Center for Cellular & Molecular Medical Research

11/12/2025

⏳ 𝙒𝙚’𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠!

Our lab doors are 𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓈𝑜𝑜𝓃! Analytical services at the Center are back starting 𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺 6, 2026. We can’t wait to work with you again—let’s get those samples ready! 🚀

09/12/2025

Experience American culture beyond the classroom as Dr. Peter James Icali-Gann shares knowledge, stories, and perspectives with high school students through this community extension initiative. 🌍

The MMSU-American Corner Batac will be at the Adriano P. Arzadon National High School, Nueva Era, Ilocos Norte on December 16, 2025 at 9:00 AM for the STEM Camp with US-Ph Alumni Scientist. Dr. Peter James Icalia-Gann will be the Resource Speaker.

03/12/2025

🎄✨ 𝘾𝙃𝙍𝙄𝙎𝙏𝙈𝘼𝙎 𝙎𝙋𝙄𝙍𝙄𝙏 𝙄𝙎 𝙊𝙉 𝙄𝙉 𝘾𝙈𝙀𝘿! ✨🎄

The halls are 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓, and the holiday cheer is officially in 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 at CMED!

We’ve decked the floors, decorated the tree, and sprinkled a little bit of Christmas magic everywhere — and 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶!

📅 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒸𝒶𝓁𝑒𝓃𝒹𝒶𝓇𝓈: 𝒞𝑀𝐸𝒟 𝒞𝒽𝓇𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓂𝒶𝓈 𝒞𝑒𝓁𝑒𝒷𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃
📍 𝟥𝓇𝒹 𝐹𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓇, 𝒞𝑜𝓁𝓁𝑒𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝑀𝑒𝒹𝒾𝒸𝒾𝓃𝑒, 𝑀𝑀𝒮𝒰
🗓 𝒟𝑒𝒸𝑒𝓂𝒷𝑒𝓇 𝟣𝟪 | 𝟥:𝟢𝟢 𝒫𝑀

Expect fun games, and lots of festive food! 🎁

Bring your friends, your holiday spirit, and your best smiles — let’s make this 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 unforgettable together.

𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦! 🌟

02/12/2025

𝘾𝙈𝙀𝘿 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 3𝙧𝙙 𝙍𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙍𝘿𝙄 𝙎𝙮𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙪𝙢

The Center presented its research outputs and ongoing initiatives during the 3rd Regional Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) Symposium held on November 26–28, 2025 at the Center for Flexible Learning, Mariano Marcos State University.

Presented Research Papers:
• 𝘏𝘦𝘮𝘦 𝘖𝘹𝘺𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘴𝘦-1 (𝘏𝘔𝘖𝘟1) 𝘜𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘐𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮-𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘦 — Mr. Rodge Carl Vea
(𝘼𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙙 2𝙣𝙙 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙋𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝘾𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙤𝙧𝙮)

• 𝘌𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘜𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘰𝘭𝘭-𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘳 2 (𝘛𝘓𝘙2) 𝘍𝘢𝘴𝘵-𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘛𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘐𝘊𝘙 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘏𝘺𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘭 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘪 7060 — Ms. Jimmbeth Zenila Fabia
(𝘼𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙙 2𝙣𝙙 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝘾𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙤𝙧𝙮)

• 𝘜𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘮𝘺𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘓𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘮 𝘗𝘑𝘎11 𝘐𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘌𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘋𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘜𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘐𝘵𝘴 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 — Ms. Jimmbeth Zenila Fabia
(𝘼𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙙 3𝙧𝙙 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙋𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝘾𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙤𝙧𝙮 – 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙋𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨)

• 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘐𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘴 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘴 — Mr. Lemuel Ray Balloyan

In addition, Ms. Ma. Joy Theresa Agcaoili presented her work on garlic-virus molecular indexing under the Oral Research Category.

The last three research papers form part of the university’s IFP–Probiotics Program and represent collaborative efforts between CMED staff and the students hosted by the Center. All three papers are currently under peer review for publication in Scopus-indexed journals.

