PCHRD News

: Administrator; Latest News; 26 April 2018; Hits: 2331

The Philippine Council for Health Research and Development held a forum on the TB Filipino Impact Testing (FIT): Impact Assessment of Diagnostic Algorithms and Tools for Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR-TB) and Drug Sensitive Tuberculosis (TB) in the Philippines last April 25, 2018 at the NIH Conference Room, UP Manila.

Proponent of the study Dr. Charles Yu of De La Salle Health Sciences Institute (DLSHSI) and Mr. Ewan Tomeny from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) in UK delivered the presentation on the initial results and future implications of the project on the cost effectiveness of TB diagnosis in the country.

TB FIT is one of the projects under the Newton Agham program under the Medical Research Council (MRC) – UK and PCHRD collaboration. The program extends assistance to projects that helps improve health outcomes through research-based solutions and innovations.

According to Dr. Yu, the study is being conducted to support the cost-effective roll-out of new tools and algorithms for the diagnosis of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis and drug-sensitive tuberculosis in the Philippines. He explained that this will lead to the delivery of improvement to TB/MDR-TB case detection in the Philippines, as well as promote the economic development and welfare of the country.

The project developed a computer model to assess the impacts of different diagnostic algorithms for TB including new and currently available tools. It was designed to represent patient pathways at specific sites that will be used to compare the impacts and cost-effectiveness of different diagnostic algorithms.

Initial results from modelling Cavite sites shows that rolling out GeneXpert as a replacement to microscopy is cost-effective where drug sensitive and MDR-TB cases are correctly treated. Moreover, it has been shown that most of the alternative diagnostic algorithms modelled would significantly reduce patient costs .

Mr. Ewan Tomeny discussed that the virtual implementation modelling can provide a better understanding of current and potential future patient pathways through visualization, comparison of options by projecting the patient and health systems evidence over extended timeframes, estimation of patient and health system costs, and assessment of incremental cost effectiveness of scale up.

The next stage of the research will look at data from additional provinces in the Philippines. Data will shortly be available for Davao and Bulacan. LSTM will support the DLSHSI and National TB Control Program (NTP) in using the models to evaluate alternative diagnostic algorithms in these provinces and then across the Philippines.

The forum was an opportune moment for researchers and medical practitioners to discuss and assess the current TB situation in the Philippines, most of them were interested in using the model and apply it to the detection of other diseases such as dengue or HIV.

TB FIT is one of the six projects of the 1^st cycle of the Newton Agham program that is able to produce quality results that impacts public health. Encouraged by the success of the first six projects in Cycle 1, the Medical Research Council – UK (MRC) and PCHRD launched the second cycle of the Newton Fund last March 2, 2017 where 12 concept proposals were shortlisted for full proposal development.

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Written by Catherine Joy C. Dimailig
Created: 26 April 2018

: Administrator; Latest News; 19 April 2018; Hits: 2558

Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) Executive Director, Dr. Jaime C. Montoya will lead the presentation of the accomplishments in health research and development at the 3rd National Research and Development Conference (NRDC) on 20 April 2018 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

Scientists and researchers of the country come together at the annual conference to present projects on five sector components: (1) basic research, (2) agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources, (3) health, (4) industry, energy, and emerging technology, and (5) disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

Underlining the Council’s support in every stage in health research, Dr. Montoya will discuss the Council’s accomplishments of the previous year and the exciting developments to look forward to this 2018.

The health sector will have a notable lineup of four speakers startingwith Dr. Mario V. Capanzana of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute who will talk about the Malnutrition Reduction Program.

Dr. Raul V. Destura of UP Manila and the Philippine Genome Center will be presenting “Lab-in-a-Mug Project: How Dengue brought us together,” highlighting the development and the process behind the affordable, accurate, and rapid test kit for accurate detection of dengue infection—Biotek-M^TM Dengue aqua kit. Biotek-M^TM recently received a gold medal at the Salon International des Inventions de Genève.

The “Axis Knee System: Confidence in Every Step” by Dr. Ilustre I. Guloy of the Orthopaedic International Inc. and Asian Hospital and Medical Center will discuss the cost-efficient, simple, and revolutionary knee replacement system that is now commercially available for individuals suffering from severe osteoarthritis.

Dr. Evangeline C. Amor will be discussing one of the projects under the Tuklas Lunas Program: Discovery and Development of Health Products: Terrestrial Herbals and Drug Candidates, a collaborative research program among institutions across the country. Supplements and medicine for disease such as diabetes, inflammation and pain, hypertension and high cholesterol, gout, and microbial infection could be made available through the discoveries of the projects.

The conference will showcase updates on the Harmonized National R&D Agenda (HRNDA 2017-2022). NRDC is an annual gathering to consult and gather inputs of government agencies, private R&D institutions, the academe, industry, and other concerned agencies for research and development plans and programs.

