MD-PhD Molecular Medicine Program

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MD-PhD Molecular Medicine Program The programโ€™s goal is to develop medical doctors with a strong background in basic and/or clinical research as part of their biomedical career.

The MD-PhD (Molecular Medicine) Program proudly congratulates ๐‰๐ž๐ซ๐ž๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐€. ๐‚๐ž๐ซ๐ข๐š๐ฅ๐ž๐ฌ (๐๐š๐ญ๐œ๐ก ๐Ÿ–) on his successful ๐น๐‘–๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐ท๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘ ๐‘’...
18/09/2026

The MD-PhD (Molecular Medicine) Program proudly congratulates ๐‰๐ž๐ซ๐ž๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐€. ๐‚๐ž๐ซ๐ข๐š๐ฅ๐ž๐ฌ (๐๐š๐ญ๐œ๐ก ๐Ÿ–) on his successful ๐น๐‘–๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐ท๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐ท๐‘’๐‘“๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ ๐‘’, held on September 15, 2026, via Zoom.

Jeremy presented his dissertation entitled โ€œ๐‘ฐ๐’…๐’†๐’๐’•๐’Š๐’‡๐’š๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ ๐‘ด๐’–๐’•๐’‚๐’•๐’Š๐’๐’๐’” ๐‘จ๐’”๐’”๐’๐’„๐’Š๐’‚๐’•๐’†๐’… ๐’˜๐’Š๐’•๐’‰ ๐‘ด๐’‚๐’๐’Š๐’ˆ๐’๐’‚๐’๐’• ๐‘ป๐’“๐’‚๐’๐’”๐’‡๐’๐’“๐’Ž๐’‚๐’•๐’Š๐’๐’ ๐’๐’‡ ๐‘ถ๐’“๐’‚๐’ ๐‘ท๐’“๐’†๐’Ž๐’‚๐’๐’Š๐’ˆ๐’๐’‚๐’๐’„๐’š ๐’‚๐’๐’… ๐‘ช๐’‰๐’‚๐’“๐’‚๐’„๐’•๐’†๐’“๐’Š๐’›๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ ๐‘ท๐’‰๐’š๐’”๐’Š๐’๐’๐’๐’ˆ๐’Š๐’„ ๐’‚๐’๐’… ๐‘ป๐’“๐’‚๐’๐’”๐’„๐’“๐’Š๐’‘๐’•๐’๐’Ž๐’Š๐’„ ๐‘ช๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’ˆ๐’†๐’” ๐‘จ๐’‡๐’•๐’†๐’“ ๐‘ช๐‘น๐‘ฐ๐‘บ๐‘ท๐‘น-๐‘ช๐’‚๐’”9 ๐‘ฒ๐’๐’๐’„๐’Œ๐’๐’–๐’•โ€.

His dissertation was conducted under the guidance of his ๐‘Ž๐‘‘๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ, ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐‹๐ž๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ข๐ž ๐Œ๐ข๐œ๐ก๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ž ๐Œ. ๐ƒ๐š๐ฅ๐ฆ๐š๐œ๐ข๐จ, from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of UP College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila, and ๐‘๐‘œ-๐‘Ž๐‘‘๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ, ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐—๐ข๐š๐จ ๐™๐ก๐š๐จ, from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.

This milestone marks another significant step in Jeremyโ€™s journey as a physician-scientist, reflecting his dedication to advancing biomedical research and contributing to a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying disease.

