UP Vice President for Academic Affairs Gisela Concepcion encourages participants of the symposium “Economic Opportunities in Genomics” organized by the UP Philippine Genome Center to form a critical mass to jump-start research and economic development in the country through genomics. Photo by Jun Madrid.
In a pioneering event, the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) brought together investors, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, students, scientists, and science administrators in a symposium on November 12, 2016 at the National Institute of Molecular and Biotechnology of UP Diliman, National Science Complex, Quezon City, to discuss the economic opportunities presented by the global “explosion” in genomics research, development (R&D), and industry.
The event also presented to the public the services of PGC and its potential to become the genomics hub of the country. The symposium is one of PGC’s ways to spur networking, research, and economic activity around genomics, for which the PGC is providing public core facilities, expertise, and training.
Aside from UP-PGC heads and scientists, the speakers included: biotechnology enterprise consultant Gonzalo Serafica, California-based 3R Biosystems’ Romulo de Castro, Philtrust Bank medical director and volunteer health consultant Rosel Doval Santos; Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development executive director Carlo Primo David; Pascual Pharma R&D director Isagani Padolina, and Makati Medical Center Cell Therapeutics Program head, Francisco Chung.
Serafica and De Castro are Balik-Scientists who are technology entrepreneurs in the US, dealing with biotechnology products and genomics services which they oversee from R&D to commercialization. Having worked with the Department of Health, Santos endorsed a universal health care perspective for investing in healthcare innovations.
PGC Health Program Director Raul Destura narrated the arduous journey of a university health research program toward becoming a health industry player with the establishment of Manila Health Tek Inc., the first PGC enterprise spin-off. He is now its CEO. Its centerpiece product is a portable dengue diagnostics kit.
PGC Executive Director Baltazar Aguda welcomed participants to the symposium. He illustrated the worldwide “explosion” of research and development and business activity spurred by genomics. PGC Deputy Executive Director Zenaida Magbanua gave a glimpse of the medical industry potential of genomics, particularly in customized medicine.
PGC DNA Sequencing Core Facility Director Ma. Anita Bautista introduced the participants to the facilities, capabilities, and training services of PGC. PGC Agriculture Program OIC Hayde Galvez delivered a report of the accomplishments of her program, particularly in animal and plant breeding and discovery of “next-generation” agricultural products.
Speaking for the UP System, Vice President for Academic Affairs Gisela Concepcion encouraged participants to form a critical mass to jump-start research and economic development in the country enabled by genomics. She said the Philippines has a lot to contribute to the “revolutionary science” of genomics because of its enormous animal, plant, and human biodiversity, and even of its wealth of pathogens.
For more photos of the event, please click through the album below.
