Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development’s (DOST-PCHRD) Assistant Scientists Dr. John Carlo M. Malabad and Dr. Ruby Anne N. King recently had the privilege of participating in the Regional Prospective Observational Research in Tuberculosis (RePORT) International Coordinating Center Junior Investigators Laboratory Training Program held at the Public Health Research Institute at the International Center for Public Health of New Jersey Medical School – Rutgers, USA last 6-17 May 2024. The two-week training aimed to equip RePORT junior investigators with expertise in various cutting-edge platforms for Biomarker studies related to Tuberculosis (TB).

The US training was the third leg of the program, following previous laboratory and data analysis trainings held in South Africa and Brazil. Dr. King noted that “The main topic for the US training was NanoString technology, but in the other two countries, we also trained in different biomarker research platforms,” she said.

For Dr. Malabad and Dr. King, one of the wow factors during their training was the hands-on experience with advanced laboratory procedures and assays, some of which are still unavailable in the Philippines, as well as the corresponding data analysis and computational approaches taught. “Having hands-on experience with those equipment is amazing,” Dr. Malabad remarked. “The staff there taught us how to run the assays or laboratory procedures and use those technologies as a platform for further research,” he added.

Beyond the technical skills gained, the researchers were equally impressed by the research environment they witnessed. “We were encouraged to engage in discussions, ask questions, and discuss best practices,” said Dr. King. “Even the head of the laboratory was very much involved in learning and listening to the junior researchers on the latest studies,” she added.

Dr. Malabad also highlighted the supportive atmosphere as one of the training’s biggest strengths. “It’s a wonderful experience to network with other TB researchers across the globe because they also give us different perspectives on how to approach TB research,” he said.

Representing the DOST-PCHRD and the University of the Philippines Manila—National Institutes of Health (UP Manila—NIH) at the training also allowed them to raise awareness about TB research efforts in the Philippines and explore potential partnerships. “It was a good way to reach out to other people who could further strengthen our research here in the Philippines and the capacity-building aspect of health research here in the country,” Dr. King explained.

Both scientists expressed gratitude to the DOST-PCHRD and the UP Manila-NIH for the opportunity to train abroad. They also emphasized the importance of continued support for capacity-building initiatives for Filipino health researchers. “I would like to highlight the importance of support for capacity-building for the health researchers in the country because it’s not only here that we can gain knowledge, but it’s also important to learn new perspectives from other people,” said Dr. King.

Dr. Malabad concluded, “It’s good that we can support more young researchers to be trained abroad to learn and apply the technologies in our own context or setting. I hope there will be more opportunities for these trainings or workshops to capacitate more budding scientists in the future.”

As the Philippines continues to strengthen its TB research capabilities, the RePORT International training program provides a platform for knowledge exchange, skill development, and international partnerships, making efforts to advance TB research. In 2017, RePORT Philippine consortium was created through the initiative of the PCHRD to advance clinical and basic science research that will contribute to the identification of clinically important TB biomarkers and the development of vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics for the disease. Now on its second phase, the consortium launched the Collaborative Research Call for TB or CoRe TB to support more research on the disease, including drug-resistant TB and related infections (e.g., COVID-19 and HIV).