potential.
“The company is partly meeting the domestic need for this machine and preventing the foreign currency outflow needed for import,” she said.
Simple, Smart and Efficient DNA Extraction Kit Developed
A domestic company has developed a simple and smart DNA extraction kit using saliva with high efficiency, which is a suitable alternative to the DNA extraction method using blood.
Considering the many applications of DNA extraction and its genetic analysis in several fields, including research, medicine and forensic science, using a reliable method is of high importance.
In cases where it is necessary to conduct genetic tests in people with special conditions, like old people, children under three years and people with special diseases, blood sampling becomes problematic and, at times, impossible.
Saliva sampling is an easy and reliable method employed by the DNA extraction kit produced by Zista Gene Afarin Company, which is based on sedimentation and column methods, and uses silica.
The saliva sample contains buccal cells and white blood cells, in addition to bacteria. Therefore, stabilizing and inhibiting the growth of natural bacteria in the saliva are important to increase the share of human DNA compared to bacterial DNA.
To solve this problem, the company has designed a saliva retention buffer that helps stabilize the sample at ambient temperature for at least six months and at -20 degrees Celsius or -80 degrees Celsius for more than a year. This part is not included in the kit and can be bought separately.
The domestic kit allows the extraction of genomic DNA from at least one milliliter of a saliva sample.
In general, this method extracts DNA of high molecular weight and higher purity, which can be used in many downstream molecular reactions and analyses, including polymerase chain reaction, DNA sequencing and genotyping.