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Written by Reuben Andrew R. Razal
Created: 19 April 2018

: Administrator; Latest News; 19 April 2018; Hits: 3681

BIOTEK-M^TM Dengue Aqua Kit , a Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) assisted technology, was one of the gold awardees during the 46th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva held on 11-15 April 2018 at Palexpo, Geneva.

Engr. Edgar Garcia, Director of Technology Application and Promotion Institute (DOST-TAPI), and Ambassador Evan Garcia, Representative of the Philippines to UN and Other International Organizations in Geneva, accepted the award for the Filipino Inventions and DOST-assisted technologies - Smart Surface and BIOTEK-M during the event.

BIOTEK-M is an affordable and locally developed rapid test kit for accurate detection of dengue infection within an hour. It is part of the “Lab-in-a-Mug Project” where diagnostic kits are integrated in an isothermal unit as small as a “mug” which functions as a diagnostic device similar to a portable laboratory. The local innovation has high sensitivity, high specificity, robust, and is less expensive than current diagnostic tests in the market.

It was created by experts from the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines Manila led by Dr. Raul Destura. BIOTEK-M was developed through funding from DOST, PCHRD, and its commercialization is supported by TAPI.

The development of the technology generated the first spin-off company from the University of the Philippines since 1908, the Manila Healthtek, Inc. The R&D company on health biotechnology focuses on developing and providing affordable diagnostic technologies for communicable and non-communicable diseases.

BIOTEK-M was one of the thousand inventions on display during the international exhibition. Inventions related to health, medicine, environment and safety had the strongest presence during the show. In fact, the Grand Prix is a medical invention from Hong Kong, a multi-segment lens for glasses designed to defocus short-sighted vision which enables myopia to be controlled.

The exhibition is regarded as the world's most important event exclusively dedicated to inventions and a unique marketplace for industry professionals. This year, the annual exhibition attracted 31,050 visitors, 822 exhibitors, and 1000 innovations from more than 40 countries.

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Written by Jessica Marie R. Suerte
Created: 19 April 2018

: Administrator; Latest News; 10 April 2018; Hits: 2387

In Zumarraga town in Samar, an Inter-island Health Referral System - Strengthening through one facility, one health service boat project was adopted to address access barriers to women in need of facility-based deliveries. Dr. Katerina Nono-Abiertas, founder of the One Health Service boat, explains that the set-up enables patients to access health centers by having boats ferry them to maternity units.

Initially, they started with one boat that had to cater 25 barangays in Zumarraga. At present, four low-cost, fuel-efficient, and cost effective service boats were added to the fleet after donations came in from other doctors.

According to the Asian Development Bank, there are 114 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in the Philippines in 2017. Through facility and service improvements and promotion of facility-based deliveries, an increase in facility-based births results in fewer women dying at home and better postpartum care. But for geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA), reaching the said facilities prove to be a significant hurdle.

Dr. Nono-Abiertas shared that by training health personnel, engaging the mayor and barangay health workers, developing an ordinance, and creating a hotline to contact the center, they were able to develop a system that not only provided access to GIDAs, but they also managed to change the delivery of health services and enhanced the health workers’ motivation.

The innovation is in the financial model which was developed to create sustainability by upgrading and expanding maternal health facilities to become accredited by PhilHealth, which in turn, will enable the facility to receive reimbursements to fund the operation and maintenance of the sea ambulances. Through this set-up, facility-based deliveries rose from 20% to 90%, created employment for men as boat operators, and improved the health workers’ morale and motivation.

Dr. Nono-Abiertas emphasized in her presentation the need to care for health workers, saying “If we really want people-centered health systems, people should not come first, health workers should come first,” and that by ensuring the people working on the ground are cared for, effective patient care will follow.

Lastly, she added the importance of first-hand field experience and empathizing with the community, inviting other researchers and stakeholders to visit the field and find time to work with the communities.

The One Health Boat project is one of the top five models of social innovations in the country recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI). Dr. Nono-Abiertas was invited to be part of the panel discussion on Research on Social Innovations in Health during PCHRD’s 36th anniversary celebration on March 16 at the Philippine International Convention Center.

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Written by Reuben Andrew R. Razal
Created: 10 April 2018

: Administrator; Latest News; 04 April 2018; Hits: 2211

WHO Scientist Dr. Bernadette Ramirez gave emphasis on the importance of participatory research in health during her keynote speech at the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development 36th Anniversary last March 16, 2018 at the Philippine International Convention Center, Roxas Boulevard, Manila.

According to Dr. Ramirez, one of the objectives of participatory research in health studies is capacity building. “We actually have one goal which is capacity building for research. Capacity building means strengthening our ties with individuals and communities through involvement when it comes to health research and innovation.”