Congratulations, Jeremy, on this important achievement! May this milestone be a meaningful step forward in your continued journey in medicine, research, and scientific discovery. ๐ŸŽ“๐Ÿ”ฌโœจ

๐Ÿงฌ๐Ÿ”ฌ ๐„๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐€๐ฌ๐ข๐š๐ง ๐†๐ฎ๐ญ ๐Œ๐ข๐œ๐ซ๐จ๐›๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐žA seminar on gut microbiota and its dietary adaptation, entitled โ€œ๐ƒ๐ข๐ž๐ญ๐š๐ซ๐ฒ ๐€๐๐š๐ฉ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ข...
11/09/2026

๐Ÿงฌ๐Ÿ”ฌ ๐„๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐€๐ฌ๐ข๐š๐ง ๐†๐ฎ๐ญ ๐Œ๐ข๐œ๐ซ๐จ๐›๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐ž

A seminar on gut microbiota and its dietary adaptation, entitled โ€œ๐ƒ๐ข๐ž๐ญ๐š๐ซ๐ฒ ๐€๐๐š๐ฉ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐†๐ฎ๐ญ ๐Œ๐ข๐œ๐ซ๐จ๐›๐ข๐จ๐ญ๐š: ๐ˆ๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐€๐ฌ๐ข๐š๐ง ๐Œ๐ข๐œ๐ซ๐จ๐›๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐ž ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฃ๐ž๐œ๐ญ,โ€ was held last ๐ด๐‘ข๐‘”๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘ก 11, 2026, at the ๐‘‰๐‘–๐‘๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘’ ๐‘‡๐‘–๐‘ข ๐ฟ๐‘–๐‘š ๐ถ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘“๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘…๐‘œ๐‘œ๐‘š, ๐‘ˆ๐‘ƒ ๐ถ๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘™๐‘’๐‘”๐‘’ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘€๐‘’๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘๐‘–๐‘›๐‘’.

The seminar featured ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐‰๐ข๐ซ๐จ ๐๐š๐ค๐š๐ฒ๐š๐ฆ๐š, Professor from Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan, who shared insights into the relationship between diet and the gut microbiota, drawing from research conducted through the ๐ด๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘Ž๐‘› ๐‘€๐‘–๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’ ๐‘ƒ๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘—๐‘’๐‘๐‘ก.

Dr. Nakayama is the Lead Investigator of the Asian Microbiome Project, an international research consortium involving 20 institutions across 10 countries. As a leading expert in gut microbiome research, he has authored nearly 200 peer-reviewed publications and numerous review articles in the field.

The seminar was held as part of ongoing efforts to foster research collaboration and scientific exchange in the field of gut microbiomics, including initiatives exploring its applications to nutrition and health among Filipino populations.

The event provided an enriching opportunity for faculty, researchers, students, and members of the UP College of Medicine community to learn from an internationally recognized expert and gain deeper insights into the evolving field of gut microbiome research.

๐‘Š๐‘’ ๐‘’๐‘ฅ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘๐‘–๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐ท๐‘Ÿ. ๐ฝ๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘˜๐‘Ž๐‘ฆ๐‘Ž๐‘š๐‘Ž ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘’๐‘ฅ๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘’ ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘œ ๐‘—๐‘œ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ข๐‘  ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘”๐‘Ž๐‘”๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘ ๐‘๐‘–๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘“๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘ฅ๐‘โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘”๐‘’. ๐Ÿงฌโœจ

๐ŸŽ‰ Research Publication Spotlight ๐ŸŽ‰We are delighted to celebrate another research publication highlighting the collaborat...
04/09/2026

๐ŸŽ‰ Research Publication Spotlight ๐ŸŽ‰

We are delighted to celebrate another research publication highlighting the collaborative efforts of the MD-PhD community, together with their co-authors, in advancing research in maternal-fetal health.

The research article, "๐ป๐‘–๐‘”โ„Ž ๐‘”๐‘™๐‘ข๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘’ ๐‘’๐‘ฅ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘ข๐‘๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘“๐‘“๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘โ„Ž๐‘ฆ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘”๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘”๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘“๐‘’๐‘ก๐‘œ-๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘“๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘™๐‘™๐‘ ," was published in the ๐ฝ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐ธ๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘œ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘”๐‘ฆ.

