A top Saudi female inventor has called on businesspeople to invest in local inventions because this will help foster innovation and the development of much-needed new devices. Nuha Talal Al-Zailai, a lecturer at Jeddah's King Abdul Aziz University, received a gold medal in Taiwan for inventing a stationery kit that helps visually impaired people write letters in any language – without using Braille. “It took me three years to finish it,” she said. Al-Zailai underscored the importance of encouraging innovation. No businesspeople are investing even though new inventions can “generate huge revenues”, she said. She pointed out that local inventions are not developed further despite inventors securing patents. “I hope businessmen can help turn inventions into products that serve humanity,” Al-Zailai said. The lecturer is currently working on safe containers for medical samples, her fourth project. She previously produced three inventions and received 13 local and international prizes. The prototypes have been registered at King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology, but they are yet to be patented. Her first invention was a device to test for malaria and other blood diseases. “The aim of this invention was to do away with the many devices in labs. It gives fast results and would be beneficial in the event of an epidemic,” she said in an interview with Okaz/Saudi Gazette. Her second invention was a natural remedy to treat toxoplasmosis, which is caused by eating under-cooked meat, raw eggs or unpasteurized milk. She said her first two inventions were done in collaboration with Professor Najia Al-Zinbaqi, Deputy Director of the Nano Center and Parasitology at King Abdul Aziz University's Faculty of Sciences. Al-Zailai's third invention was the stationery kit for the blind. __
