Implementation period: February 2021 - February 2024

Funding Agency: Department of Science and Technology (DOST)

Monitoring Agency: DOST Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD)

Cooperating Agencies:

• • College of Public Health, UP Manila

  • College of Arts and Sciences, UP Manila

  • College of Arts and Sciences, UP Los Baños

  • UP Philippine General Hospital

  • Iligan Institute of Technology, Mindanao State University

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: Develop in vitro disease models for the investigation of cellular mechanisms driving HIV-related metabolic and neurocognitive disorders and to generate preclinical data for candidate drugs and natural products targeting HIV-related biomarkers

MAIN OUTPUTS:

• Filipino-based cellular disease models: The world’s first ever Filipino-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)

• Filipino iPSC-derived neuronal and endothelial cells

• Transgenic cellular disease models: Immune cell lines overexpressing HIV-related biomarkers

• Preclinical data for validation of biomarkers from Project 1 (CPH-UPM)

• Preclinical data for drugs, natural products and nutriceutical components from Project 3 (CS-UPM)

• Establish a disease modeling facility at MSU-IIT

Implementation period: April 2023 - April 2026

Funding Agency: Department of Science and Technology (DOST)

Monitoring Agency: DOST Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD)

Cooperating Agencies:

• • Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP)

  • College of Medicine, UP Manila

  • National Institutes of Health (NIH), UP Manila

  • De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute

  • Philippine Normal University

  • Department of Biochemistry, University of Sto. Tomas

  • TB-RePORT International - Philippines

  • Iligan Institute of Technology, Mindanao State University

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: Utilize advanced human cellular disease models to investigate the development of severe inflammatory symptoms and chronic post-infection lung complications of Filipino tuberculosis patients.

MAIN OUTPUTS:

• Biobank of Filipino disease models (Filipino iPSC lines) for future use in basic research

• Filipino iPSC-derived lung epithelial cells, monocytes and pulmonary fibroblasts

• 3D disease models: Air-liquid interface (ALI) cellular models for studying immune cell-lung interactions during complications of chronic tuberculosis

• In vitro mechanistic data supporting transcriptomic and genomic studies of Project 1-Omics (LCP, NIH-UPM)

• Pre-clinical data for immunotherapeutic strategies developed by Project 3-Biologics (CM-UPM, UST, De La Salle, PNU)

Implementation period: January 2024 - January 2027

Funding Agency: Department of Science and Technology (DOST)

Monitoring Agency: DOST Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD)

Cooperating Agencies:

• • National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI)

  • College of Medicine, UP Manila

  • College of Public Health, UP Manila

  • College of Science, De La Salle University Manila

  • Iligan Institute of Technology, Mindanao State University

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: (1) Generate in vitro disease models for the investigation of plasma-mediated molecular processes involved in the development of severe leptospirosis-induced complications such as pulmonary bleeding and kidney tissue rupture; (2) Identify useful biomarkers in patient cells that can be used for better prognosis, and eventually intervention to avoid mortality-causing complications; (3) Identify genotypes of interest that can contribute to the patient’s susceptibility and treatment response to leptospirosis induced complications.

MAIN OUTPUTS:

• Biobank of Filipino disease models (Filipino iPSC lines) for future use in basic research

• Filipino iPSC-derived endothelial cells and kidney cells

• Co-culture disease models: Air-liquid interface (ALI) cellular models for studying immune cell-lung interactions during complications of chronic tuberculosis

• In vitro mechanistic data supporting the clinical data of Project 1 (NKTI) and the validation of candidate prognostic markers for the development of microfluidic digital droplet PCR technology by Project 4 (De La Salle)

• Pre-clinical data for immunotherapeutic strategies developed by Project 3 (CPH-UPM)

Implementation period: July 2021 - September 2023

Funding Agency: Department of Science and Technology (DOST)

Monitoring Agency: DOST Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD)

Cooperating Agencies:

• • Department of Bioengineering, University of California Berkeley

  • National Institutes of Health (NIH), UP Manila

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: (1) To develop in vivo preclinical model for well-controlled screening for novel therapeutics that improve resistance to AMI and attenuate fibrosis during heart healing through blood apheresis; (2) To evaluate the effects of TPE and blood apheresis on the efficiency of regeneration of the heart.

MAIN OUTPUTS:

• Establishment of bio-imaging core facility at the Institute of Biology, UP Diliman

• Enhancement of experimental mice facility at NIH-UP Manila

• Generation of AMI mouse disease models through artificial simulation of a heart attack

• Application of mouse mini-apheresis technology from the University of California Berkeley

• Optimized TPE/apheresis protocol for enhanced resistance to cardio-vascular failure and improved recovery from AMI

• Preclinical data for initiating Phase I and II clinical trials for the safety and use of TPE/Apheresis for treating heart diseases