It features the contributions of ๐Œ๐ฌ. ๐†๐ฅ๐ž๐ง๐ฆ๐š๐ซ๐ข๐ž ๐€๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ฅ๐ข๐œ๐š ๐’. ๐๐ž๐ซ๐ข๐š๐ฌ (MD-PhD Batch 8 student), ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐Ž๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฅ๐š๐ ๐€๐ฅ๐ณ๐ž๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐†. ๐“๐š๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ง๐ ๐œ๐จ (MD-PhD Batch 5 alumnus), and ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐‹๐ž๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ข๐ž ๐Œ๐ข๐œ๐ก๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ž ๐Œ. ๐ƒ๐š๐ฅ๐ฆ๐š๐œ๐ข๐จ (MD-PhD Mentor), together with their co-authors, Ana Paula Pereira Guimaraes, Lauren S. Richardson, Ananth Kumar Kammala, and ๐ท๐‘Ÿ. ๐‘…๐‘Ž๐‘š๐‘˜๐‘ข๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ ๐‘€๐‘’๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘›.

The research was conducted through the ๐ƒ๐ž๐ฉ๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐Ž๐›๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐†๐ฒ๐ง๐ž๐œ๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐”๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐“๐ž๐ฑ๐š๐ฌ ๐Œ๐ž๐๐ข๐œ๐š๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ก ๐š๐ญ ๐†๐š๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ง, as part of the MD-PhD sandwich program, with ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐‘๐š๐ฆ๐ค๐ฎ๐ฆ๐š๐ซ ๐Œ๐ž๐ง๐จ๐ง serving as co-adviser from the host institution.

The study investigates the effects of high glucose exposure on cells at the feto-maternal interface, providing insights into the pathophysiological changes associated with elevated glucose conditions and their potential implications for maternal-fetal health.

๐Ÿ”— DOI: https://doi.org/10.1530/JOE-25-0411

Congratulations to the authors on this achievement and for contributing to research that advances our understanding of maternal-fetal health!

๐ŸŽ‰ Research Publication Spotlight ๐ŸŽ‰We are delighted to celebrate another research publication highlighting the contributi...
28/08/2026

๐ŸŽ‰ Research Publication Spotlight ๐ŸŽ‰

We are delighted to celebrate another research publication highlighting the contributions of the MD-PhD community, together with their co-authors, in advancing cancer research.

The research article, "๐๐ˆ๐“๐Ÿ ๐š๐ฌ ๐š๐ง ๐„๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐ž๐œ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐„๐†๐…๐‘-๐“๐Š๐ˆ-๐ข๐ง๐๐ฎ๐œ๐ž๐ ๐€๐ฉ๐จ๐ฉ๐ญ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฏ๐ข๐š ๐“๐‹๐„๐Ÿ ๐ˆ๐ง๐ก๐ข๐›๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ง ๐‹๐ฎ๐ง๐  ๐€๐๐ž๐ง๐จ๐œ๐š๐ซ๐œ๐ข๐ง๐จ๐ฆ๐š ๐‚๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ," was published in ๐ด๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘…๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘โ„Ž.

It features the contribution of ๐Œ๐ฌ. ๐Œ๐š ๐‚๐š๐ซ๐ฆ๐ž๐ฅ๐š ๐ƒ๐ž๐ฅ๐š ๐‚๐ซ๐ฎ๐ณ (๐Œ๐ƒ-๐๐ก๐ƒ ๐๐š๐ญ๐œ๐ก ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ), together with her co-authors, ๐‘‹๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘Œ๐‘Ž๐‘œ, ๐ด๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘—๐‘Žโ„Ž ๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘ฆ, ๐ฝ๐‘Ž๐‘š๐‘’๐‘  ๐ต๐‘Ž๐‘–๐‘™๐‘’๐‘ฆ, ๐‘€๐‘–๐‘๐‘Žโ„Ž ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘™๐‘ , ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐๐š๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐ค ๐. ๐Œ๐ž๐๐ข๐ง๐š (๐Œ๐ƒ-๐๐ก๐ƒ ๐Œ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐จ๐ซ), ๐‘…๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ค๐‘’๐‘– ๐ถโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘›, and ๐ป๐‘’๐‘๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐ต๐‘–๐‘™๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘›.

