Text by Jennifer Manongdo
Photo courtesy of TTBDO
The University of the Philippines Manila bagged two Palladium Awards from the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) for successfully securing international patents and promoting intellectual property rights among its innovative products, including pharmaceutical products, instructional tools for medical education, and medical devices.
The prestigious award was given to the university’s Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) in a ceremony on April 10, 2025, at the Mahogany Grand Ballroom of Sequoia Hotel Manila Bay.
UP Manila was accorded a Platinum Hall of Famer Award for consistently receiving Platinum Awards from 2020 to 2024. This year’s double Palladium Award makes UP Manila the only university with this achievement among the 100 universities in the country recognized for having Innovation and Technology Support Offices (ITSO).
“This double Palladium award affirms UP Manila’s commitment to discovery and innovation,” Chancellor Michael Tee said.
Meanwhile, TTBDO Director Lourdes Marie Tejero said the award reflects the quality of UP Manila’s innovative solutions for the public.
“It assures the people of our commitment to excellence in our products and services, including the innovations that we offer the Filipino people and the international community. Our clinically proven medicines, medical devices, and IT-related products are among the hundred innovations in the portfolio of UPM that our industry partners scale up to reach our intended beneficiaries, thereby contributing to better health outcomes,” she noted.
The Palladium Award is the highest distinction given to ITSOs that have consistently received the Platinum Award for five consecutive years or have secured an international patent. The Platinum Award is given to ITSOs that have filed at least seven patents or at least one granted patent and successfully commercialized at least one technology.
TTBDO has successfully facilitated the registration of four international patents: Device for Hand Rehabilitation in Singapore and in South Korea, Ergonomic Surgical Rongeur in India, and Device for Upper Limb Rehabilitation in Vietnam.
In 2024, TTBDO successfully filed the patents for the following innovations: Methods for Freeze-Drying Lactiplantibacillus plantarum by the team led by Vice Chancellor for Research Leslie Dalmacio and Polymeric Peptide-Based Immunoglobulin-Binding Constructs and Antibody Detection by the team led by Dr. Salvador Eugenio Caoili.
Previously, the patents for these technologies were also facilitated by TTBDO:
Immersive gamification technology system (ImGTS) for managing patients with cerebral palsy and dementia by the team led by Dr. Veeda Michelle Anlacan and Dr. Maria Eliza R. Aguila; a support stand for a camera system designed for Anatomy instruction in laboratories and classrooms, by the team led by Dr. Rafael Bundoc; a modular and adjustable retractor for exposing a body cavity during a medical procedure, by the team led by Dr. Philip Fullante and Dr. Miguel Sandino Aljibe; an electronic Jugular venous pressure (JVP) device to assess cardiovascular volume status, developed by the team led by Dr. Eugenio Reyes; lightweight and durable clamps that can be easily attached and detached during orthopedic surgeries developed by a team led by Dr. Emmanuel Estrella; and the use of the Harmine as an active ingredient in a pharmaceutical formulation for treatment of post-myocardial infarction heart failure by Dr. Jose Nevado, Jr.; a support stand for a camera system designed for Anatomy instruction in laboratories and classrooms, designed by Dr. Rafael Bundoc and his team.
IPOPHL is the government agency mandated to administer and implement state policies on intellectual property (IP) to strengthen the protection of IP rights in the country. It oversees the registration, protection, and enforcement of various forms of intellectual property, such as patents, trademarks, copyrights and related rights, industrial designs, and utility models.#
#FP9
