MANILA, Philippines - The De La Salle Health Science Institute (DLSHSI) was recently awarded with a grant from the Department of Science and Technology for its anti-dengue project.
The project aims to explore how local indigenous medicinal plants can be used as an alternative cure for dengue.
Given that dengue has been a recurring problem in various cities and municipalities all over the country, a study like this is timely with the results considered to be a potential breakthrough benefitting millions of Filipinos.
According to Dr. Rita Yabut-Alvero, DLSHSI’s director for research support and extension services and chair of the Center for Biopharmaceutical Resarch, who is also the principal investigator of this project, “The study is based on solid data gathered from preclinical in vitro studies on efficacy of local plants in reducing viral load, vascular leakage and platelet decrease,†thus the high hopes that researchers have on the results of this study.
The study will have three phases, with the total grant amounting to P11.4 million. The first phase involves dose formulation, while the second phase will focus on safety evaluation and dose finding of the herbal drugs developed in phase 1.
The latter part of the study will focus on the efficacy and safety of the developed formulations for the treatment of dengue in the clinical setting.
The DLSHSI is proud to have received the grant, which is an affirmation that it is among the leading centers in the country on medicinal drug research.
Carrying the tagline “Nurturing Life,†the DLSHSI is an institution involved in health care, education, and research located in Dasmariñas City, Cavite.
It was established in 1987 and is currently composed of three major units — Academic Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Rehabilitation Sciences, and Medical Radiation Technology, the De La Salle University Medical Center, and the De La Salle Angelo King Medical Research Center.
For more information, visit http://www.dlshsi.edu.ph.