Category: NEWS & EVENTS

The clinical trial on tawa-tawa (Euphorbia hirta) as a potential adjunctive treatment for mild and moderate cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is nearing completion, according to Dr. Philip Ian Padilla, vice chancellor for academic affairs of the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV).

Padilla, a professor of Microbiology, is the principal investigator of the trial – a collaborative effort of UPV, Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City, Philippine Red Cross-Manila, and Quezon Institute.

DILG-NCR Regional Director Maria Lourdes Agustin and University of the Philippines Diliman Chancellor Dr. Fidel Nemenzo signed an agreement to promote an integrated solid waste information and technology management system, and the setting up of waste utilization technologies in NCR.

DILG-NCR and UP partnered for the Project IWASTO or the Integrated Waste Analysis, Survey, and Technological Options, a component of the program Integrated Mapping, Monitoring, Modelling, and Management System for Manila Bay and Linked Environments or the IM4ManilaBay, funded by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Engineering Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD).

The study was led by Dr. Elena Pernia of the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Mass Communication and funded by the DoST-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development.

It presented an analysis of media, information materials produced by the Department of Health, audience reception and interpersonal information sources on dengue and Dengvaxia, and the influence of these sources on the trust and confidence in interventions for dengue and other immunization programs.

The UP-PGH clinical trials on VCO had been given the green light by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June last year at the height of the pandemic lockdowns in the country. Recruitment and enrollment of participants, however, started only last November.

The R&D study is one of four funded by the DOST to back up claims of the medicinal benefits of VCO especially in curing COVID-19.

The UP System – Office of Alumni Relations (UPS-OAR) in partnership with the UP Information Technology Development Center (UP ITDC) has launched the Alumni Email Registration (AER) and Alumni Services to improve the quality of assistance it provides especially with the UP alumni. Both services can be found on UP Alumni website: https://alum.up.edu.ph/.

AER was launched in July 2021. Through AER, the UP alumni can now request for an alumni email account (@alum.up.edu.ph) online. Just visit the Alumni Website and click “Alumni Email Account” to register. Accomplish the form with your information and follow all the instructions afterwards to successfully complete your application. 

The capacity of the Filipinos to undertake in-depth energy research on policies as well as technological innovations may eventually be enhanced, with the approval on the establishment of the proposed Philippine Energy Research and Policy Institute (PERPI) that will be attached to the University of the Philippines (UP), the premiere state university.

The proposed energy research body will source its funding from the government, based on the prescription of Republic Act 11572 or the law that underpinned the creation of PERPI.

Several Japanese and Philippine institutions are teaming up to conduct a study on water-related disaster risks and enhance flood management in the country, particularly in the Pampanga River basin and Pasig-Marikina River and Laguna Lake basin.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), along with International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM), Public Works Research Institute in Japan, and University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) are working on research for the project development of a Hybrid Water-Related Disaster Risk Assessment Technology for Sustainable Local Economic Development Policy or HyDEPP to help address global issues like climate change.

SIBOL is UPOU’s program under the European Union-funded “Advancing Equity and Access to Higher Education through Open and Distance Learning” or BUKA project. It aims to build a network of institutions that shall form the core of zonal open and distance learning centers in the Philippines.

The University Library (UL) officially launched the University Knowledge Digital Repository (UKDR) on July 23. 

The UKDR, according to University Librarian Concepcion Saul, is UPLB’s new digital platform to store knowledge created by UPLB experts for online access. 

Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr. sees this event as a milestone for the UPLB community as it is the first official initiative to comprehensively collect, safeguard, and disseminate the knowledge output and historical materials of UPLB. 

“The SIBOL program aims to establish a surgical innovation laboratory for the conduct of researches and projects in a surgical device innovation in the UP College of Medicine and the PGH as well as a surgical innovation skills laboratory that will serve as a pre-clinical trial laboratory for investigational surgical devices,” he said.

He cited that the scientists and engineers from UP Diliman were also involved in the program.

Under the program, the Surgical Innovation and Biotechnology Laboratory or SIBOL Laboratory will be established. It will be located on the 9th floor of the new Henry Sy, Sr. Medical Sciences Building of UP Manila, which is currently under construction.

De la Peña said the program is also expected to increase the capacity of clinicians and surgical device innovation researchers and become a premier hub for surgical device innovation researches and projects.