Kolkata: The European Patent Office (EPO) has announced that Indian-American chemist Sumita Mitra has been nominated as a finalist in the “N...
Kolkata: The European Patent Office (EPO) has announced that Indian-American chemist Sumita Mitra has been nominated as a finalist in the “Non-EPO countries” category of the European Inventor Award 2021. Mitra was the first to apply nanotechnology to the production of dental materials, leading to the creation of a new composite to repair teeth which has many advantages over conventional materials.
Mitra’s material
overcomes many of the limitations of previous dental composites, which were
either too weak to be used on biting surfaces, or quickly lost their polish and
became physically unattractive. In addition, her invention is more versatile than
other composites, meaning it can be used in any area of the mouth, and
simplifies the filling procedure for dentists. Commercialised as Filtek™ Supreme Universal
Restorative since 2002 by 3M, the US multinational for whom Mitra worked for
more than 30 years, the technology and the products developed from it are today
used by dentists around the globe.
“Mitra’s invention
takes what was an emerging technology at the time – nanotechnology – and
applies it to a new sector to provide a solution for dentists and relief for
patients,” says EPO president António Campinos, announcing the European
Inventor Award 2021 finalists. “Patents have protected Mitra’s material and helped
ensure that her invention remains commercially successful nearly 20 years after
its launch.”
The winners of the
2021 edition of the EPO's annual innovation prize will be announced at a
ceremony starting at 19:00 CEST on 17 June which has this year been reimagined
as a digital event for a global audience.
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