CMED extends its appreciation to its researchers, collaborators, and administrators for their continued commitment to advancing scientific inquiry and contributing to the university’s research agenda.

25/11/2025

𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 | MMSU researchers present probiotic studies at Asian confab

By Jimmbeth Zenila Fabia, Contributor

Faculty and researchers of the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) IFP-Probiotics Research Project participated in the 15th Asian Conference on Lactic Acid Bacteria (ACLAB 15) held in Taipei, Taiwan, from November 19–21.

The attendance of the delegation formed part of the key deliverables of the CHED-funded IFP-Probiotics Project, which requires the dissemination of research findings through recognized international scientific platforms.

The MMSU delegation consisted of nine faculty members and researchers who each presented their respective research papers. The official participants were Prof. Rhian Jaymar Ramil, Dr. Peter James Icalia-Gann, Prof. Ma. Danica Ramil, Prof. Kristian Gay Beltran, Prof. Fairie Anne Domingo, Dr. Felicitas Sanculi, Ms. Xenia Elika Bucao, Prof. Angelica May Mendoza, and Ms. Jimmbeth Zenila Fabia.

Throughout the three-day conference, the delegation showcased their studies on probiotics, aligning with the project’s mandate to generate high-impact scientific outputs. Their presentations reflected ongoing innovations in omics, microbial biotechnology, food safety, and functional foods. These research areas continue to strengthen the university’s standing in the regional and global scientific community.

The conference catered to 17 countries with over 500 participants. All papers presented at ACLAB 15 are being prepared for submission to Scopus-indexed journals within the year, ensuring wider international visibility and contributing to the project’s goal of expanding MMSU’s global research footprint.

The university acknowledged the importance of the team's participation, noting that their contributions not only advanced the objectives of the IFP-Probiotics Project but also reinforced MMSU’s commitment to global research engagement and academic excellence.

https://www.mmsu.edu.ph/article/news/2796/mmsu-researchers-present-probiotic-studies-at-asian-confab

20/11/2025

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞! 🔬🧬
The DA-Livestock Biotechnology Center presents the PCC-RDD S&T Webinar Series featuring:

“Prospects and Bottlenecks of Genome Editing in Animal Health and Genetics Research.”

Join us to explore how genome editing technologies are being applied in animal science, covering both the potential benefits and the challenges in policy and implementation.

SPEAKER: DR. PETER JAMES ICALIA-GANN (Associate Professor and Center Chief, MMSU)
WHEN: November 28, 2025, 2:00 PM (PST)

Join us via Zoom or Facebook Live:
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88007976310?pwd=u42bV4yY7lrXwe8VkyO7BMxuH4U9rd.1
Meeting ID: 880 0797 6310
Passcode: 237043

We look forward to seeing you there!

DA-Philippine Carabao Center DA Biotech Program National Livestock Program - Department of Agriculture National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Animal Industry

19/11/2025

🇵🇭 𝘾𝙈𝙀𝘿 𝙖𝙩 𝘼𝘾𝙇𝘼𝘽15 𝙞𝙣 𝙏𝙖𝙞𝙥𝙚𝙞, 𝙏𝙖𝙞𝙬𝙖𝙣! 🇹🇼

The Center participated in the 15th Asian Conference on Lactic Acid Bacteria (ACLAB15) held on November 19–21, 2025 at the Howard Civil Service International House in Taipei, Taiwan. The event convened leading scientists and experts in lactic acid bacteria research from across Asia.

The CMED delegation will present three research studies showcasing probiotic strains isolated from endemic and indigenous Philippine plants:

📌 Dr. Peter James Icalia-Gann, Center Chief
“𝘜𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘮𝘺𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘓𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘮 𝘗𝘑𝘎11 𝘐𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘌𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘋𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘜𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩.”