The study investigates the role of BIT1 in EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI)-induced apoptosis in lung adenocarcinoma cells, particularly through the inhibition of TLE1. The findings provide further insight into the molecular mechanisms involved in cancer cell death and may contribute to the understanding of therapeutic responses in lung adenocarcinoma.

๐Ÿ”— ๐ƒ๐Ž๐ˆ: https://doi.org/10.21873/anticanres.18075

Congratulations to Ms. Dela Cruz and her co-authors on this achievement and for contributing to research that advances our understanding of cancer biology and potential therapeutic strategies!

๐–๐ž๐ฅ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž, ๐Œ๐ƒ-๐๐ก๐ƒ ๐’๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐š๐ญ๐œ๐ก ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ•!The MD-PhD Committee welcomed the newest members of the MD-PhD (Molecular Medicine) Pr...
21/08/2026

๐–๐ž๐ฅ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž, ๐Œ๐ƒ-๐๐ก๐ƒ ๐’๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐š๐ญ๐œ๐ก ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ•!

The MD-PhD Committee welcomed the newest members of the MD-PhD (Molecular Medicine) Program through the ๐’๐œ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐š๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐€๐ ๐ซ๐ž๐ž๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐’๐ข๐ ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐  held on ๐€๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ–, ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ”.

Six (6) students will comprise the 17th Batch of the program, embarking on their journey toward becoming physician-scientists dedicated to advancing biomedical research and improving health outcomes.

The ceremony brought together the scholars, their families, and representatives from the University of the Philippines Manila and the Department of Science and Technologyโ€“Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) to mark this important milestone in their MD-PhD journey.

We extend our warmest congratulations and best wishes to the scholars of Batch 17! May this new chapter be filled with meaningful discoveries, meaningful collaborations, and opportunities to make a lasting contribution to science and medicine.

We would also like to express our heartfelt appreciation to the Batch 17 students and their families for being part of this momentous occasion.

Special thanks are also given to:

DOST-PCHRD USEC Leah J. Buendia
UP Manila Chancellor, Dr. Michael L. Tee
UP College of Medicine Dean, Dr. Charlotte M. Chiong
MD-PhD Program Coordinator, Dr. Leslie Michelle M. Dalmacio
MD-PhD Assistant Program Coordinator, Dr. Ryan Cristian Lintao
MD-PhD Faculty, Dr. Maria Llaine J. Callanta
Chief, PCHRD-IDD, Ms. Joana A. America
Supervising SRS, Ms. Lucila E. Roja
Head, PCHRD - Scholarships, Grants, and Awards, Ms. Jessica Marie R. Suerte
Program Managers, PCHRD - Local Graduate Scholarship, Ms. Evony C. Gualbertoo and Ms. Fritzhane L. Anthony
MD-PhD Faculty Members
Dr. Leslie Faye Cando

๐‚๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ž๐ฅ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž, ๐๐š๐ญ๐œ๐ก ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ•! ๐ŸŽ‰

Your journey as future physician-scientists begins here. May you continue to learn, discover, and make a difference through science and medicine. ๐Ÿ’™

๐ŸŽ“โœจ ๐‚๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐Œ๐ƒ-๐๐ก๐ƒ ๐†๐ซ๐š๐๐ฎ๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ฌ! โœจ๐ŸŽ“Today, we celebrate the graduation of eight outstanding members of the MD-...
13/08/2026

๐ŸŽ“โœจ ๐‚๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐Œ๐ƒ-๐๐ก๐ƒ ๐†๐ซ๐š๐๐ฎ๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ฌ! โœจ๐ŸŽ“

Today, we celebrate the graduation of eight outstanding members of the MD-PhD (Molecular Medicine) Program who have reached an important milestone in their journey as physician-scientists.

