국제특허분쟁연구회

New Thai patents in the offing The Thailand Centre of Excellence for Life Sciences (TCELS) is preparing to seek patents for its Para-rubber-latex whitening cream in Singapore and India. "The process should be completed within two months," TCELS president Dr Thongchai Thavichachart disclosed yesterday. He said he plans to ask the Thai government to invest in a factory to produce the cream as the market value was around Bt1 billion. "Many countries have already shown interest in this product," Thongchai said. The whitening cream - derived from Para-rubber latex - is the result of a project sponsored by TCELS. According to Thongchai, the TCELS has been involved in a number of projects, many of which have reached their final phase. For example, the dengue-fever-vaccine production project is in the process of designing a pilot plant. Thongchai also disclosed that the TCELS was going to open a National Bank of Blood from Placenta in September. This project will ask for blood donations from the placenta, which can be useful in stem-cell research for medical purposes. This year, the government has earmarked Bt163 million for the TCELS.