PH’s first metallomics research facility opens in UP Marine Science Institute

The UP Marine Science Institute opened the first metallomics facility in the Philippines last Wednesday, October 22, 2025. Led by Balik Scientist Dr. Irene B. Rodriguez, the establishment of the metallomics facility will help advance research on trace metals, macronutrients, and their interactive effects on marine biogeochemical cycles.

This followed Dr. Rodriguez’s Balik Scientist Exit Report Presentation, “From Concept to Capability: Navigating Metallomics in the Philippines”, which showcased the recent research outputs of the Inorganic Biogeochemistry and Biotechnology Research laboratory at the UP Marine Science Institute. The metallomics facility is funded by the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD).

“The goal is to use metals and metalloenzymes as environmental cues,” said Dr. Rodriguez. In her talk, she explained how studying metals in marine environments can help further our understanding of ocean health and chemical cycles.

Metallomics is the study of metals within cells and their role in biological systems. The presence of metals in the marine environment can be greatly influential, especially on microorganisms. This includes the dinoflagellates that give corals their color, the phytoplankton that cause harmful algal blooms, and the cyanobacteria that drive major chemical processes in the ocean. Aside from their role in photosynthesis and providing oxygen, cyanobacteria also convert atmospheric nitrogen and carbon dioxide into forms that can be used by living cells and organisms.

“The new metallomics facility now provides the foundation for sustained, high-impact research,” said Dr. Fezoil Decena, Institution Development Division Director of DOST-PCAARRD.

Dr. Rodriguez already has plans for using the metallomics facility for future projects with DOST.

Establishing the metallomics facility took many years. The work began in 2020, after Dr. Rodriguez joined the faculty roll of the UP Marine Science Institute. Dr. Rodriguez built her laboratories in both the Edgardo Gomez Hall, UP Diliman and the Bolinao Marine Laboratory, Pangasinan. Since returning to the Philippines, she has led research on deciphering the role of trace metals in toxin production during harmful algal blooms, production of metabolites by microalgae, and the internal cycling of nutrients between corals and Symbiodiniaceae, a family of symbiotic dinoflagellates that live within corals.

The opening of the metallomics facility also marks the 5th anniversary of the founding of Dr. Rodriguez’s laboratory, the Inorganic Biogeochemistry and Biotechnology Research Laboratory.

With the ideals of “Balik Puso, Balik Pilipinas” in mind, Dr. Rodriguez is determined to build a network of scientists and researchers who will advance the field of metallomics in the country. She hopes that more Filipinos can join her in advancing marine biogeochemistry and biotechnology.

For more information on Dr. Rodriguez’s research, visit the laboratory’s website at https://msi-ibrlab.com/.