The Program proudly congratulates:

๐ŸŽ“ ๐๐š๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐ค ๐‰๐จ๐ฌ๐ž๐ฆ๐š๐ซ๐ข๐š ๐ƒ.๐‘. ๐€๐ฅ๐ญ๐š๐ฏ๐š๐ฌ
๐ŸŽ“ ๐ƒ๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐œ ๐Š๐š๐ซ๐ฅ ๐Œ. ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐š๐ฌ
๐ŸŽ“ ๐‹๐ž๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ข๐ž ๐…๐š๐ฒ๐ž ๐“. ๐‚๐š๐ง๐๐จ
๐ŸŽ“ ๐‰๐จ๐š๐ง๐š ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐ข๐ž ๐‚. ๐‚๐ซ๐ฎ๐ณ
๐ŸŽ“ ๐Œ๐ข๐œ๐ก๐š๐ž๐ฅ ๐‘๐จ๐ฒ ๐•. ๐Œ๐š๐ฅ๐š๐ฅ๐ฎ๐š๐ง
๐ŸŽ“ ๐‰๐จ๐ฒ ๐•๐š๐ง๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ๐š ๐ƒ. ๐๐ž๐ซ๐ž๐ณ
๐ŸŽ“ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐š๐ง ๐€๐ง๐๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐ก ๐‹. ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ
๐ŸŽ“ ๐€๐›๐ซ๐š๐ก๐š๐ฆ ๐‚. ๐’๐ข๐š๐ง๐จ๐ฒ๐š

Their journeys through the MD-PhD Program have been marked by dedication, perseverance, and a commitment to both medical practice and scientific discovery. As they complete this chapter, they carry with them the knowledge, skills, and experiences gained through years of rigorous training in medicine and research.

May this milestone mark not only the culmination of their hard work, but also the beginning of new opportunities to make meaningful contributions to medicine, science, and the Filipino community.

The MD-PhD Program is proud to celebrate this achievement with you and wishes you all the best as you embark on the next chapter of your journey as physician-scientists. ๐Ÿ’™

๐ŸŽ‰๐‚๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐ข๐š ๐‹๐ฅ๐š๐ข๐ง๐ž ๐‰. ๐‚๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐ญ๐š!๐ŸŽ‰ We proudly congratulate Dr. Maria Llaine J. Callanta, an MD-PhD Batch...
30/07/2026

๐ŸŽ‰๐‚๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐ข๐š ๐‹๐ฅ๐š๐ข๐ง๐ž ๐‰. ๐‚๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐ญ๐š!๐ŸŽ‰

We proudly congratulate Dr. Maria Llaine J. Callanta, an MD-PhD Batch 1 alumna and current mentor of the MD-PhD Program, for receiving the ๐“๐จ๐ฉ ๐“๐ก๐ซ๐ž๐ž ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐€๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐ in the ๐…๐š๐œ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐‘๐ž๐ฌ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐œ๐ก ๐‚๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ during the ๐Ÿ“๐Ÿ–๐ญ๐ก ๐€๐๐Œ๐‚ ๐€๐ง๐ง๐ฎ๐š๐ฅ ๐‚๐จ๐ง๐ฏ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง, held on ๐ฝ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘ฆ 15โ€“17, 2026 at the INC Museum Lobby and Eduardo V. Manalo (EVM) Convention Center in Quezon City.

The recognition was awarded for her poster presentation entitled:
โ€œ๐บ๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘€๐‘–๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’ ๐‘ƒ๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘“๐‘–๐‘™๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘†๐‘–๐‘›๐‘”๐‘™๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘๐‘™๐‘’๐‘œ๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘‘๐‘’ ๐‘ƒ๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘ฆ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘š (๐‘†๐‘๐‘ƒ๐‘ ) ๐‘‰๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘–๐‘‘๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘Ž๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘” ๐น๐‘–๐‘™๐‘–๐‘๐‘–๐‘›๐‘œ ๐‘†๐‘ฆ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘š๐‘–๐‘ ๐ฟ๐‘ข๐‘๐‘ข๐‘  ๐ธ๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘ข๐‘  ๐‘ƒ๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘ : ๐ด๐‘› ๐‘ˆ๐‘๐‘‘๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘š ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘†๐‘€๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐น๐‘–๐‘™๐‘–๐‘๐‘–๐‘›๐‘œ ๐‘ƒ๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘ƒ๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘—๐‘’๐‘๐‘ก.โ€

Presented under this year's convention theme, "๐‘€๐‘’๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐ธ๐‘‘๐‘ข๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐ถ๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘  ๐‘…๐‘œ๐‘Ž๐‘‘๐‘ : ๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘โ„Ž ๐‘Š๐‘Ž๐‘ฆ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐บ๐‘œ?", Dr. Callanta's work showcases the vital role of research in advancing precision medicine and improving health outcomes for Filipino patients through innovative and locally relevant scientific inquiry.

