Bacterial Viruses Archives - University of Santo Tomas /category/research/research-areas/bacterial-viruses/ The Pontifical and Royal Catholic University of the Philippines Tue, 14 Jan 2025 07:01:48 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 /wp-content/uploads/2019/07/cropped-800px-Seal_of_the_University_of_Santo_Tomas.svg_-32x32.png Bacterial Viruses Archives - University of Santo Tomas /category/research/research-areas/bacterial-viruses/ 32 32 Thomasian microbiologist, infectious diseases specialist explore bacteriophage as way to combat multidrug resistance /thomasian-microbiologist-infectious-diseases-specialist-explore-bacteriophage-as-way-to-combat-multidrug-resistance/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=thomasian-microbiologist-infectious-diseases-specialist-explore-bacteriophage-as-way-to-combat-multidrug-resistance Tue, 14 Jan 2025 07:01:47 +0000 /?p=188944 Two Thomasian scientists are joining forces to find a possible alternative therapy to multidrug resistance. With funding from the Virology and Vaccine Institute of the Philippines and support from the…

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]]> Two Thomasian scientists are joining forces to find a possible alternative therapy to multidrug resistance. With funding from the Virology and Vaccine Institute of the Philippines and support from the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST – PCHRD), Drs. Donna May D.C. Papa (Department of Biological Sciences – College of Science) and Maria Rhona Gatpandan-Bergantin (Faculty of Medicine and Surgery) are working on a three-year project targeting infections of multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumanni. 

Dr. Papa, who leads the three-year project which began in July 2024, said that the project aims to “isolate bacteriophages infecting various clinical strains of A. baumanni collected from different hospitals and to produce a working prototype of phage formulation—composed of characterized bacteriophages that show high viability for therapeutic use.” In particular, the study aims at potential intravenous administration of the treatment using bacteriophages, which are a group of viruses aimed at targeting bacteria.

So far, the team has collaborated with ARSP sentinel sites and tertiary hospitals to collect water samples and doing enrichment set-ups and testing the filtrates. The team also procured necessary equipment, which will be transferred soon to the UST-Dr. Tony Tan Caktiong Innovation Center in Santa Rosa, Laguna.

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]]> BioSci’s D. Papa, alumni win NAST Outstanding Scientific Paper award for paper on Salmonella treatment /d-papa-of-biosci-rcnas-wins-nast-outstanding-scientific-paper-award-for-paper-on-salmonella-treatment/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=d-papa-of-biosci-rcnas-wins-nast-outstanding-scientific-paper-award-for-paper-on-salmonella-treatment Fri, 03 Jun 2022 04:32:38 +0000 /?p=96087 Asst. Prof. Donna May D.C. Papa, PhD and BS Biology graduates Ronniel Alfred N. Acebes, Meryl Grace R. Cuento, Adelyn Gale S. Serna, and Tracey Antaeus D. Gutierrez of the…

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]]> Asst. Prof. Donna May D.C. Papa, PhD and BS Biology graduates Ronniel Alfred N. Acebes, Meryl Grace R. Cuento, Adelyn Gale S. Serna, and Tracey Antaeus D. Gutierrez of the Department of Biological Sciences won the National Academy of Science and Technology Outstanding Scientific Paper Award 2022, for her and her colleagues’ paper entitled “Comparing the efficacy of bacteriophages and antibiotics in treating Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium on Streptomycen-pretreated Mice,” which was published in the 150th volume of the Philippine Journal of Science.

Adelyn Serna isolating a Salmonella phage plaque using a sterile truncated micropipette tip for purification.
Meryl Cuento collecting sewage water sample, using syringe to be transferred to a glass vial, near Dapitan street along the University of Santo Tomas campus.
The group together with Dr. Donna May Dela-Cruz Papa holding the initial manuscript of the study, after a successful thesis defense.
Ronniel Acebes performing serial dilution of Salmonella phage lysates to 10-1 – 10-7 using phosphate-buffered saline solution.
The group holding the successfully isolated, purified, and enriched Salmonella phages contained in test tubes within a beaker, covered with aluminum foil, and wrapped in plastic.

The award, formally communicated on May 27, 2022 by NAST President Academician Rhodora Aranza, will be personally conferred on July 14, 2022, during the two-day Annual Scientific Meeting of the NAST.

A microbiologist, Papa’s work has been devoted to bacterial viruses and bacteriophages as alternative to antibiotics in line with the emergence of antibiotic resistance among patients. In related studies, she has helped increase Phage Biology knowledge in the country and has contributed studies to Phage Taxonomy and Systematics.

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