In the recently concluded 47th Annual Scientific Meeting of the National Academy of Science and Technology, six Thomasian researchers were recognized for their work, July 9-10, 2025, at the Manila Hotel.
Dominican-Molecular Biologist fr. Nicanor Austriaco, O.P., and Department of Biological Sciences faculty member Inst. Joe Anthony H. Manzano, MSc, won the Best Scientific Poster Award under the biological sciences division for work entitled “Molecular Investigations on the Polypharmacological Mechanisms of Rugulosin A, an Anthraquinone Derived from the Fungal Endophyte Diaporthe perseae,” a study that zeroes in at Rugulosin A and how it works in the body and affects multiple biological targets.
Manzano and Prof. Mario A. Tan, PhD, of the Department of Chemistry, claimed the Best Scientific Poster Award in the health sciences division for their study “Pandanus amaryllifolius Roxb. Extracts and Alkaloids Confer Dual-Targeting Mechanistic Effects Against Alzheimer’s Disease by Inhibiting Amyloid-beta Aggregation and Formation of Advanced Glycation End-products In Vitro and In Silico.”
Assoc. Prof. Alan Rodelle M. Salcedo, PhD, Department of Chemistry chair, received the Best Scientific Poster Award for the study “Dithizone-Modified Paper Sensor Coupled with Smartphone Colorimetry for Cadmium (II) Detection.” The study collaborated with alumni Trisha Gahol, Bea Panopio, and Ian Halim.
Prof. Cecilia B. Moran, Dr. rer. nat. of the Department of Biological Sciences earned the NAST Environmental Science special citation for her study titled “Surveys, Assessments and Environmental Monitoring of Key Economic Activities and Livelihoods Associated in the Mangroves (SAKALAM) of Del Carmen, Siargao Island”, a study conducted in support of the successful designation of the Del Carmen Mangrove Forest as a Ramsar site.
Asst. Prof. Ernesto Paruli, III of the Department of Chemistry also received a special citation in the NAST Talent Search for Young Scientists for his study, “A General Photoinferter Approach to the Surface Functionalization of Acyclic and Methacrylic Structures Written by Two-Photon Stereolithography.”
Austriaco, Moran, Salcedo, and Tan are researchers fellows of Research Center for the Natural Sciences and Applied Sciences (RCNAS).Â
With the theme “Bioscience Innovations: Transforming Enterprise Ecosystems for Wealth Creation,” the meeting hosted plenary sessions, exhibits, and a poster session that discussed cutting-edge bioscience conversations and applications for enterprise and economic growth.
First reported in the Varsitarian