This achievement reflects her unwavering dedication to research excellence and her invaluable contributions to medical education and translational health research.

Once again, congratulations, Dr. Callanta, on this well-deserved recognition! Your passion for advancing science continues to inspire the academic and medical community. ๐Ÿ‘๐ŸŽ‰

๐˜พ๐™Š๐™‰๐™‚๐™๐˜ผ๐™๐™๐™‡๐˜ผ๐™๐™„๐™Š๐™‰๐™Ž! โœจ๐Ÿ†The MD-PhD Program proudly congratulates ๐™Ž๐™๐™–๐™ช๐™œ๐™๐™ฃ ๐˜ฟ๐™ค๐™ข๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™ž๐™˜ ๐™ˆ. ๐™‹๐™–๐™™๐™ค๐™ฃ of the MD-PhD Batch 16 for winning ...
20/07/2026

๐˜พ๐™Š๐™‰๐™‚๐™๐˜ผ๐™๐™๐™‡๐˜ผ๐™๐™„๐™Š๐™‰๐™Ž! โœจ๐Ÿ†

The MD-PhD Program proudly congratulates ๐™Ž๐™๐™–๐™ช๐™œ๐™๐™ฃ ๐˜ฟ๐™ค๐™ข๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™ž๐™˜ ๐™ˆ. ๐™‹๐™–๐™™๐™ค๐™ฃ of the MD-PhD Batch 16 for winning ๐™๐™ž๐™ง๐™จ๐™ฉ ๐™‹๐™ก๐™–๐™˜๐™š ๐™ž๐™ฃ ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š ๐˜ฝ๐™š๐™จ๐™ฉ ๐™‹๐™–๐™ฅ๐™š๐™ง ๐˜พ๐™ค๐™ข๐™ฅ๐™š๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ค๐™ฃ โ€“ Professional Category at the 55๐™ฉ๐™ ๐˜ผ๐™ฃ๐™ฃ๐™ช๐™–๐™ก ๐˜พ๐™ค๐™ฃ๐™ซ๐™š๐™ฃ๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ค๐™ฃ ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™™ ๐™Ž๐™˜๐™ž๐™š๐™ฃ๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™›๐™ž๐™˜ ๐™ˆ๐™š๐™š๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™ค๐™› ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š ๐™‹๐™๐™ž๐™ก๐™ž๐™ฅ๐™ฅ๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™š ๐™Ž๐™ค๐™˜๐™ž๐™š๐™ฉ๐™ฎ ๐™›๐™ค๐™ง ๐™ˆ๐™ž๐™˜๐™ง๐™ค๐™—๐™ž๐™ค๐™ก๐™ค๐™œ๐™ฎ.

Winning Paper:
โ€œInterdisciplinary Biosurveillance Reveals Antimicrobial Resistance Dissemination and Acute In Vivo Toxicity in Hospital Wastewater Pathways in Laguna and Manila, Philippinesโ€

The convention was held on July 15โ€“17, 2026 at the De La Salle University Laguna Campus.

Your achievement is a testament to your dedication to research and your commitment to advancing science. We are proud of you, Shaughn! ๐Ÿ”ฌ๐Ÿงซ๐Ÿ’š

Congratulations on this well-deserved achievement! ๐ŸŽ‰๐Ÿ‘

๐ŸŽ‰ Research Publication Spotlight ๐ŸŽ‰We are delighted to celebrate another research publication highlighting the collaborat...
17/07/2026

๐ŸŽ‰ Research Publication Spotlight ๐ŸŽ‰

We are delighted to celebrate another research publication highlighting the collaborative efforts of members of the MD-PhD community in advancing cancer research.