Dr. Ramirez defined community involvement as a process of engaging with communities to form a dialogue and/or collaboration at the grass roots level. She explained that in health research, including people in the process means providing what the people actually needs instead of delivering research results and research products aimlessly.

Participatory research sees communities as co-producer of knowledge and action. She added that the benefits of including individuals and communities in the dialogue of health research and innovation does not only encourage them to take action and responsibility for their own health but also fosters change in people.

She stated that the problem in the current health research practices is the need of the communities, “Ang mentality kasi natin ay one-size fits all; we forget that in health research, we are actually dealing with people. We need transformative change. We don’t want to be stuck in one size fits all because people come in different shapes and sizes.”

Dr. Ramirez explained that we should move forward from this practice and start banking on personalized healthcare that is more understanding of what is important to the people and community. The on-going evolution and demand for quality healthcare necessitate a parallel need for professional development with guided principle that is rooted in the needs of the people.

She urges everyone to take part in creating and providing a better healthcare to millions of Filipinos. Dr. Ramirez said, “Health research is multi-trans disciplinary; we need to combine our expertise. We have to understand our problems together. Healthcare is a complex problem and a complex problem requires a complete set of system to address that problem.”

In the end, she reiterated and reminded everyone that research on social innovation in health accompanied by community involvement is key in developing better healthcare system and programs.

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Written by Catherine Joy C. Dimailig
Created: 04 April 2018

: Latest News; 23 February 2018; Hits: 3348

PROGRAM UPDATE- Dr. Bernadette Ramirez, World Health Organization’s (WHO) Scientist, will deliver the keynote address for the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development’s (PCHRD) 36^th anniversary celebration on 16 March 2018 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

Dr. Bernadette Ramirez joined the WHO-Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) in June 2007 with over 20 years academic and research experience in health product innovation, drug discovery, vaccines, and the development of diagnostics for infectious tropical diseases.

She provides support and coordinates projects that studies population health vulnerabilities, vector-borne diseases, and ways to increase population resilience against the climate change impact in Africa.

Joining Dr. Ramirez as guest speakers are Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato de la Peña, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque, and UP Manila Professor Mary Ann Lansang.

The 36^th anniversary celebration will highlight social innovations in health. Part of the program is the recognition of good practices in social innovation in health including the winners of the 2017 Search for PHL Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI) Solutions.

A panel discussion follows which will discuss opportunities and appropriate frameworks on social innovation in health research. Panelists include University of the Philippines (UP) Manila Professor Noel Juban, UP School of Economics Professor Aleli Kraft, Ateneo De Manila University Institute of Philippine Culture Research Associate Dennis Batangan, and One Health Boat Project Founder Katerina Nono-Abiertas.

Awarding of newly accredited Research Ethics Committees (RECs) and winners of the “Visualize Health Research: Visual Abstract Contest” will also be conducted.

PCHRD is the national coordinating and monitoring body for health research. For more details, visit www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook (/dostpchrd) and follow us on Twitter (@DOST_PCHRD)!

Tags: PCHRD, PCHRD Anniversary, social innovations, health research

: Latest News; 29 January 2018; Hits: 3735

The World Health Organization (WHO) describes social innovations as “novel ways to implement comprehensive solutions by engaging and collaborating with actors across hierarchies and sectors.”

On its 36^th anniversary, the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) will highlight social innovations in health research. The celebration will take place on 16 March 2018 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

According to Dr. Jaime Montoya, PCHRD Executive Director, the Council wants to discuss and emphasize relevant researches that empowers individuals and communities to achieve their optimum potential.

“In the current innovation ecosystem, there is a gap on what we think is the best way of ensuring that innovations will benefit our community. Social innovation is the key as it provides unique lens to tackle complex healthcare delivery challenges as well as combine best practices across range of disciplines,” Dr. Montoya explained.

Highlight of the program is the recognition of good social innovation practices in health including the winners of the 2017 Search for PHL Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI) Solutions. The Call aims to honor innovations that demonstrate inclusivity, affordability, and effectiveness in health care in the country.

A panel discussion will also be held to discuss opportunities and appropriate frameworks for social innovation in health research. Invited panelists include University of the Philippines (UP) Manila Professor Noel Juban, UP School of Economics Professor Aleli Kraft, Ateneo De Manila University Institute of Philippine Culture Research Associate Dennis Batangan, and Surigao del Norte Municipality of Del Carmen Mayor Alfredo Coro.

Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato de la Peña, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque, and UP Manila Professor Mary Ann Lansang are expected to grace the event.

PCHRD is the national coordinating and monitoring body for health research. For the updated program, visit www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook (/dostpchrd) and follow us on Twitter (@DOST_PCHRD)!

Tags: PCHRD, PCHRD36

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