2 Phl delegates to Novartis int’l biotech forum selected

MANILA, Philippines - An Agricultural and Rural Development scholar of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños (UPLB) and a magna cum laude graduate of the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) will represent the country in the Novartis International Biotechnology Leadership Camp (BioCamp) on Aug. 25-29 at the Novartis Campus in Basel, Switzerland.

A BS in Biology, Major in Microbiology graduate of UPLB, Malem Flores is currently taking up MS in Microbiology at UP-Diliman while working as a research assistant at the Marine Environment and Resource Foundation of the UP Marine Science Institute.

She is part of a team of American and Filipino scientists trying to discover and develop new drugs and biofuels from indigenous marine mollusks. The collaborative research project is being funded by the US National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and Department of Energy.

A BS in Biology, Minor in History graduate of AdMU where he was a full scholar, Charles Jourdan Reyes is taking up MS in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at UP-Diliman.

He was an intern in Japan’s respected Nara Institute of Science and Technology where he trained in molecular biology research on neural stem cells for the treatment of spinal cord injuries. His mentor, Prof. Kinichi Nakashima, is one of the world’s leading experts in neural stem cell research.

Flores and Reyes were selected from among 51 applicants out of the 230 students who attended the Local BioCamp held at the Asian Institute of Management Conference Center in Makati City.

The applicants were graduate and postgraduate students in the natural sciences from the country’s leading universities.

Organized by Novartis Healthcare Philippines in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the annual workshop was themed “Toward a Harmonious ASEAN Science and Technology.”

Other Local BioCamp partners are the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) and Intellectual Property Philippines (IPP).

The selection of delegates of the International BioCamp is based on academic excellence and professional experience. Novartis shoulders all travel and accommodation expenses of the country’s representatives to the International BioCamp.

International BioCamp delegates get an insider’s perspective of the challenges and opportunities in biotechnology today through seminars led by biotech leaders from around the world. They learn from industry leaders the basic steps on how to start a biotech company; work together, learn and network with students from around the world; and find out about career-enhancing opportunities in biotech and the academe.

To date, 15 young Filipino scientists have participated in the International BioCamp.

“Novartis will continue to work with the DOST and our other BioCamp partners in developing young Filipino scientists and helping improve the quality of Philippine healthcare,” said Thomas Weigold, president and managing director of Novartis Healthcare Philippines.