De La Salle Health Sciences Institute’s Angelo King Medical Research Center has once again been tapped by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development to undertake an important study in the continuing fight against drug-resistant Tuberculosis.

The study, officially titled the Community Approach to Control and Halt Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (COACH –DRTB), will aid the country’s National Tuberculosis Program (NTP) in formulating the policies and guidelines in investigating the household contacts of active TB cases and in enhancing the support of local partners in managing TB in the community. The study will also assess the effectiveness of the community approach in detecting and treating drug-resistant TB cases. Another goal of the study is to create a “Biobank” where a collection of body samples and specimens from TB patients will be stored in a laboratory so that future researchers can use the specimens to study TB or other diseases that can affect TB in the future.

DLSHSI Vice Chancellor for Research and noted TB expert Dr. Charles Y. Yu will be the principal investigator of the study. He will be aided by sub-investigators Dr. Victoria Dalay, Dr. Melchor Frias, Dr. Jovilia Abong and Ms. Naida Marcelo, all from the DLSHSI Angelo King Medical Research Center.

The project will run for five years and has an approved budget of P123 Million.

The COACH-DRTB is one of the biggest funded projects of PCHRD. PCHRD Department of Science and Technology Executive Director Dr. Jaime Montoya shared they are truly blessed to be working with Dr. Yu’s team and they fully trust the leadership of Dr. Yu who is also known for his passionate advocacies in TB control not only in the Philippines but all over the world. Dr. Montoya hopes that through this project they can significantly contribute to controlling tuberculosis in the Philippines. “As a national coordinating agency for health research, your success is our (PCHRD) success and that we all work for a common goal and that is to provide the best quality healthcare for each and every Filipino. We hope will be together and look forward to the successful conclusion and maybe even better future partnerships with DLSHSI with the group of Dr. Yu,” Dr. Montoya said at the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the project at DLSHSI.

DLSHSI President Br. Gus Boquer expressed his gratitude to PCHRD for trusting DLSHSI and its experts in this noble effort to help other people by improving healthcare through scientific research. Boquer, Yu, Montoya and Division Chief Merle Opeña were present at the MOA signing. - BusinessMirror