Dr. Saloma and his team have invented a method for inducing highly localized light absorption in materials via two-color (two-photon) excitation (2CE). Compared to conventional methods, including two-photon single color excitation, two-color fluorescence excitation results in a higher spatial resolution. Furthermore, it is robust against effects of two-beam interference and breakdowns in confocality of the [...]
Through the advanced technology developed by Dr. Ramos and his research team, it is now possible to enhance the lifetime of tools through coating. A magnetized sheet plasma source provides a wear-resistant titanium nitride (TiN) tool coating at less than a quarter of the cost of carbide coating and similar techniques. The coating process is [...]
Two cytotoxic marine natural products, heptyl prodigiosin and adociaquinone B, each with significant cytotoxicity to human cancer cell lines and with a different mechanism of action, were combined in different proportions. These combinations were shown to be synergistic or more cytotoxic to the human cancer cell lines than when each compound was applied individually. Patent [...]
The out-of-patent anticancer drug mitoxantrone was chemically synthesized via a different synthetic route from that published in the literature. The synthesis was achieved and optimized in a Philippine setting, considering the availability of reagents and the limitation of experimental setups for chemical synthesis. Mitoxantrone has the same efficacy as the standard, widely used anticancer drug [...]
A marine microorganism isolated from a marine sponge collected in the Philippines produces the compound hetylprodigiosin in significant quantity when cultured in the laboratory. The microorganism was characterized and identified to be novel. Heptyl prodigiosin exhibits antimicrobial and cytotoxic properties. Patent Application Status: Philippine Patent Pending Application No.: 1-2002-000516 About the Inventor: Gisela P. Concepcion [...]
Dr. Saloma and his team developed a microscopic imaging technique that effectively discriminates between semiconductor and metal materials in an integrated circuit. This was done by utilizing one-photon optical beam-induced current (1P-OBIC) and confocal reflectance images, which are both generated using the same excitation laser beam. Compared to the two-photon optical beam-induced current imaging that [...]
A prototype cancer immunodiagnostic kit was developed which detects the presence of the pancarcinomic tumor antigen TAG-72 in serum. This ELISA sandwich method makes use of the monoclonal antibodies against TAG-72, namely: CC92 as capture antibody and CC49 as detecting antibody. When TAG-72 levels are measured in parallel with CEA levels (standard cancer diagnostic), monitoring [...]
A mouse tumor model was developed that allows the preliminary testing of candidate therapeutic antibodies and antibody conjugates targeted to the human pancarcinomic tumor antigen TAG-72. A mouse tumor antigen, expressed on the surface of mouse mammary tumors growing in mice, is detected by the TAG-72 monoclonal antibody CC49 by immunohistochemistry. The mammary tumor in [...]
Two novel cyclic hexapeptides, microcionamides A and B, which are geometric isomers, were isolated from a sponge collected in the Philippines. These compounds exhibit significant cytotoxicity and induce apoptosis (programmed cell death in human cancer cell lines. About the Inventor: Gisela P. Concepcion Current Position: Associate Professor, Marine Science Institute, UP Diliman Q.C. Research Interests: [...]
Dr. Rivera and his team developed a fast, accurate and convenient detection kit for Entamoeba histolytica, the pathogen that causes amebiasis. The Salivary IgA E. histolytica detection kit is more accurate and less time-consuming than traditional methods of identifying E. histolytica such as microscopy. The kit is self-contained and results can be read without the [...]
