The IET Nanobiotechnology Premium Award recognizes and celebrates excellence for innovative development in the areas of engineering and technology. The winner is selected from among the research papers that appeared in IET Nanobiotechnology, published by the IET. The award ceremony was held in London on November 22, 2012.

The technology developed through this award winning research is used in the Panasonic oral bacteria detection apparatus, Bacterial Counter. It uses Panasonic's unique technology- dielectrophoretic impedance measurement method (DEPIM).

Process of measuring bacteria on the tongue using a rapid oral bacteria detection apparatus, Bacterial Counter is explained below.

Awards

Name of award: IET Nanobiotechnology Premium Award

Paper title: Development of rapid oral bacteria detection apparatus based on dielectrophoretic impedance measurement method

Award winners:
The five joint prize winners are as follows:

• Ryo Hamada, Ph.D., Panasonic Healthcare Co., Ltd.
• Junya Suehiro, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Graduate School of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University
• Michihiko Nakano, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Graduate School of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University
• Takeshi Kikutani, D.D.S., Ph.D., Professor, Division of Clinical Oral Rehabilitation, Graduate School of Life Dentistry, The Nippon Dental University School of Life Dentistry at Tokyo;
• Hospital Director, Tama Oral Rehabilitation Clinic, The Nippon Dental University
• Kiyoshi Konishi, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Microbiology, The Nippon Dental University School of Life Dentistry at Tokyo

A nation-wide paper advertisement of the Panasonic Bacterial Counter and its award-winning research technology, that can detect and measure invisible oral bacteria within a minute, was also published.