The University of the Philippines Visayas, through the Philippine Filipino Genomes Research Program (FGRP), is actively recruiting 31 volunteers to participate in a genomics study in Iloilo City.
This collaboration involves the DNA Analysis Laboratory of the Natural Sciences Research Institute, University of the Philippines Diliman, for the FGRP: Representing the Underrepresented study, funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development.
This effort intends to advance human genomics research in the Philippines and develop a better knowledge of our genetic history.
Volunteers will play a critical role in identifying the origins, history, and adaptive features of Filipinos by actively participating in this project.
To be eligible, volunteers must be at least 18 years old, of Filipino descent, and born in Iloilo City.
It would be ideal if partner-volunteers' parents and all four grandparents were also from Iloilo City. Partner-volunteers should not be related to any other volunteers up to the second cousin level.
A parent, mother, and child can all volunteer for the study at the same time. It is also preferred if they are descendants of the parents and grandparents of Iloilo City.
The process that partner-volunteers must go through after agreeing to participate in the study includes orientation, completion of permission forms, interviews, anthropometric measurements, and saliva collection.
Following the completion of the collecting process, DNA processing and analysis will take place. The research team has made a commitment to go back to the area and share the study's findings with the local community before presenting them to the scientific community.
Filipino genetic variation will be studied for anthropology, forensics, and evolution using the partner-volunteers' personal, family history, and anthropometric data.
On September 27, 2023, Claire Juanico, a FGRP research collaborator, told SunStar Philippines that they were still seeking "partner-volunteers” in Iloilo City.
Inquiries can be sent to fgrp.upd@up.edu.ph or called at 09472024920 (Smart) or 09157375334 (Globe). In addition, Ms. Claire Juanico of the Philippine Genome Center Visayas UPV can be reached at 09153370408. (SunStar Philippines)