by Janina Lim

In 2015, Dr. Jonel Saludes and Dr. Doralyn Dalisay made a bold move. After decades of thriving research careers in the United States, they returned to their hometown, Iloilo. Their decision puzzled colleagues abroad. With few advanced facilities and funding in the region back then, what could they achieve back home? True enough, when the two scientists returned to their alma mater, the University of San Agustin (USA), they found a research lab modest in tools but rich in potential. It was here that they learned that scientific discovery requires the ability to communicate, build partnerships and advocate for support to unlock the region’s natural drug prospects.

After all, Iloilo, with its rich marine biodiversity, is well connected to the history of a crucial antibiotic that saved countless lives. About 70 years ago, a foreign company took soil samples from Iloilo and unknowingly discovered the beginnings of what would become erythromycin, one of the world’s most important antibiotics, particularly for patients allergic to penicillin.

However, the recognition for this breakthrough went overseas. Today, the Balik Scientists are determined to rewrite that story.

“Historically, erythromycin came from Iloilo, but it was developed abroad. This time, it’s different. Filipinos are leading the science, using Philippine resources and making the discoveries right here at home,” Dr. Dalisay said.

Deep expertise—and love for country

The proposal to search the ocean for new medicines makes perfect sense for the Philippines, a country of more than 7,000 islands surrounded by some of the world’s most biodiverse waters. With so much untapped potential lying in its marine ecosystems and sediments, the archipelago is a natural frontier for groundbreaking discoveries.

Dr. Saludes holds a bachelor’s in chemistry from San Agustin and a master’s in natural products chemistry. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, specializing in natural products and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). He also trained in chemical biology at the University of Colorado.

Dr. Saludes on the left and Dr. Dalisay on the right

Meanwhile, Dr. Dalisay has a pharmacy degree from the University of San Agustin and a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of New South Wales. She further honed her expertise in drug discovery at institutions in California, the University of British Columbia and Washington State University, focusing on microbial compounds and drug development.

When asked why they came back to the Philippines, Dr. Saludes said, “The answer goes deep into our hearts,” as they wanted to make a difference in Iloilo and give back to their hometown.

A first for the Philippines, Visayas

Armed with global experience and a strong proposal, the duo launched their mission in 2016, initially funded by the university and later supported by the Department of Science and Technology’s Tuklas Lunas Program. The initiative enabled them to explore the potential of the Philippines’ marine microbial biodiversity for drug discovery more extensively.

Divers gather samples and experts transfer them carefully into tubes for transport to USA’s laboratories.

From Batanes in the north to Tubbataha in the Sulu Sea and down to Pujada Bay in southern Mindanao, they collected ocean sediments.

In just five years, the research team at USA made remarkable strides in the search for new antibiotics hidden in Philippine marine sediments. Among their most promising discoveries is Streptomyces carlesensis, a salt-tolerant marine bacterium isolated from deep-sea sediments in the Visayan Sea. This novel strain has demonstrated potent activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a formidable “superbug” that resists many commonly used antibiotics.

This discovery, particularly of methods in culturing and extracting antimicrobial compounds, earned a Philippine patent, the first for USA. Six promising natural products from S. carlesensis—some with potential against ovarian cancer—are in the patent pipeline.

USA followed a rigorous scientific process, aided by advanced tools like mass spectrometry (MS) and NMR. The establishment of the first NMR lab in the Visayas in 2022 under Tuklas Lunas dramatically accelerated compound identification, eliminating the need to ship samples to Manila and cutting down both time and cost.

Over the years, as the team traveled from coast to coast collecting samples, they found themselves building a biobank of its own kind. Today, more than 3,000 specimens from marine sediments sit in USA’s care—a living, growing archive with the potential to fuel the next generation of scientific breakthroughs.

USA scientists in action.

Collab beyond the lab

“Our strength lies in our multidisciplinary teamwork. We actively collaborate across fields, which brings different perspectives into the lab and makes our drug discovery efforts more productive and impactful,” Dr. Dalisay said.

USA has also nurtured collaboration beyond the laboratory. Through a public-private partnership with Pharma GalenX Innovations, Inc. (GalenX), the university’s Innovation and Technology Support Office (ITSO) has brought products to the market. Among them is the Skivios® product line, offering skin products developed from the antibiotic component of kadios seeds. Another is the Honelle® wound gel, made from Marajon Honey, a natural wound dressing and scar-minimizing cream.

ITSO Director Aneline P. Tolones said licensing and royalty terms are established early to ensure transparency and avoid disputes.

With significant investments poured into innovation, protecting intellectual property is essential to help the government and the USA recoup funding that can be reinvested into future R&D. “You have to protect the discovery at every stage, otherwise someone else might get ahead of you,” emphasized Dr. Saludes.

The ITSO is the flagship program of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) in protecting innovations in universities, colleges and research centers which are hotbeds for scientific breakthroughs. What started in 2010 as patent libraries to promote the use of patent information for research, ITSOs have advanced in their capacity to support their communities from IP registration to tech transfer.

Benefiting from several IPOPHL capacity-building workshops and consultations, the USA ITSO has flourished since its establishment in 2018. Today, it is a two-time recipient of the Platinum

Award, the second-highest innovation award IPOPHL grants to ITSOs for holding foundation courses, conducting patent searches, filing at least seven inventions and commercializing an IP. This year, it also received a Special Citation Award for successfully filing over 50 copyright applications as well as the Top Filer for Trademark Award.

From research to regional revolution

The scientists are quick to point out that Iloilo’s rich microbial biodiversity is not unique to the region. What is unique, they emphasized, is what has been built at the university, which is a powerful convergence of government funding, active industry collaboration, a proactive ITSO driving commercialization and a homegrown talent pool pushing the frontiers of Philippine science. This, Dr. Saludes believes, is what is turning the tides of innovation in the region.

Scientists from USA pose for photos.

“In the bigger scheme of things, it may simply be a fortunate alignment of resources and human capital that came together here,” said Dr. Saludes. “But I wouldn’t discount the possibility that many other regions in the Philippines hold similar potential. What they need are capable scientists who can deliver the same caliber of science—or perhaps, even better.”

Today, USA is recognized as one of less than 30 Tuklas Lunas Centers nationwide and a regional hub for innovation in natural medicine and drug discovery.

More than half a century local soil samples were sent abroad, Iloilo is no longer just a source of raw material but a center of scientific leadership, proving that world-class research in the Philippines can emerge from its own shores and a revolution can be written at home.