UNAIR NEWS – As one of the best Indonesian universities, Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) continues to show its quality in various fields, including research. UNAIR has produced outstanding researchers who have made important contributions to the nation. Dr Prihartini Widiyanti drg SBio MKes is one of them. The lecturer and researcher succeeded in finding a composite formula of collagen, chitosan, and sodium hyaluronate to manufacture artificial eye corneas. The invention was registered as an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) patent in October 2022.
About finding
To UNAIR NEWS, the lecturer, known better as Yanti, said that the prevalence rate of blindness due to corneal injury is still relatively high in Indonesia. This problem inspired her to research and develop artificial corneas with special formulas: collagen, chitosan, and sodium hyaluronic acid.
“So I researched and developed an artificial corneal membrane whose purpose is to repair and treat ulcers (sores) on the cornea that cause loss of vision,” she explained.
Research on the special formula for artificial corneas has been underway since 2015. It underwent various stages of research, including the stages of in vivo trials and implantation in experimental animals.
“This research started in 2015, and Alhamdulillah has undergone in vivo stages. It means we have tried implanting it in experimental animals,” she added.
Collaboration
In developing her invention, UNAIR Institute of Tropical Disease ( ITD) senior researcher did not work alone. She also collaborates with students and doctors from the Specialist Medical Education Program (PPDS) to ophthalmologists.
“The development of this artificial cornea does not only involve undergraduate students, but also Masters, Doctoral, Biomedical Engineering, and MIPA FST UNAIR students. We also work with friends in RSUA Eye Division,” she said.
Furthermore, Yanti said that collaboration was an important aspect of this invention because there is a need for multidisciplinary collaboration to carry out all stages of development, from early-stage research to human implant trials.
“Of course, we need to collaborate. So, those who create and develop are FST students and ITD colleagues. Then, in later stages, the PPDS doctors and ophthalmologists will do the implants,” she explained.
Make impact
As a researcher, making an impact on society is Yanti’s motivation. For this reason, she hoped that her invention could be mass-produced and distributed soon to reach the wider community.
She expected more support from the government, universities, and colleagues for researchers like her. This support, she said, really helps to increase enthusiasm to contribute and bring the domestic work to compete on the international stage.
“Of course, this is also a struggle in itself. The struggle to convince medical friends to side with the work of the nation’s researchers so that later we can also improve our competitiveness on the world stage,” she concluded. (*)
Author: Yulia Rohmawati
Editor: Binti Q Masruroh
