By Victoria “NIKE” De Dios
Image by THEPHILBIZNEWS
As the country continues to face challenges in dealing with the COVID19 pandemic with looming more variants across the Globe, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) continues its preparations for the establishment of the Virology and Vaccine Institute of the Philippines (VIP) through talks with Filipino virologists trained abroad.
Interestingly, our hardworking Filipino virologists have obliged to be engaged with DOST under the Balik Scientist Program (BSP) which is scheduled on August 13, 2021 at 1:30 PM via Facebook Live.
In a courtesy call, no less than DOST Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña will officially welcome the seven Balik Scientists who will serve in the VIP and share their expertise in the study and development of local vaccines against novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and scientific research in virology and other diseases.
With this development, Sec. de la Peña is very delighted and said, “We see our Filipino Scientists as catalyst in the creation of our Virology and Vaccine Institute. We believe that their extensive experience and expertise will help us craft cutting-edge scientific research and development to fight COVID-19 and other viruses that may arise in the future.”
The premier research institute will not only study the current COVID-19 that grapples the country but will conduct further scientific research on virology and diseases in humans, animals, and plants.
Meanwhile, DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development (R&D), Dr. Rowena Cristina L Guevara, who will also join the courtesy call said, “Our experts will be at the heart of the anatomy of the soon-to-rise VIP. The Balik Scientists who participate in the VIP projects will accelerate human resource development of our scientific community.’
One of the seven Balik Scientists is Dr. Elpidio Cesar Nadala, Jr., a virologist and microbiologist with 20 years of experience in academic research and 17 years in the industry, developing diagnostic assays for the detection of bacterial and viral pathogens. Dr. Nadala co-founded Diagnostics for the Real World, Ltd (DRW) in California, USA, where he led the development of rapid diagnostic tests for the detection of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) surface antigen, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) antibodies, and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) antibodies, as well as improved versions of the CE-marked Chlamydia rapid test.
Another Balik Scientist joining the courtesy call is Dr. Leodevico L. Ilag. He has 25 years of solid research in discovery, preclinical and clinical development of biologics and dietary/food with applications in oncology, cardiovascular disease, CNS, infectious disease, metabolic disease, and dermatology. Dr. Ilag also has 25 years of international entrepreneurial biotechnology experience all around Europe, USA, Asia, and Australia.
To know more of our Balik Scientists and updates on the VIP, join us this Friday, 1:30 PM to be broadcasted on DOST-Balik Scientist Program Facebook’s page, https://www.facebook.com/balikscientist.
Joining the courtesy call is Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHR) Executive Director, Dr. Jaime C. Montoya; Industrial Technology and Development Institute (DOST-ITDI) Director, Dr. Annabelle V. Briones; and Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST- PCAARRD) Executive Director, Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora.