In 2018, CEBI undertook its first key product-development project, which was initiated to explore the possibilities to develop improved Diabetic Footcare Solutions for the rising population of diabetic patients in Sri Lanka and in the region as a whole. The project was based on several years of undergraduate and graduate research conducted at the University of Moratuwa along with the Department of Chemistry, University of Sri Jayewardenepura. The main goal of the project was to device a pressure-offloading material suitable for diabetic patients who have foot-related complications, where the project has been funded under the AHEAD Program of the World Bank. The project is now in its final stages of negotiating the commercial partnerships and conducting the consumer trials and studies following a successful filing of a local patent application in 2020. The project team’s tireless efforts, even under the recent lockdown period, caught the attention of many, while the project received an extension to develop the product and the service to their next level.
The project was conducted under the leadership of Dr. Pujitha Silva (Former Director, CeBI), Prof. Jagath Premachandra (Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Moratuwa) and Dr. Thilini Gunasekara (Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemistry and Process Engineering, University of Sri Jayewardenepura) while Dr. Aruna Manipura (Senior Lecturer, Chemical and Process Engineering, Uniersity of Peradeniya) lent the team his expertise as a consultant. Additionally, the team was given Clinical and Business advice by a panel of nation’s leading medical consultants along with a team of business experts including Dr. Charitha Weerasinghe (Kotelawala Defense University), Prof. Saroj Jayasinghe (University of Colombo), Dr. Travis Perera (PIM), Dr. Angelo Karunaratne (Twinery by MAS). Towards the conclusion of the project in mid 2022, the teams expect to present the market-ready version of the gel-based products and service.