USM PENANG, 26 January 2026 – Exhibition at the Pameran Majlis Perutusan Naib Canselor 2026, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) provides a platform for a medical innovation known as, ‘Slitup’. It is an innovation that can help to heal soft tissues.

The innovation was brought to life by principal investigator Prof. Dr. Siti Noor Fazilah Mohd Noor of the USM Pusat Kanser Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (PKTAAB), with acknowledgement to the Ministry of Education, Malaysia, through the Prototype Research Grant Scheme (PRGS).

'Slitup' is a composite film patch for soft tissue regeneration which contains bioactive materials obtained from natural sources and synthetic polymers that can regenerate tissue and promote healing.

Dr. Fazliah shared that the material of 'Slitup' can be specifically beneficial to aid healing for diabetic patients.

“Most patients with a diabetic foot ulcer may experience a loss of skin when removing usual patches; patients are not required to remove 'Slitup' after application,” explained Dr. Fazliah.

'Slitup' goes against the usual setbacks faced by traditional medical patches, which would create large amounts of clinical waste, are costlier, require dependency on a caretaker for removing the dressing of the patch and may detach skin during removal.

The product design and innovation of 'Slitup' include its reabsorbability, customisability and content of bioactive elements that can be fine-tuned to soft tissue requirements following gamma sterilisation; 'Slitup' is also biodegradable, biocompatible, non-toxic and bacteriostatic.

As a whole, the medical innovation 'Slitup' provides a view into a brighter future of healing and sustainability in clinical materials.

Text: Sara Hannah Sahan Shah & Etasha Elena Kumar, House of Media (HOMe@MPRC)/ Editing: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin/ Photo: Shahnizam Ab Rahim