PGC Mindanao and DMSFI collaborate for Women's and Children's Primary Health

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Report

By: Janessa V. Villota

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Philippine Genome Center (PGC) Mindanao in UP Mindanao embarks on a new research partnership designed to develop solutions and strategies to primary health problems of women and children in Mindanao.

Spearheaded by the Davao Medical School Foundation Inc. (DMSFI), the Research and Development Center for Maternal and Child Health (ReDMaTCH) Program aims to address major health problems among women and children in Mindanao, including childhood stunting, pediatric dengue, and postpartum depression.

The program aims to understand these major problems through metabolomics, microbiome studies, metagenomics, and bioinformatics analysis. Dr. Genevieve Tupas, ReDMaTCH program leader, said that the program was conceptualized because of the inequality of healthcare delivery among women and children, particularly in Mindanao as compared to Manila.

Too many women, infants, and children worldwide still have little or no access to essential, quality health services and education, clean air and water, and adequate sanitation and nutrition. The research collaboration between DMSFI and PGC Mindanao in UP Mindanao gives an opportunity to end preventable deaths among women, children, and adolescents and to greatly improve their health and well-being.

In a message by PGCMin Program Director, Dr. Joel Hassan Tolentino, delivered by PGCMin technical expert, Dr. Aleyla de Cadiz, Dr. Tolentino expressed his excitement to provide the center’s expertise and state-of-the-art facility for the implementation of the program. “We would like to bring about more opportunities and advancements for the people in Mindanao, specifically women, and children”.

PGC Mindanao will provide training, consultation services, genomics-related laboratory services, and PGCMin facility use inside the College of Science and Mathematics, UP Mindanao.

UP Mindanao Chancellor, Dr. Lyre Anni Murao, is thrilled to enter a close research partnership established between the university and a medical and university institution. “Through our collaborative work, we hope to contribute to the advancement of science and technology in Mindanao and ultimately create a brighter future for Mindanaoans.”

The RedMaTCH program proposal was first crafted in 2020 with the help of PGC Mindanao, which served as a technical consultant during the development stage of the proposal. In 2022, the ReDMaTCH program was granted P75 million in research and development funding from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and became one of the 26 Niche Centers in the Regions for Research and Development (NICER) centers in the country supported by the DOST-Science for Change Program (S4CP).

In the photo above: Seated left to right are Dr. Genevieve Tupas (ReDMatCH Program Leader), and Dr. Oliver Victoriano; Atty. Alberto Rafael Aportadera (DMSFI President), Dr. Lyre Anni Murao (UP Mindanao Chancellor), and Dr. Aleyla de Cadiz (PGCMin technical expert) show the Memorandum of Agreement for the RedMaTCH Program on May 15, 2023.

DOST-PTRI offers collaboration with UPMin

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Report

A team from the DOST-PTRI or the Philippine Textile Research Institute offered UPMin potential partnerships over natural fibers (e.g. Ramie, banana, pineapple, etc.) and other indigenous weaves in the Davao Region, as well as opportunities for technology transfer for UPMin's Polylactic Acid (PLA) technology. Team leader Mr. Audric Zureal Cruz expressed these in a courtesy visit to UP Mindanao Chancellor Lyre Anni E. Murao (third from left, in top photo) on April 26, 2023. The DOST-PTRI presentation on their textile industry sector R&D showed demand for textiles for footwear and various fabrics (in lower photo). Polylactic Acid, likewise, was considered to be adopted in their R&D. 
UPMin's Technology Transfer Chief Science Research Specialist, Dr. Melvin S. Pasaporte (left, in lower photo), toured the DOST-PTRI team through the Lactic Acid Laboratory, where he discussed the process and showcased the new equipment for the 2nd Phase of the development of PLA. This tour also provided an opportunity for a detailed discussion of the possible collaboration and adaptation of Polylactic Acid in the textile industry. In response, the UPMin team invited the PTRI to be a locator in the proposed UPMin Knowledge, Innovation, Science, and Technology (KIST) Park.
This opportunity addresses responsible production, industry innovation, and economic growth, through partnerships. 

Authors Cruz and Bengan in Mindanao Book Fair

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Report

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Prof. Jhoanna Lynn Cruz of the Department of Humanities (most left, in the photo above) led a panel discussion entitled "Mindanao Fictions," at the Mindanao Book Fair on March 19, 2023, in her capacity as president of the Davao Writers Guild. Associate Prof. John Bengan (second from left), also of the Humanities department and author of "Armor," a collection of short stories, was joined by Elizabeth Joy Serrano-Quijano, author of "Dili Pwede Mogawas," a short story collection, and Jade Mark Capiñanes, author of "How to Grieve," prose collection. Prof. Cruz and the panelists discussed how their stories engage with re/writing Mindanao to help define Mindanaoan and/or Mindanawon literature. The panel was hosted by independent publisher Everything's Fine. The authors also accommodated book-signing requests. The public panel discussion addresses freedom of speech, social exclusion experiences, gender equality, and psychological well-being, among other ideas.

View the discussion here: https://youtu.be/GGKRbg9tGeY

Collaborative Linkages: Mindanaoan Researchers on Bioinformatics

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Report

The ‘Science Beyond Borders’ anthology of case studies features UK-Philippine research collaborations throughout the Newton Agham Fund lifecycle.

In the anthology, Dr. de Cadiz, the project leader of One Health Omics, provided valuable insights into the challenges and successes of research collaborations, emphasizing the importance of exposing Mindanaoan researchers to bioinformatics tools and techniques.

The One Health Omics project at the University of the Philippines Mindanao, in collaboration with PGC Mindanao, is a great example of how research collaborations between the UK and the Philippines can lead to building a bioinformatics workforce in Mindanao that can push the boundaries of knowledge and contribute to both science and the community.

Read the impact stories and case studies on research partnerships supported by Newton Agham: https://bit.ly/NewtonAgham

(Aleyla de Cadiz, DBSES)

ACIAR team revisits HORT/2007/066

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Report

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An ACIAR team visited UPMin on March 21, 2023, for an impact assessment scoping mission on the "Enhanced profitability of selected vegetable value chains in the southern Philippines Program (HORT/2007/066)."

Bethany Davies, Research Manager, and Matt Armstrong, Research Officer of the ACIAR Portfolio Planning and Impact Evaluation, led the ACIAR team. They were accompanied by Julie Delforce of Alinea International, the evaluation consultant. Ms. Hazel Aniceto and Mara Faylon, the Country Manager and Assistant Country Manager, respectively, of ACIAR Philippines, completed the team.

The team paid a courtesy visit to the Office of the Chancellor, where they were received by the OIC, School of Management Dean Aurelia Luzviminida Gomez.

The ACIAR team likewise interviewed UPMin's Adjunct Professor Sylvia Concepcion, Asst. Prof. Roxanne Aguinaldo, Dean Gomez, and University Researcher Marilou Montiflor as key informants.

The project contributes to poverty alleviation, economic empowerment, and economic growth, through the agricultural and food management of small enterprises through the partnership of ACIAR with UPMin.

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