Royal Academic Visit to the Swiss Confederation in May 2025
Establishment of International Cooperation Network
To Ensure Drug Security from Natural Resources in Thailand
Professor Dr. Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn Mahidol, President of the Chulabhorn Research Institute (CRI), has long sought international academic cooperation especially with renowned national and international agencies or academic institutes with major roles in chemistry sciences. It is Her Royal Highness’s vision to integrate chemistry to drug development from the country’s natural products through research of medicinal properties and chemical compositions of Thai herbs, leading to the discovery of various bioactive substances. This increases the alternatives to develop new drugs for the treatment of cancer patients and other specific diseases which will ensure Thailand’s drug security and public health system development towards progress at the international level.
During the Royal Visit to the Swiss Confederation in May 2025, Her Royal Highness performed Royal Duty in academic research on chemistry and natural products with the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, an institution with excellence in research on natural sciences and expertise in the study of substances from natural products and bioactive substances. Professor François Bellanger representing the Rector of the University of Geneva along with executives and lecturers of the University were in attendance to welcome Her Royal Highness. The Swiss team humbly briefed Her Royal Highness on the research direction of the School. The President of the CRI discussed and exchanged knowledge leading to the success of chemistry research, pharmacology, and natural products. This involves a research direction requiring advanced technology and progress in the development of chemistry research in the isolation and extraction of important substances in plants and other natural living creatures, including therapeutic effects of bioactive substances, such as antioxidants, antibacterials, and anti-cancer agents, with the hope of using them as medicines in the future.
On this occasion, Her Royal Highness took the opportunity to observe the research process on natural products at a laboratory specializing in isolation and purification of substances using the method of “High-Performance Liquid Chromatography”, a chemical technique used to isolate various substances as blended in the natural product extracts, as well as the use of mass spectrometer to test and analyze the structure of advanced compounds.
The direction and operation of the University of Geneva can be considered to align with the intention of the President of the CRI to apply science to elevate people’s quality of life. It is indeed Her Royal Highness’s Royal Policy to drive the operation of the Chulabhorn Research Institute,
focusing on advanced research based on international standards, as evident in the past research processes of natural products by the CRI, that has led to the progress of Thailand’s scientific sector, both in terms of medical benefit and the development of drugs from nature which are highly efficient, safe, and with quality standards.
Her Royal Highness’s discussion with the executives and lecturers of the University of Geneva, Swiss Confederation, as mentioned above has laid the foundation for cooperation in research and exchange of researchers and students between the University of Geneva and the Chulabhorn Research Institute as well as the Chulabhorn Graduate Institute which will lead to the development of personnel potentials and elevate research quality. This is considered the beginning of an academic cooperation network building to expand on the successful research on diverse natural products, provide access to innovation and science with key roles in elevating the level of research on Thailand’s natural products, as well as support the prevention and treatment of diseases with precision, greatly benefiting the people’s good health care.
Public Relations Section
Office of the President
December 17, 2025
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