The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and Tohoku University Collaborating Research Center for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases (RITM-TOHOKU Collaborating Research Center for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases) celebrated a decade of collaboration through a research forum on the 20th of February 2018 at the RITM Auditorium.

A panel of experts from Japan and the Philippines presented the most groundbreaking researches which spurred out of the 10-year collaboration.

“The past 10 years was spent building a fruitful research collaboration with Japan where capabilities of investigators and laboratories were reinforced. Now we are looking at expanding the collaboration in East Asia,” said RITM Director and Local Coordinator of RITM-TOHOKU Collaboration Dr. Socorro P. Lupisan.

Dr. Lupisan also cited that a proposal for a collaboration among Philippines, Japan, and Cambodia is already in the pipeline. They plan to replicate the cohort study in Biliran Province and focus on Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) which causes most of the hospital admissions in the study site.

The RITM-TOHOKU Collaborating Research Center for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases was established in April 2008 with the objectives of conducting epidemiological analysis of major infectious diseases in the Philippines and strengthening the capacity of the National Reference Laboratories of RITM in the identification of causative agents of infectious tropical diseases in the Philippines.

by Allenor Enciso, Communication and Engagement Office [RITM Web Team]