BIST Projects
The BIST Program aims to provide financial assistance to Filipino private companies for the acquisition of strategic and relevant technologies so they can undertake their R&D. The financial assistance, which may only be used to purchase high-tech equipment or to secure technology licensing and/or patent rights, will be refunded to DOST at zero percent interest.
Semi-purification of crude plant extracts: an essential step for the production of pharmaceutical-grade ingredients (36 months)
Objective: The current project proposal under the BIST Program intends to improve the pilot-scale manufacturing process of Herbanext to produce concentrated Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (APIs) with higher bioactivity that is more suited for standardized herbal drugs
1. To reduce the amount of “nuisance” compounds in spray-dried plant extracts which reduce drug potency
2. To improve physical handling characteristics of spray-dried extracts by reducing content of “nuisance” compounds which contribute to oiliness, tackiness, and high hygroscopicity
3. To reduce the amount of excipients used for spray drying which dilute the content of active ingredient
4. To validate the bioactivities of the APIs through enzyme assays and orthogonal assays, and to determine their shelf stability