Mae Fah Luang University would like to congratulate Asst. Prof. Dr.Orawan Suwantong, a lecturer of the Applied Chemistry programme, the School of Science, the first MFU researcher who won the L’Oréal Thailand’s ‘For Women in Science 2021’ award.
On 17 December 2021, L’Oréal (Thailand) Ltd. announced five outstanding Thai female researchers as the recipients of fellowship grants from L’Oréal Thailand’s ‘For Women in Science 2021’ in two categories which are physical sciences and life sciences. Each recipient received a 250,000 THB research fund. The For Women in Science programmes was initiated in 1998 by UNESCO and the Fondation L’Oréal aiming to help empower more women scientists to achieve scientific excellence and participate equally in solving the great challenges facing humanity. For L’Oréal Thailand, this year was the 19th year of its support for outstanding female scientists. Moreover, there were 76 women from 20 institutions in Thailand who have been given the awards.
There were three fellowships in life sciences category namely:
1. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pantana Tor-ngern from the Department of Environmental Science, the Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University and her research on “the effect of climate change on water cycle in forest ecology”
2. Dr.Kamolchanok Chewapreecha from Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit and the School of Bioresources and Technology, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi and her research on “the genomic map for prevention of Melioidosis”
3. Assoc. Prof. Dr.Wanwipa Vongsangnak from the Department of Zoology, the Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University and her research on “Development of systems biology and microbiome platform for predicting Thai gut health”
In addition, there were two fellowships in life sciences category namely:
1. Assoc. Prof. Dr.Natda Wetchakun from the Department of Physics and Materials Science, the Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University and her research on “Nano-metal oxides for treatment of polluted water”
2. Asst. Prof. Dr.Orawan Suwantong, a lecturer of the Applied Chemistry programme, the School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University and her research on “Development of cellulose sponges containing curcumin-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex and chitosan for the treatment of chronic wound”
Asst. Prof. Dr.Orawan Suwantong stated that “chronic wounds in patients with diabetes or paralysis require a relatively long time to heal. Additionally, complications such as infection may occur and it must be closely monitored by experts or doctors which increases the cost of treatment. Having encountered the problem, we were interested in using biopolymer to apply as wound dressing to treat chronic wounds. The cellulose sponge dressing is high absorbent, does not adhere to the wound, keeps moist environment, has antibacterial activity and easy to use. This addressing can also reduce the need to import medical materials from abroad making it is easier for patients to acquire supplies. The work focuses on taking advantages of natural materials starting with cellulose that can be obtained from the agricultural waste. In the process, we use ionic liquid or green solvent which is environmentally friendly. Moreover, Chitosan is a biomaterial which can be obtained from the shell of crustaceans such as shrimps or crabs and processed into porous materials. The active ingredient is curcumin extracted from turmeric which is a local product. Research shows that many of local products can be very useful and we are able to develop materials that can be produced in Thailand. I wish that our research outcomes can be extended and utilised to provide the real benefits to the country and help create better living conditions for Thai people.”
Asst. Prof. Dr.Orawan Suwantong has been actively conducting researches on biopolymer for medical materials and has published over 50 journal articles. All in all, this award is a recognition of the efforts of MFU researchers and the University in using the research outcome to solve problems in the country, region and beyond.
