Medical Engineering Don, Amadi wins 2023 NLNG Science Prize

A professor of Medical Engineering and Technology, Hippolite Amadi, has emerged winner of the 2023 Nigeria $100,000 Prize for Science.

The Advisory Board of the Nigeria Prize for Science led by Professor Barth Nnaji disclosed this at a press conference organised by the Nigeria LNG Limited, in Lagos on Thursday.

Nnaji said the winner, whose novel scientific work on respiratory technologies has helped to keep Nigerian newborn babies alive, was selected from 100 entries.

He revealed that Amadi was recognised for his innovative work in the field of newborn and child health titled, “Innovation for Enhancement of Healthcare Therapy”.

Citing the judges’ report, Nnaji said the work by Amadi had not only significantly advanced neonatal care in Nigeria and similar countries but also further improved access and lowered the cost of neonatal care by causing an observed reduction in the market prices of the competing and existing devices.

“The entry showcased three technological innovations aimed at saving the lives of neonates by making the delivery of oxygen cheap and easy.

“The first innovation is the non-invasive Neonatal Ventilator, a key invention (The bubble PoliteCPAP) for continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) ventilation of very-low-birth-weight neonates, a feasible alternative to the readily available improvised bubble CPAP (IBCPAP) in cost-constrained settings.

“The second and third innovations are the Oxygen Delivery Blender System, which allows for the safe delivery of oxygen without the danger of toxicity, and the Oxygen Splitter System, which allows for the use of a shared source of oxygen to many neonates at a time, in situations where piped oxygen is not available. These devices are all solar powered,” Nnaji added.

The devices, he said have been tried by practitioners at various hospitals across Nigeria, adding that there are reports from those hospitals that the innovation, PoliteCPAP, is an improvement on the existing device.

He declared that the devices provide access to ventilators and oxygen delivery simultaneously to neonates at an extremely reduced cost of N750,000 as against N6.5 million for the existing device with comparable and better efficiency.

The NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Mr. Andy Odeh, said the decision of the judges was a testament to the power of collaboration between the private sector, academia, and the broader scientific community.

“We are honoured and deeply moved by the judges’ decision to recognize the ground-breaking innovation in respiratory technology that has been awarded the Nigeria Prize for Science in 2023.

“This invention not only represents a remarkable leap forward in medical science but also serves as a beacon of hope for the most vulnerable among us – our neonates.

“It reminds us that true progress is measured not only in scientific achievement but in the lives it touches and saves.

“Today, we celebrate the impact that innovation can have in enhancing healthcare therapy and safeguarding the futures of countless newborns. At NLNG, we are proud to be part of a legacy that puts saving lives at the forefront of scientific pursuit,” Odeh said.