Tag: SDG 3

Tracing the Outbreak: A Seminar on Public Health Introduction to Genomic Tools for Cholera Outbreak Response

🧬 TRACING THE OUTBREAKPublic Health Introduction to Genomic Tools for Cholera Outbreak Response Please join us! Learn how genomics and bioinformatics can help support cholera outbreak investigation, surveillance, and public health response. 🎤 Featuring an invited speaker from the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) Mindanao 🤝 In partnership with the DOST-PCHRD Balik Scientist Program in the Cordilleras 📅 8 October 2026⏰ 8:30 AM–12:00 NN 📌 Technical SeminarAn introductory session on genomic tools, sequencing, and bioinformatics for outbreak response. ✨ Don’t miss out! Join us and discover how genomics can help trace disease outbreaks. Register Here: https://bit.ly/tracingtheoutbreak

BS Biology Alumni Present Research at 1st National Patriot Research Conference

The Department of Biology congratulates our BS Biology alumni, Redcedrick Co and Gavin Wesley Rafanan, for presenting their research at the 1st National Patriot Research Conference held at Clark, Pampanga last 8–12 July 2026. Redcedrick shared their research “Assessment of Biodegradation and Metabolic Capacity of Penicillium citrinum Against Various Hydrocarbon Derivatives”—co-authored by Mia Ayla Garcia, Philip John Omaweng, and Gavin Wesley Rafanan, and advised by Asst. Prof. Ronan Baculi. Gavin shared their research “Genomic Characterization of a Mid-Pathway Petroleum-Degrading Pluralibacter gergoviae Isolate”—advised by Instr. Jodelyn Melegrito, Asst. Prof. Ronan Baculi, and Asst. Prof. Mac Michael Rubio. We warmly congratulate Redcedrick, Gavin, Mia, Philip, and their advisers for their contribution to microbiology!

BS Biology student presents poster at the 14th Regional Health Research Conference of CRHRDC

UPB BS Biology (Microbiology AoC) student, Gavin Wesley Rafanan, participated in the 14th Regional Health Research Conference of the Cordillera Regional Health Research and Development Consortium (CRHRDC) held on June 18-19, 2026. During the conference, he presented a poster based on his undergraduate thesis entitled “Genomic Characterization of a Mid-pathway Petroleum-degrading Pluralibacter gergoviae Isolate.” We support the Sustainable Development GoalsSDG-03 (Good Health and Wellbeing); SDG-04 (Quality Education)

BS Biology students earns Best Paper Presenter award at the International Mushroom Congress and National Forum on the Future of Mushrooms held on May 28-29, 2026

The Department of Biology congratulates our students Jasmine Gabrielle Bolo and Precious Shynne Leonoras for being recognized as the Best Paper Presenter for Processing, Functional Products and Health Applications Category at the International Mushroom Congress and National Forum on the Future of Mushrooms held on May 28-29, 2026 Their paper entitled “Neuropharmacological Potential of Ganoderma lucidum: Multimodal Evidence from in vitro, in vivo, and in silico Approaches on Caenorhabditis elegans” is an undergraduate thesis study under the advisorship of Professor Roland Hipol and co-advisorship of Assistant Professor Ailyn Fadriquela. We support the Sustainable Development GoalsSDG-03 (Good Health and Wellbeing); SDG-04 (Quality Education)

HIGHLIGHTS: 31st Summer Institute in the Natural Sciences and Mathematics

It’s a wrap! The Department of Biology extends its sincere gratitude to all participants, organizers, and personnel whose efforts contributed to the success of the 31st Summer Institute in the Natural Sciences and Mathematics (SINSM), held on April 16–18, 2026, at the University of the Philippines Baguio. We especially celebrate the 33 participants who joined us in exploring new concepts and techniques in microbial and fungal DNA isolation, PCR amplification, gel electrophoresis, and basic bioinformatics. Your enthusiasm and engagement made this year’s SINSM both insightful and productive. The photos below capture some of the highlights of this enriching experience. We look forward to welcoming you again in next year’s SINSM! We support the Sustainable Development GoalsSDG-3 (Good Health and Well-being); SDG-4 (Quality Education); SDG-5 (Gender Equality); SDG-6 (Clean Water and Sanitation); SDG-9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure); SDG-11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities); SDG-13 (Climate Action); SDG-14 (Life on Water); SDG-15 (Life on Land); SDG-17 (Partnership for Goals)

The Department of Biology, with the College of Science, kicks off the 31st SINSM

The Department of Biology, along with other departments in the College of Science, kicks off the 31st Summer Institute in the Natural Sciences and Mathematics (SINSM). This year, the Department of Biology warmly welcomes our 33 participants from various educational institutions. We support the Sustainable Development GoalsSDG-3 (Good Health and Well-being); SDG-4 (Quality Education); SDG-5 (Gender Equality); SDG-6 (Clean Water and Sanitation); SDG-9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure); SDG-11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities); SDG-13 (Climate Action); SDG-14 (Life on Water); SDG-15 (Life on Land); SDG-17 (Partnership for Goals)

