SCITECH RECENTLY: UST Researchers Win Awards at the 25th MSP Symposium
By: Gerard Michael Mirande, Teo Wilson Ferriol, and Rodel Arzaga
Graduate and undergraduate researchers from the University of Santo Tomas won awards from their groundbreaking studies and research posters during the 25th Mycological Society of the Philippines Annual Scientific Meeting and Symposium held on June 20 to 22.
UST Science students Alyssa Beyonce Fermin, Sabina Fernandez, Mark Allen Figueras, Marguerite Garcia, and Ianna Malabanan, together with their thesis adviser, Asst. Prof. Reuel M. Bennett, Dr.rer.nat., won second place in the TH Quimio Best Undergraduate Research.
Their research, titled “Biosorption of Cr(VI) and Cd(II) by Fungi Isolated from Hg-contaminated Soil,” investigated fungi such as Purpureocillium lilacinum and Trichoderma asperellum that are capable of absorbing heavy metals such as Chromium and Cadmium. They found that the fungi were able to absorb these heavy metals from the soil through functional groups serving as binding sites for chromium and cadmium which could also convert chromiuminto its less toxic forms.
Joe Anthony Manzano, Allan Patrick G. Macabeo, and Fr. Nicanor Pier Giorgio Austriaco, O.P., PhD were presented with a special award from the American Society for Microbiology for Best Poster Prize in the Applied Research Category. Their work, “Fungicidal and Inhibitory Activities of Globospiramine from the Philippine Medicinal Plant Vocanga globosa against Candida albicans via Apoptotic Mechanisms’’ focused on the bioactivity of a chemical, globospiramine, extracted from V. globosa, against Candida albicans.
Meanwhile, Joe Anthony Manzano, Elian Abellanosa, John Cyril Abanto, Lloyd Christian Llames, Beaver Andrei Dayo, Jose Paolo Aguilar, Allan Patrick Macabeo, and Fr. Nicanor Pier Giorgio Austriaco, O.P., Ph.D. won First Place in the Scientific Poster Session for their work entitled, “Molecular Polypharmacological Effects of Rugulosin A from the Endophytic Fungus Diaporthe perseae against Microbial Pathogens and Cancer Cells.”
Their study isolated and analyzed Rugulosin A, a chemical obtained from the fungus Diaporthe perseae. This was then examined for its ability to resist microbial infections and suppress the growth of cancer cells. The study looked into how Rugulosin A interacts with various molecular targets, a polypharmacology phenomenon, to comprehend its broad biological impacts better. Furthermore, the study investigated how Rugulosin A exerts its antibacterial and anticancer properties to determine its potential as a new therapeutic agent for treating infections and cancer.
Second place for the Scientific Poster Session went to Kristian Andrei Tan, Akira Komoda, Lanz Aidan Daryll Tan, Allan Miguel Tomimbang, John Carlo Redeña-Santos, Christian Elmarc Ocenar-Bautista, and Asst. Prof. Nikki Heherson Dagamac, Dr.rer.nat. Their study was entitled “Protosteloid amoebal assemblages as microbial models for elevational diversity gradient in tropical montane landscape.” Their research investigated how communities of protosteloid amoebae, a type of single-celled organism, change with elevation in tropical mountain areas. It aims to understand better how elevation influences their diversity and community organization. By focusing on a tropical montane setting for its rich biodiversity and varied temperature conditions, the study was able to use these amoebae as models to investigate broader ecological questions regarding how elevation affects microbial diversity.
The scientific poster session began on the first day of the symposium on June 21, 2024, when MSP President Asst. Prof. Jaycee Augusto G. Paguirigan, PhD, Dean of the UST College of Science Prof. Rey Donne S. Papa, PhD, and Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences Asst. Prof. Reuel M. Bennett, Dr. rer. nat. officially opened the exhibit featuring research posters on fungi and lichens. Panelists and MSP members explored the exhibit, seeking potential groundbreaking research titles and scrutinizing the elements of the undergraduate students’ posters. Notably, eight of the over 30 submitted research posters were from the University of Santo Tomas.
