Cancer tracker named BPI-DOST ‘Best Project’

A potentially groundbreaking study that could place the Philippines on the global map as a source of green fluorescent protein from coral reef to track the growth of cancer cells in the human body was named the “Best Project of the Year” in the 2008 BPI-DOST Science Awards held recently.

The winning project was developed by Carla Gisela Ysabel Concepcion, a graduating BS Molecular Biology and Biotechnology student from the University of the Philippines in Diliman.

A joint undertaking of the BPI Foundation Inc. and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the “Best Project of the Year” Awards aims to recognize and provide incentives to graduating students in selected colleges/universities who excel in specialized fields of science, namely mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering, computer science, and biology.

The winning project was chosen for its relevance and impact to knowledge advancement, its viability for commercial production and marketability, the originality and uniqueness of the study, and its adherence to scientific soundness.

A project that explores the production of antibodies to fight virus in abaca won first runner-up. It was developed by Christina Lora Leyson, a graduating BS Molecular Biology and Biotechnology student of UP Diliman.

Second runner-up was Juan Paulo Antonio, BS Chemical Engineering of the University of Santo Tomas, for his study on the inedible bitaog plant as a source of diesel fuel.

The first-prize winner is offered a research grant of P200,000, on top of the P50,000 cash incentive and a trophy.

The first- and second runners-up each received P30,000 and P10,000 in cash prizes, respectively, and a trophy.

Now on its fourth year, exceptional science and engineering students from BPI Foundation’s 10 partner-universities nationwide vie for the “Best Project of the Year” Awards. This year’s six finalists were chosen from a crop of 29 projects.

This year’s panel of judges were composed of Dr. Corazon Menguito, chairman of UST’s Department of Chemistry; Dr. Perry Ong, director of UP Diliman’s Institute of Biology; Virginia Cabrera, former chairman of the BPI Science Awards Committee and former vice president of BPI; Dr. Raphael Alamar Guerrero, assistant professor of the Physics Department of Ateneo de Manila University; and Dr. Lourdes Guidote, vice dean of the College of Science of De La Salle University.

The awarding ceremonies for the BPI-DOST Science Awards will also take place in BPI Foundation’s 10 partner-universities nationwide on the following dates: Xavier University (Feb. 6), Ateneo de Davao University (Feb. 8), University of Santo Tomas (Feb. 13), Saint Louis University (Feb. 15), UP- Diliman (Feb. 20), De La Salle University (Feb. 21), University of San Carlos (Feb. 26), Silliman University (Feb. 28), Ateneo de Manila University (March 5), and UP Los Baños (March 7).