To encourage industry, the government, and academics to continue to invest time and effort in research, development, and innovation, and demonstrate their flexibility and response capabilities, the Institute for the Biotechnology and Medicine Industry held an award ceremony, the 19th National Innovation Awards, on 3rd December. The Tri-Service General Hospital has combined expertise across all specialties to facilitate medical technology upgrades, develop innovative patents, and foster industry and academic collaborations. We have been recognized for this effort and won three awards in this competition.

Superintendent Chih-Hung Wang, M.D., Ph.D., said that our team has worked in medical research and development for a long time. This time round, the Departments of Otorhinolaryngology, Psychiatry, and Orthopedics won special awards at the National Innovation Awards, including recognition for the "Novel microbubble based ultrasound needle free injection system", "Subthreshold brain stimulation: A novel therapeutic technique for the treatment of schizophrenia", and "Design of an artificial knee joint with preservation of the internal cruciate ligament", reflecting the synergistic effects of collaborations across different specialities. In the future, we will continue to study and develop more innovative medical technologies by integrating our resources across different territories so the world can witness the force that is Taiwan in driving medical innovation.

The winner of the Innovative Medical Technology Award, Dr. Hsin-An Chang, Attending Physician, Department of Psychiatry, said that schizophrenia is an important public health issue worldwide; patients may experience a lack of knowledge about the disease, poor drug compliance, and many other issues. Antipsychotic therapy is still a mainstream treatment but has limited effects in improving symptoms and impairments so there are unmet needs in current treatment methods. Under National Science and Technology Council fund, the medical team of the Tri-Service General Hospital has independently developed a the "highly precise transcranial direct current stimulation on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex" subthreshold brain stimulation technology, which may effectively improve the severities of negative symptoms (primary endpoint) and disease insight impairment (secondary endpoint). Therefore, patients may benefit from the treatment and avoid disabilities and pain due to the disease, greatly reducing the burden of care on the patient's family. It creates many advantages with value on the medical market.

The winner of the Innovative Medical Device and Diagnostic Technology Award, Dr. Shi-Yuan, Hua, Attending Physician, Department of Orthopedics, said that the prevalence rate of knee joint degeneration is around 15% in Taiwan according to local statistics. There are about 20,000 people who require an artificial joint replacement every year. Knee joints are the biggest joints in the human body; however, the joint development defects of lower limbs, poor posture, excessive exercise, or aging may lead to wear and tear of the articular cartilage and meniscus. Though a total knee joint replacement remains the most effective method for the aforementioned ailments, it is not always a complete solution. The medical team of the Tri-Service General Hospital has applied medical 3D printing technology to provide an artificial knee joint with the structure elements of the tibia and femur to provide patients with well-constructed, stable implants without the need for bone screws. It also is helpful in preserving the cruciate ligament during knee joint replacement surgery to maintain stability of the joint and reduce wear and tear of the new joint.