Can coronavirus testing be sped up? Spirit of Hong Kong Awards nominee is on a mission to do so
- Kelvin Chiu from Sanwa Biotech says his portable diagnostic system can help city’s overburdened health care facilities
- His efforts in innovation and science have earned him a nomination for this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong awards
As demand for Covid-19 testing in Hong Kong surges amid a third wave of infections, and test results could take days to come in, Kelvin Chiu Wun is in a bid to speed up the process.
Under his leadership, a team at Sanwa Biotech has developed a personalised respiratory diagnostic solution that can be applied to coronavirus tests and produce results within a shorter time frame.
Chiu said the portable system could be installed at elderly care homes and border checkpoints to ease the burden on designated laboratories, whose resources have been stretched to the limit.
“[Ours] is a complementary testing system where you can quickly spot suspected cases,” he said, adding he believed their diagnostic solutions could enable medical professionals to make informed decisions faster when treating patients.
Chiu said his company, formed in 2012, had set out its vision to meet diagnostic needs in treating major diseases such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome, swine flu and the coronavirus.
“It is not necessarily for one particular disease,” he noted.
His relentless pursuit of technological advances has earned him a nomination for this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards.
The annual event, co-organised by the South China Morning Post and property developer Sino Group, honours achievements of remarkable people whose endeavours may go unnoticed.
Chiu was nominated by Dr Claudia Xu from the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation in the Spirit of Innovation category, which honours individuals behind breakthrough technologies or innovation for the good of society.
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Chiu, who serves as CEO of Sanwa BioTech, said their ALiA system was a solution that delivered multiple results with only one sample drop taken from a person in 15 minutes under a “point-of-care” setting.
The term, according to the firm, refers to “near-patient” areas, such as places in intensive care units and community treatment centres.
Chiu said rapid diagnostic tests could help improve clinical experiences.
“They also save a lot of money in terms of sample collection,” he said.
The entrepreneur said he attached importance to the use of technology in serving the community.
“We may have to work for years to make improvements,” he said. “But if we can do that, it will be worth it.”
Through mentoring, Chiu said he wanted to encourage the younger generation to pursue a career in science. The Hongkonger, who had spent more than 10 years in the United States studying and working, said he believed there were more opportunities for technology start-ups in Hong Kong today than in the past.
In his view, the Hong Kong government has taken the right steps to start efforts in transforming the economy.
The authorities have been trying to move the city’s economy up the value chain, shifting towards higher value-added services and more knowledge-based activities.
Along such lines, Chiu said his company was keen to provide a platform for youngsters interested in science to expand their knowledge and develop expertise.