New paper out entitled “Discovery of Novel Red Algal Inhibitors Targeting African Swine Fever Virus dUTPase through Integrated Computational Screening”

The Department of Biology congratulates our alumni, Razel F. Melendez and Christelle Jane C. Muyano, together with their mentors, Dr. Mark Andrian B. Macalalad and Dr. Fredmoore L. Orosco, on the publication of their study entitled “𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘕𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘥 𝘈𝘭𝘨𝘢𝘭 𝘐𝘯𝘩𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘛𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘍𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘝𝘪𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘜𝘛𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨.” This work stemmed from their undergraduate thesis and was made possible through collaborations with Asst. Prof. Easter Joy Sajo, Asst Prof. Pablo Serrano, and Asst. Prof. Jeno Rey Pagaduan. Their study can be accessed through the following link: http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/0115701638415372251124101006 We support the Sustainable Development GoalsSDG-3 (Good Health and Well-Being); SDG-4 (Quality Education)

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: “Assessment of Ethnomedicinal Plants used by Yapayao of Adams, Ilocos Norte and the Analysis of their Secondary Metabolites and Bioactivity in Mice” in celebration of the National Environmental Awareness Month

🌿💚 𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑬𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝑨𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉! 💚🌿In celebration of this month, the Department is delighted to share some of our amazing student works! ✨As we wrap up our series of student research features, we present our final study. 🌏📖We invite you to read and learn from the insightful work of our student authors! Ethnobotany examines the interactions between primitive societies and the plants they use for cultural purposes, such as healing various ailments. This study focuses on Adams, Ilocos Norte, which hosts a variety of tribes, including the Yapayao. The research was conducted in three phases: focus group discussion, phytochemical analysis, and bioactivity analysis using mice as model organisms. According to the survey, the Yapayao utilize 27 ethnomedicinal plant species, with inflammation being the most commonly treated medical concern. Among these plants, “garem” (𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘺𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘢 𝘫𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴) and “pantalyon” (𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘦𝘯𝘢 𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘢) are particularly notable for their effectiveness against inflammation. Phenols (462.59 ± 19.09, 452.42 ± 35.28 mg GAE/g) and flavonoids (87.32 ± 0.99, 34.91 ± 0.57 mg CE/g) are among the secondary metabolites present in both plants to which the anti-inflammatory activity may be attributed. Lastly, carrageenan-induced paw edema in mice has shown that both 𝘚. 𝘫𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴 and 𝘊. 𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘢 effectively inhibit inflammation. The student authors: Maria Victoria Taller (F),Julius Ryan Regnim (M), and Kirsten Ruth Merilles (F), are BS Biology alumni under the concentration 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 & 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 and conducted this undergraduate thesis study under the supervision of Dr. Liezel M. Magtoto (F).✍️ Julius Ryan Regnim (M), Maria Victoria Taller (F), and Kirsten Ruth Merilles (F), MT Bagangao (F)🖼 Julius Ryan Regnim (M), Maria Victoria Taller (F), and Kirsten Ruth Merilles (F) We support the Sustainable Development GoalsSDG-03 (Good Health and Wellbeing); SDG-15 (Life on Land)

BS Biology student wins 1st Place in the Poster Presentation – Student Category during the 13th Regional Health Research Conferences

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒! The Department of Biology, College of Science, UP Baguio proudly congratulates 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐉𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐠 and team for winning 𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 in the 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐲 during the 𝟏𝟑𝐭𝐡 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬, organized by the Cordillera Regional Health Research and Development Consortium (CRHRDC)! This outstanding achievement reflects the excellence and dedication of our students in advancing scientific research that addresses pressing health concerns in the region. Your passion and commitment to meaningful inquiry continue to inspire the academic community. Once again, congratulations, Trigger! We are truly proud of you! We support the Sustainable Development GoalsSDG-3 (Good Health and Well-being); SDG-4 (Quality Education)

New publication entitled “The parasite’s parasite: Exploring virophages’ antiviral strategies in developing current and novel antiviral therapies” by the Department of Biology faculty and student

A big congratulations to 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐭. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. 𝐏𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐨 𝐕. 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐨 and 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐥 𝐆. 𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐚 of the Department of Biology, UP Baguio, for their newly published work! Title: The parasite’s parasite: Exploring virophages’ antiviral strategies in developing current and novel antiviral therapiesPublished in the Science and Engineering Journal, this review explores the fascinating world of virophages—subviral particles that parasitize giant viruses—and how their unique antiviral mechanisms could inspire new therapeutic approaches. From the well-studied Sputnik and Mavirus, the paper delves into how these virophages disrupt viral replication and what this could mean for the future of medicine. Read the full article here: https://doi.org/10.26655/JMCHEMSCI.2025.3.7 We support the Sustainable Development GoalsSDG-03 (Good Health and Well-Being); SDG-04 (Quality Education)