The research titled, "๐Œ๐‘๐“๐—๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ž๐ฌ ๐„๐‘๐Š ๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐š๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐›๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ž๐ฅ๐ข๐œ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐œ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ฑ๐ญ-๐๐ž๐ฉ๐ž๐ง๐๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐š๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ž๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐Š๐‘๐€๐’ (๐†๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐‚) ๐œ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž๐ซ ๐œ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ," features the contributions of ๐Œ๐ซ. ๐€๐›๐ซ๐š๐ก๐š๐ฆ ๐‚. ๐’๐ข๐š๐ง๐จ๐ฒ๐š (๐Œ๐ƒ-๐๐ก๐ƒ ๐๐š๐ญ๐œ๐ก ๐Ÿ– ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ž๐ง๐ญ) and ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐๐š๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐ค ๐. ๐Œ๐ž๐๐ข๐ง๐š (๐Œ๐ƒ-๐๐ก๐ƒ ๐‚๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ž๐ž ๐Œ๐ž๐ฆ๐›๐ž๐ซ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ๐จ๐ซ), together with co-authors: Yan Zuo, Cynthia V. Pagba, Jacob L. Jakubec, Stephanie A. Planque, Jeffrey A. Frost, and Alemayehu A. Gorfe to cancer research.

The study investigates the effects of MRTX1133, a promising KRAS-targeted inhibitor, in cancer cells harboring the KRAS (G12C) mutation. While the drug effectively suppresses ERK signaling, the researchers found that its ability to inhibit cancer cell growth varies depending on the cellular context. These findings provide valuable insights into the complexity of KRAS-targeted therapies and highlight the importance of developing precision treatment strategies tailored to different cancer types.

๐Ÿ”— ๐ƒ๐Ž๐ˆ: https://doi.org/10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-25-1087

Congratulations to the authors on this remarkable achievement and for contributing to the advancement of precision oncology and targeted cancer therapeutics!

The MD-PhD (Molecular Medicine) Program successfully held the ๐•๐ˆ๐‘๐Ž๐‡ ๐‚๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š๐›๐จ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐’๐ฒ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ: ๐•๐ข๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ž๐ฌ, ๐Ž๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐œ ๐ˆ๐ง๐Ÿ๐ž...
10/07/2026

The MD-PhD (Molecular Medicine) Program successfully held the ๐•๐ˆ๐‘๐Ž๐‡ ๐‚๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š๐›๐จ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐’๐ฒ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ: ๐•๐ข๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ž๐ฌ, ๐Ž๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐œ ๐ˆ๐ง๐Ÿ๐ž๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ, ๐š๐ง๐ ๐‡๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐‘๐ž๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ž last July 1, 2026 at the UNILAB Conference Room, Henry Sy Sr. Medical Sciences Building, UP Manila College of Medicine.

The symposium opened with inspiring remarks from ๐ƒ๐ž๐š๐ง ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐‚๐ก๐š๐ซ๐ฅ๐จ๐ญ๐ญ๐ž ๐Œ. ๐‚๐ก๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ , setting the stage for an engaging exchange of knowledge on infectious diseases, host immunity, and advances in molecular medicine.

We were honored to welcome ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐‚๐ก๐ž๐ง๐ -๐‹๐ฎ๐ง๐  ๐Š๐ฎ as our guest speaker, who delivered a lecture entitled "๐ด๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘๐‘ฆ๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘˜๐‘–๐‘›๐‘’ ๐ด๐‘ข๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘๐‘œ๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘Ž ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘™ ๐ธ๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘”๐‘ฆ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐ผ๐‘›๐‘“๐‘’๐‘๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘  ๐ท๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘ ." His lecture highlighted the emerging role of anticytokine autoantibodies in susceptibility to infectious diseases and underscored the importance of integrating immunology into clinical research and patient care.

