Newsletter: UP Study Identifies Opportunities and Challenges for Advanced DNA Technology in SEA Forensics

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By: Eunice Jean C. Patron

Massively parallel sequencing (MPS) is transforming the way humans are identified. (Photo credit: Christian Estrella)

Massively parallel sequencing (MPS) has transformed forensic DNA analysis by allowing scientists to examine multiple DNA markers at the same time and in much greater detail than older methods. Even so, MPS is still not widely used in Southeast Asian countries. Researchers from the University of the Philippines Diliman – College of Science’s Natural Sciences Research Institute (UPD-CS NSRI) reviewed the use of MPS in forensic DNA laboratories across the region to identify the key challenges to its adoption.

Newsletter: UP Biologists Set Up First DNA Segments to Monitor In-demand Seafood

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By: Eunice Jean Patron

Caranx ignobilis, locally known as maliputo, became an economically important species in the Philippines due to its high value as a food fish. (Photo credit: Shenna Kate Torres)

One of the Sustainable Development Goals created by the United Nations is to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.” Aquaculture, the practice of farming aquatic animals and plants such as fish and seaweed, plays a critical role in achieving food security. The Philippines and the entire Indo-Pacific region are home to various fish species with significant aquaculture potential and increased seafood consumption, therefore requiring genetic monitoring to ensure their populations’ long-term stability.