Study on fish immune system wins in science forum

Christiane Helen Comique presenting her study on “Fish Immune System Response” in Centro Escolar University. (UP Cebu Public Affairs Office)

UNIVERSITY of the Philippines – Cebu Biology graduate Christiane Helene Comique spent her summer at the Molecular Biology and Biotechnology lab in Central Luzon State University, Nueva Ecija for her undergraduate thesis research.

Her research, which she labored on for over a year, won 3rd among other undergraduate research papers nationwide in the 42nd Philippine Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PSBMB) – Youth Science Forum 2015.

“I was overwhelmed that I placed 3rd. I was not expecting at all. After I presented my paper, I watched the next finalists and I was at awe with how their researches were so innovative. I never thought I could win,” the 21-year-old Comique told Cebu Daily News.

Comique’s study is about “Fish Immune System Response,” which showed that it takes 14-21 days for fish to respond to bacterial infections.

“It’s slow to react to the bacteria, but it’s fast in fighting it. Vertebrates, on the other hand, take 7-28 days. The response is immediate but it takes more time to finish,” Comique said.

With the results of her research, she believes it can contribute to creating more efficient treatment plans for fish in order to sustain the country’s growing aquaculture industry.

“Aside from my fondness for immunology because of its complexity, I wanted to be able to use my research to help with the country’s development,” she added.

She said her research was inspired by a project being conducted in Nueva Ecija, where they were checking the effectiveness of vaccines in fish.

Comique’s research was submitted to the PSBMB by her professor and thesis advisor, Dr. Marcos Valdez.

“I got a call from Dr. Valdez two weeks before the conference saying ‘your paper had good results and has a very big impact for aquaculture research so it was selected as one of the finalist papers from all over the country’ and I was silent over the phone. I was too overwhelmed,” Comique said.

Comique said that discipline played a huge role in her being able to finish her research. She does not enjoy cramming, so she schedules her day ahead so she can finish her workload, which includes her regular schoolwork.

The PSBMB – Youth Science Forum (YSF) 2015 was held at the Centro Escolar University in Manila last December 3-4.