The promise of research

Recently, four students from the Manila Science High School won top honors at the SEAMEO Search for Young Scientists (SSYS) in Penang, Malaysia for their groundbreaking study on bacteria that can kill leukemia cells. SSYS is a biennial gathering of young scientists from the ASEAN region to present scientific and technological research projects.

Fourth-year high school students Emmanuel Delocado, Justine Timothy Cruz, Jose Noel Gamba and Edilberto Barcelona represented the Philippines. The group hypothesized that “bioluminescent” or glowing bacteria can direct cancer cells to kill themselves. Bioluminescence, or the biochemical process which makes fireflies glow, takes place in some fishes, insects, jellyfish, worms and other living organisms. Bioluminescent bacteria cause the rare “milky sea” phenomenon in the Indian Ocean where mariners report cruising through a sea glowing with a soft white light.

The students isolated and cultured Vibrio fischeri from fresh sea squids, and applied them to blood samples with leukemic cells. After 24 hours, the number of cancer cells decreased by as much as 6%. Once the method for extracting and isolating the bacteria is fully developed, it’s a potentially non-hazardous way to reduce cancer cells in leukemia patients.

Their achievement demonstrates that it is in research that scientists are able to push the frontiers of knowledge and find ways to improve our quality of life.

In an age where a country’s prosperity and growth are determined by innovation, we must support research through incentives that will keep our scientists in the country, give them enough flexibility to pursue their research agenda, create an environment of healthy competition, and establish a solid network of scientists and researchers. Further, we must encourage young scientists and get them interested in research even while they are students.

Research is where new ideas come from – the kinds of ideas that give us answers on what to do with chronic diseases, food and water shortage, or energy depletion. These are the kinds of ideas that help us respond to poverty and economic growth in strategic ways.