📌 Prof. Ma. Danica I. Ramil, Laboratory Manager (Cell Culture and Pharmacology Laboratory)
“𝘐𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘌𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘪 2𝘔38𝘍𝘈𝘉𝘉3 𝘐𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘉𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘪𝘯 𝘓𝘗𝘚-𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘉𝘈𝘓𝘉/𝘤 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘦.”

📌 Ms. Jimmbeth Zenila Fabia, Science Research Analyst (Genomics and Genetic Engineering Laboratory)
“𝘉𝘪𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘪 𝘓𝘏500 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘍𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘕𝘪𝘱𝘢 𝘚𝘢𝘱 𝘜𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘪𝘭 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭.”

Research staff of the Indigenous Food Plants and Probiotics Research - MMSU are set to present their ongoing research initiatives as well, further highlighting the university's growing contributions to probiotic science and microbial biotechnology.

12/11/2025

Call for Applications

The Commission, in partnership with Mariano Marcos State University, is pleased to announce the call for applications for the Industry-Based Microcredential Pathways Toward Graduate Programs in Probiotics and Functional Foods for Sustainable Health and Nutrition (iPath-Pro).

The microcredential program offers three (3) domains/tracks that interested faculty or HEI personnel may take based on their field of specialization:
● D1 - Applied Biology
● D2 - Pharmaceutical Technology
● D3 - Food Innovation, Nutrition, and Health

Training and program fees will be funded under the HUSAY scholarship for both online and face-to-face mode of delivery. Specific to in-person component, the following are also covered:
● Accommodations, incidental and meal expenses
● Transportation expenses
● Insurance fees
● Field visits and immersions
● Training kits, supplies and materials for laboratories, etc.

Interested candidates must be nominated by their Sending Higher Education Institutions (SHEIs) and must submit all required documents on or before 14 November 2025.

For more information, the link for the Memorandum from the Office of the Chairperson may be accessed here:
https://ched.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/MOC-November-4-2025-Call-for-Applications-for-Industry-Based-Microcredential-Pathways-towards-gra.pdf

For inquiries, you may send us an email through husay@ched.gov.ph.

07/11/2025

𝘿𝙧. 𝘿𝙤𝙣 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙤 𝙍. 𝘽𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙖 𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙨 𝘾𝙈𝙀𝘿 𝙖𝙨 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙖𝙡 𝙄𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧 🇰🇷🧬

Fresh from completing his PhD at Chonnam National University, South Korea, Dr. Batara now takes on the role of Principal Investigator and Laboratory Manager of the Genomics and Genetic Engineering Laboratory (2GLAB) of the Center.

With his expertise in cancer biology, cell line studies, transformation studies, and OMICS-related research, he will be overseeing ongoing and future projects, as well as mentoring thesis students pursuing studies in genomics and genetic engineering.

His expertise will play a significant role in strengthening the Center's research capabilities and advancing innovative studies in molecular sciences.

05/11/2025

𝘼 𝘿𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙈𝙀𝘿

𝙉𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 4, 2025 — Our lab’s buzzing with energy, from basic molecular biology trainings 🧪, to welcoming Philippine Science High School students working into the specificity of a designed oligonucleotide probe for an AMR gene, and cheering on our thesis students tackling thalassemia research. 🧬

𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 — always something 𝘯𝘦𝘸 to learn.

04/11/2025

03/11/2025

𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙨, 𝙂𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙑𝙞𝙗𝙚𝙨

[October 29, 2025] We traded pipettes for pumpkins, PCR for pull-ups, and petri dishes for party plates! Outside serious work, the CMED team knows how to express the right genes — for 𝘫𝘰𝘺, 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳, and 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 🎃

From pumpkin-powered spooky pull-ups to bracelet-bead bonding and ghostly snacks, we celebrated not just Halloween, but the 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, because behind every precise measurement and PCR plate is a 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘯 — and that the best kind of chemistry happens 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩! ✨

Until the next set of pumpkins and pull-ups—see you next Halloween! 👻