The symposium also featured presentations from distinguished researchers and clinicians from UP Manila, highlighting ongoing initiatives that leverage molecular medicine to address infectious diseases and other complex health conditions. ๐‚๐ก๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐Œ๐ข๐œ๐ก๐š๐ž๐ฅ ๐‹. ๐“๐ž๐ž shared updates on the ๐‘†๐‘€๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐น๐‘–๐‘™๐‘–๐‘๐‘–๐‘›๐‘œ ๐‘ƒ๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘ƒ๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘—๐‘’๐‘๐‘ก (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, Microbiome, and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Filipino Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus), a multidisciplinary initiative investigating the genetic, immunological, and microbial factors underlying systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Filipino patients. The project aims to deepen our understanding of disease mechanisms and support improved patient care. ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐…๐ซ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ข๐ฌ๐œ๐จ ๐Œ. ๐‡๐ž๐ซ๐š๐ฅ๐๐ž ๐ˆ๐ˆ๐ˆ discussed the molecular aspects of stem cells, biomarkers, and infectious agents, emphasizing how ๐‘Ž๐‘‘๐‘ฃ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘’๐‘๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘๐‘–๐‘›๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘› ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ ๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘–๐‘š๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘Ž๐‘”๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘’๐‘ข๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘”๐‘–๐‘’๐‘ .

๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐š๐ ๐š๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ž ๐‘. ๐‚๐š๐ฉ๐ข๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐จ shared updates on the ๐ฟ๐‘’๐‘๐ด๐‘…๐‘€๐‘† ๐‘ƒ๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘—๐‘’๐‘๐‘ก, highlighting efforts to strengthen research and surveillance for leprosy in the Philippines. ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐’๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ข๐š๐ก ๐‹๐š๐ข๐ง๐ž ๐Œ. ๐๐ž ๐๐š๐ณ-๐’๐ข๐ฅ๐š๐ฏ๐š shared updates from the ๐ท๐ธ๐น๐ธ๐ด๐‘‡ ๐ป๐‘ƒ๐‘‰ ๐‘†๐‘ก๐‘ข๐‘‘๐‘ฆ, a research initiative that investigates the determinants of oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) infection among Filipino women to advance molecular risk assessment and inform strategies for cervical cancer prevention. Meanwhile, ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐ข๐š ๐‹๐š๐ข๐ง๐ž ๐‰. ๐‚๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐ญ๐š featured updates on the ๐‘…๐ธ๐‘†๐‘‡๐‘‚๐‘-๐‘ƒ๐ป ๐‘ƒ๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘—๐‘’๐‘๐‘ก, which focuses on the surveillance and characterization of emerging viral pathogens to enhance the country's preparedness for infectious disease threats.

Further highlighting the breadth of ongoing research, ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐€๐ง๐š ๐‰๐จ๐ฒ ๐. ๐๐š๐๐ฎ๐š-๐‹๐จ๐ณ๐š๐ง๐จ presented work on ๐ป๐ผ๐‘‰ ๐‘–๐‘š๐‘š๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ก๐‘ฆ๐‘๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” to identify potential therapeutic targets, while ๐ƒ๐ซ. ๐‚๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐š๐ง ๐. ๐…๐ซ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ข๐ฌ๐œ๐จ shared insights into the ๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘๐‘™๐‘–๐‘›๐‘–๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘’๐‘๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ ๐‘’๐‘๐‘–๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘š๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘”๐‘ฆ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘š๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘ข๐‘”-๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก and hypervirulent ๐พ๐‘™๐‘’๐‘๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘’๐‘™๐‘™๐‘Ž ๐‘๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ข๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘–๐‘Ž๐‘’.

The VIROH Collaborative Symposium provided a valuable platform for interdisciplinary collaboration, scientific exchange, and meaningful discussions on current and emerging challenges in infectious diseases. Through initiatives like this, the MD-PhD (Molecular Medicine) Program continues to foster collaboration and advance research that bridges basic science and clinical practice to improve human health.

๐Ÿ“ธ Photo credits: Jericho Paolo Mabansag

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