Iranian researcher Dr. Maryam Noori Balanji has won the top global gold award at the Silicon Valley International Invention Festival 2025 for developing an innovative recombinant, knowledge-based drug derived from rare sugar compounds found in Holothuria scabra a unique sea cucumber species native to the northern waters of Qeshm Island in southern Iran. This achievement marks the second successful drug she has created using this distinctive marine organism.
The newly developed medicine, which can be taken orally or via injection, is designed to suppress cancer cell growth and target a range of tumors. The research was carried out in collaboration with a team of Canadian scientists.
Dr. Noori Balanji has an impressive track record in international innovation forums. In 2023, she secured first place and a special global gold medal at the Kaohsiung International Invention and Design Expo in Taiwan, and also received a fully funded honorary award from Finland through the World Invention Intellectual Property Associations.
The Silicon Valley International Invention Festival 2025, organized by the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations, took place from August 8 to 10 at the Santa Clara Convention Centre. The festival featured breakthrough innovations across sectors such as healthcare and medicine, green and renewable energy, environmental sustainability, smart agriculture, and the food industry.
