Dr. Frank Petersen, Head of Natural Products Unit of the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research in Switzerland, urged the Philippines to invest on new technologies for DNA synthesis to explore new opportunities for the country’s biotechnology research.

In a dialogue with Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, Executive Director of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (PCHRD), and representatives of the Department of Health (DOH), University of the Philippines Manila (UPM), University of Santo Tomas (UST), and Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITHAC) on 24 October 2014, Dr. Petersen discussed the importance of enabling the scientists at the Philippine Genome Center to conduct DNA synthesis.

The dialogue was conducted a day after Dr. Petersen visited the Philippine Genome Center and other laboratories of the UPD and UPM.

Dr. Petersen observed that the Philippine Genome Center’s laboratory equipment are up to date. However, as the country’s research arm in genomics science, machines for DNA synthesis are a necessary investment to help the Center follow the current and lead the future trends in biotechnology.

DNA synthesis is a method used to create DNA in the laboratory, which is commonly practiced in new and more advanced biotechnology science such as synthetic biology.

Dr. Petersen expressed his optimism that with the right technology, the Philippines can steer the direction of country’s biotechnology research.