Press Release
April 2, 2008

YOUNG PINOY SCIENTISTS GET HIGH HONORS IN MALAYSIA

PENANG, MALAYSIA - Four senior students from the Manila Science High School bagged three awards at the SEAMEO Search for Young Scientists for their groundbreaking study on bacteria that can kill leukemia cells.

Emmanuel Delocado, Justine Timothy Cruz, Jose Noel Gamba and Edilberto Barcelona won 2nd most significant research overall, 2nd best in presentation and 3rd best in exhibit.

Their study determines the effect of bioluminescent bacteria on leukemia cells. The students hypothesized that glowing bacteria from fresh sea squids direct cancer cells to kill themselves.

"Once the method for extracting and isolating the bacteria is fully developed, it would be a non-hazardous way to reduce the number of benign lymphatic neoplasm or leukemia," said Cruz, the group presentor.

"We isolated and cultured Vibrio fischeri from fresh sea squids, and then applied them to blood samples with leukemic cells. After 24 hours, the number of cancer cells decreased by as much as 6%," he said.

The 'Search for SEAMEO Young Scientists' (SSYS) is a regional congress in the form of a Science Exhibition/Congress where high school students present scientific and technological research projects.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology and head of the Congressional Commission on Science, Technology and Engineering (COMSTE) congratulated the group and emphasized the role of research in national development.

"It is in doing basic research that scientists are able to push the frontiers of knowledge. This is where new ideas come from - the kinds of ideas that give us answers on what to do with, say, chronic diseases, food and water shortage, or energy depletion; and the kinds of ideas that help us respond to poverty and economic growth in strategic ways, " said Angara, who provided assistance to the group and enabled them to compete in Malaysia.

Earlier, speaking today at the 75th annual meeting of the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP), Angara posed a challenge to scientists and academicians to produce outstanding basic research proposals, and pledged P20 million to pursue the five best research ideas.

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