To advance local researches in health care, forensics and agriculture, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is boosting the country’s capability in genomics and bioinformatics through the establishment of a new core facility.

The DOST through the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) provided an initial budget of P98 million for the three-year establishment of DNA Sequencing and Bioinformatics Core Facilities at the Philippines Genome Center (PGC). The facilities will be located at the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City and will be launched on October 11, 2012.

PGC as a multidisciplinary institution

The PGC is a multidisciplinary institution that combines basic and applied research for the development of health and improvement of crop varieties among others. Since its establishment in 2009, the PGC has been working to build infrastructure, form core groups of scientists and researchers, and establish partnerships with academic centers in the country and abroad.

Researchers from the PGC study deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) because of its important role in carrying hereditary traits of living organisms thru genes. DNA has been found useful in predicting and preventing disease, cloning plants and animals, and solving crimes.

Genomics as a priority area of DOST

According to DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Dr. Amelia P. Guevara, genomics is one of the priority areas of DOST. USec. Guevara said that DOST is supporting the formation of Genomics R&D Program to jumpstart inter-council and multi-sectoral collaboration in the said field.

In 2011, PCIEERD facilitated the development of a Philippine Genomics Roadmap for 2012 to 2018 to guide local scientists and researchers on areas to pursue in genomics research. The genomics roadmap identifies specific outputs for health, forensic, ethnicity, agriculture, biodiversity and core facilities.

PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Rowena Cristina L. Guevara meanwhile noted that the establishment of the facilities would help realize the identified research projects in the Philippine Genomics Roadmap. She said that the facilities will enable conduct of research involving discovery and analysis of genes with biomedical importance as well as on the development of innovative therapeutic strategies and technologies. 

Genomics R&D Program

Dr. Cynthia Palmes-Saloma, Program Leader, said that the research outputs from the PGC’s facilities will be vital in ensuring the “Philippines’ competitiveness in biotechnology research and industry.”

Currently, the PGC technical team is pursuing research on health, agriculture and Philippine biodiversity in four research institutions in the country. One research is focused on developing individualized diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for hypertension, coronary artery disease and other heart-related diseases.

Another project is developing diagnostics for dengue virus infections with simultaneous detection of serotype. The detection and serotyping of dengue virus infection allows quicker diagnosis of patients.

Moreover, PGC’s research programs also aim to come up with a “Filipinized” personal medicine through a country-specific database of Filipino genome sequence. “We hope in the future to come up with personalized medicine. It is very helpful in identifying individual solutions based on the susceptibility profile of each individual,” Dr. Saloma said. “Further, it could help doctors improve the quality of care they provide to patients through more precise diagnostics and better therapies,” she added.

On the other hand, PGC’s agriculture-related research projects are on breeding and development of varieties resistant to abaca and saba bunchy-top virus disease.

“With genomics research, the country can have a pro-active response to epidemics and pandemics as well as establish a forecasting system for emerging and re-emerging infections such as AH1N1, AH5N1, SARS and other related viruses,” Dr. Saloma said.

Aside from strengthening research, the PGC will also offer training workshops and host researchers and graduate students pursuing genomics and bioinformatics research, she added.

The PGC is led by Executive Director Dr. Carmencita Padilla with Dr. Ernela Cao as Deputy Executive Director. The PGC’s various programs are managed by the following: Dr. Rita Laude, for the agriculture program; Dr. Maria Corazon De Ungria, for the forensics and ethnicity program; Dr. Gisela Concepcion, for the biodiversity program; Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-Dela Paza, for the health program; Dr. Arturo Lluisma, for the bioinformatics core facility program; and Prof . Peter Sy, for the ethics program.

DOST-PCIEERD is the lead agency in the planning, promotion and management of scientific and technological research for the industry, energy and emerging technology sectors. (Ms. Janet Rosalie Anne H. Polita, PCIEERD-RITTD)

For more information:

Dr. Virginia G. Novenario-Enriquez
Chief, Research Information and Technology Transfer Division
Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development
Tel: (632) 837.2071-82 local 2102/2109
Fax: (632) 837.3168 / 837.6154
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