The discoverers

(Second of two parts)

At the University of the Philippines, there are a number of projects based on marine and terrestrial biodiversity. These projects are led by local scientists, and some are being pursued in collaboration with foreign-based Filipino scientists and foreign scientists. UP has signed a Memorandum of Agreement for the Conduct of Academic Research (MOU-CAR) with the Department of Agriculture to conduct research on marine organisms. UP is the only institution with such an agreement at present and UP is working to sign a similar one with the DENR to conduct research on terrestrial organisms. Other academic institutions pursuing research on biodiversity are being encouraged to sign their own agreements with the government.

Two projects are listed under the MOU-CAR so far. One is the PharmaSeas Marine Drug Discovery program funded by the DOST, and the other is the Philippine Mollusk Symbiont- International Cooperative Biodiversity Group (PMS-ICBG) program funded by the US NIH. We obtained all the permits required by the government to undertake the projects. Aside from the MOU-CAR, we have Prior Informed Consent Certificates, Gratuitous Permits and Material Transfer Agreements. In every aspect or component of these two programs, Filipino scientists are involved and young Filipino researchers are being trained.

In PharmaSeas and PMS-ICBG, we pursue the taxonomic identification of marine organisms as well as other field-based and laboratory-based studies. In the field, we recognize that some local folk have traditional knowledge and expertise that we could learn from. In the field and laboratory, we recognize that some foreign-based scientists have cutting-edge knowledge and experimental expertise that we do not yet possess. Biodiversity research is a long, drawn-out process, and requires contributions from many people, in order for us to come up with output of high scientific value. Under the MOU-CAR, we recognize the contributions and the rights and benefits of the various stakeholders in the research process.

PharmaSeas and PMS-ICBG have benefited from the significant contributions of one foreign-based Filipino scientist — Dr. Baldomero M. Olivera, Distinguished Professor of Biology at the University of Utah — the most awarded and recognized Filipino scientist in the international scientific community. Dr. Olivera provided key components of the conceptual framework of PharmaSeas and PMS-ICBG. He has been based in the US for many years but he keeps coming back and continues to make tremendous impact on Philippine marine biodiversity research. He has been training Filipino researchers in his laboratory for over 40 years, with hope that many will transfer back technology and establish their own high quality research in our country.

Furthermore, to give recognition to the Philippines as the center of molluscan biodiversity in the world, Dr. Olivera has given scientific names to turrid snails that he has described, based on the locality where they are found abundantly, e.g., Unedogemmula bisaya, Lophiotoma olangoensis, Gemmula sogodensis. To put the Philippines on the map of neuroscience research, he has given Filipino names to neuroactive peptides isolated from the venom of Philippine cone snails, e.g., conantukin, contulakin, con-ikot-ikot — names which describe what the peptides do when injected in mice.

In our biodiversity projects in UP, we hope to discover not only new species and new bioactive compounds, but also new ways of conserving and utilizing our biodiversity. In every step of the way, we are ensuring that the Philippines is recognized as the source of biodiversity, that Filipino scientists and researchers are being duly credited for their contributions, and our young researchers are being trained to become our future research leaders who will continue the task of preserving the richness of our natural resources.

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Caesar Saloma, PhD, is a professor of the National Institute of Physics and dean of the College of Science, UP Diliman. He is a member of the National Academy of Science and Technology and a recipient of the 2008 ASEAN Outstanding Scientist and Technologist Award from the ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology and the 2004 Galileo Galilei Award from the International Commission for Optics. E-mail him at [email protected].

Gisela P. Concepcion, PhD, is a professor of the Marine Science Institute and chairs the Dean’s Office on Special Initiatives for the Advancement of the Sciences, College of Science, UP Diliman. She leads the PharmaSeas and PMS-ICBG programs at UP MSI. She is a member of the National Academy of Science and Technology. E-mail her at [email protected].