Marine Genomics and Molecular Genetics Laboratory

🚨 New Publication!🚨

Freshly minted 🪩

Another one fresh off the press! This time, Jeremie Punzalan, together with Dr. Bascos and Dr. Lluisma, published their study titled “Genome Mining and Functional Characterization of Agarases from a Novel Vibrio Species.” The work reports exciting findings, including the discovery of a novel Vibrio genomospecies and the successful recombinant expression of two of its β-agarase genes.

Read here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-026-10597-3

🚨New Publication!🚨

Brand new ✨

The lab is proud to share the publication of our very own Philip Ariel Alfonso, titled "Taxonomic Profiling of Plankton Communities in the Coastal Waters of Boracay Island, Philippines". The study employs a metabarcoding approach to characterize the planktonic community present in the coastal waters of Boracay Island, a popular tourist destination with global reach.

Read here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2026.104887

🫰 Direk!! 🫰

We proudly share that our very own PI, Dr. Arturo 'Roy' Lluisma, officially assumed office as Director of the Marine Science Institute on March 17, 2026.

Mandaragat para sa Bayan! 🇵🇭

It is with pride that the UP Marine Science Institute warmly welcomes our very own Professor Arturo Lluisma, Ph.D. as our new Director.

Dr. Lluisma is the first Filipino scientist to use genomics and transcriptomics in the marine products discovery pipeline. His work focuses on decoding the rich information within marine prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes and translating it into new products for marine biotechnology. Throughout his career, he has studied the genomes of various marine plants and invertebrates, including shrimp, cone snails, seaweeds, and marine bacteria. He is deeply interested in the application of genomics and other omics approaches in various fields of marine science, particularly drug discovery, aquaculture, and biodiversity research, especially those that promise a significant positive impact on Philippine society.

In 2006, he received the NAST Outstanding Young Scientist Award for his significant contributions to applied seaweed biology and biotechnology. He was the Founding Program Director of the Bioinformatics Core Facility of the Philippine Genome Center from 2010 to 2016.

As the UP Marine Science Institute ramps up its efforts in advancing the field of marine biodiversity, especially through the establishment of the Marine Biodiversity Resources and Information System (MBRIS), we are confident that Director Lluisma can steer our growing efforts in managing the wealth of our marine molecular resources. Padayon, Mandaragat!

🚨New Publication!🚨

Hot off the Press 🔥

Home-grown talents Cadorna, Aguinaldo, and de la Cruz, together with Dr. Lluisma, have just published a study on the Philippine Black Tiger Shrimp (Sugpo) Genomics, advancing our understanding of the genetic signatures underlying desirable production traits for improved Sugpo farming.

Read here: https://doi.org/10.1002%2Fage.70082

👏 ICYMI: He just proposed... And the panel said YES!

Congratulations, Elijah Estante, on a well-received thesis proposal last February 19, 2026. We are Kappa-proud of you 🥸 👏

👏 ICYMI: ✨ Angel dust rained down from the skies ✨

Congratulations, Dan Jethro M. Masacupan, on a successful master's thesis defense last December 15, 2025. Your legacy will continue to inspire and shape generations of the Molgen community ❤️‍🔥 👏

👏 ICYMI: Congratulations to Francis A. Tablizo on a successful dissertation proposal last December 10, 2025. Your Molgen family is proud of your Pretty huge Deal (PhD) achievement. 👏

🏆 ICYMI: MOLGEN Laboratory of UPD - MSI celebrates student research success through collaboration 🏆

The Marine Genomics and Molecular Genetics Laboratory (Marine Science Institute, UP Diliman) proudly congratulates the student researchers Joshua Reysio-Cruz, Lovi Suguitan, and Ramon Perez from the Philippine Science High School – Main Campus, for their research entitled Recombinant Expression of Conopeptides from Conus striolatus.

The study was implemented in the Marine Genomics Laboratory, where students were supported by research assistants Dan Jethro M. Masacupan, Klowie A. Pagente, and Adrian Kelly Tabbu, gaining hands-on experience in molecular approaches to marine bioactive compound discovery research.

Under the supervision of Elijah V. Estante, Research Adviser from PSHS-MC and affiliated with the Marine Genomics Laboratory, the team successfully translated foundational research training into outputs recognized at both local and international platforms.

Awards received:

• Creative Research Award, Korea Science Academy Science Fair (KSASF 2025), Busan
• Gold Award (Life Science Category), International Science and Invention Fair (ISIF 2025)
• Science Innovation Award, G.T. College International Science Project Competition, Hong Kong
• Silver Award (Microbiology & Bioinformatics Category), PSHS System Science Research Summit 2026

This work reinforces the value of institutional collaboration between UP Diliman - Marine Science Institute and the Philippine Science High School - Main Campus in advancing marine biotechnology and research training.

The team acknowledges the support of Dr. Arturo O. Lluisma, the Principal Investigator of the Marine Genomics and Molecular Genetics Laboratory, and Dr. Rod Allan A. De Lara (Campus Director, PSHS-MC), Mr. Mc Jervis Villaruel, their Research 3 Teacher from PSHS-MC, and all partners who contributed to the successful implementation of the research.

🌸🎂 Happy Birthday, Dr. Adel 🎂🌸

Warm birthday greetings to Dr. Adelaida T. Calpe, Director of the Inland Aquatic Resources Research Division, DOST-PCAARRD.

We extend our heartfelt appreciation for your distinguished service, inspiring leadership, and continued support of research at the Marine Genomics and Molecular Genetics Laboratory. Your contributions to advancing aquatic and fisheries science and to nurturing the research community have left a lasting and meaningful legacy. 🧬🦐🐟

Wishing you good health, joy, and fulfillment in the journey ahead. 🌊✨

📢 Thesis Defense Announcement 🎓

Please join us in supporting Dan Jethro Masacupan as he defends his Master's thesis entitled:

“High-throughput Transcriptomic and Proteomic Identification and Characterization of Conopeptides in the Venom Gland of the Vermivorous Cone Snail Conus imperialis (Gastropoda: Mollusca)”

📅 December 15, 2025 (Monday)
⏰ 10:00 AM
📍 MSI AVR
💻 Via Zoom (link available upon request)

This study integrates transcriptomics and proteomics to advance our understanding of conopeptide diversity and venom composition in Conus imperialis, contributing to toxin biology and bioactive peptide discovery. 🐚🌊🖥️💊

This will be the last thesis defense of the year in the lab, marking a meaningful milestone as we close the year with exciting research on conopeptide discovery and venom biology.

We invite colleagues, friends, and fellow researchers to join us and support Dan in this important academic milestone.

📢 Dissertation Proposal Announcement 📢

Please join us in supporting Francis A. Tablizo as he presents his Dissertation Proposal entitled:

“Development and Deployment of an Automatable Conopeptide Discovery Pipeline from Cone Snail (Family Conidae) Venom Gland Transcriptome Data Sets”

📅 Date: 10 December 2025
⏰ Time: 2:00 PM
📍 Venue: MSI AVR
💻 Online: Via Zoom
🔗 Zoom link will be available upon request

The research focuses on creating and deploying an automated pipeline for discovering conopeptides from cone snail venom gland transcriptome data. 🐚🌊🖥️