Department of Science and Technology (DOST) – Standards and Testing Division Chief and University of Santo Tomas (UST) Faculty of Pharmacy alumna Rosalinda Torres, Ph.D., made it to the prestigious “Asian Scientist 100” list for 2019.
Torres, who graduated from the UST Biochemistry program in 1978, was recognized for her research on the larvicidal ability of Philippine medicinal plants, which can help decrease the risk of contracting Dengue fever through a natural insecticide specifically against mosquito larvae. For this same research, Torres previously received the 2018 Gregorio Y. Zara Award for Basic Science Research
The Asian Scientist 100, which is now on its fourth edition, acknowledges the achievements of scientists in the continent. According to its website, these scientists must have received a national or international prize for their research in the previous year. Alternatively, each one must have made a significant scientific discovery or provided leadership in academia or industry.
As part of the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) Division X-Chemical Sciences, Torres
has filed eight patents and produced a monograph “Screening for Larvicidal Activity of Philippine Medicinal Plants” from her NRCP funded research titled “Extraction, Characterization and Bio-assay for Larvicidal and Adulticidal Activity of Some Philippine Medicinal Plants.”
Torres is now part of a roster of renowned scientists in Asia. In its 2018 edition, another Thomasian, UST Faculty of Engineering Assistant Dean Ricardo Balog, was named ‘Asian Scientist 100.’
The full list can be accessed via: https://www.asianscientist.com/as100/
