He is another reason to feel great to be Pinoy.

Harvard Foundation Scientist of the Year for 2007 Dr. Baldomero M. Olivera - distinguished professor, scientist, Filipino. His research also highlights the Conus, a poisonous snail found in the waters of the Philippines.

The Filipino biologist is here to tell his story of how he discovered new drugs for pain, Alzheimer’s and epilepsy in our Philippine wildlife and discuss how the Philippines can play a part in the development of these drugs.

His work from the Utah University website:

Our major interest is in molecular mechanisms underlying nervous system function. Recent conceptual and technical advances have greatly accelerated progress in defining key molecules important for signaling in the mammalian central nervous system, making it possible to address how molecular components can be combined to yield physiological function.

To investigate this, we are developing a set of peptide ligands which target specific receptors and ion channel complexes of neurons; these are found in the venoms of the predatory cone snails, Conus.

We are now seeing brain gain, with Filipinos experts come back and give back. The may be based abroad but their heart will always remain in the Philippines. The next thing you know, they might be setting camp here for good. It is possible and I think inevitable. It’s just a matter of time.

From the Brain Gain Network email:

Technology Business Incubator and the Brain Gain Network present the

Networking for technologists, policy makers, angel investors, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs

Featured Speaker

Baldomero Olivera, PhD

Awardee, Harvard “Scientist of the Year 2007”

Distinguished Professor of Biology and Director of the Olivera Lab

University of Utah

Topic

“Turning Killers to Pain Killers”

How a Filipino scientist discovered new drugs for pain, Alzheimer’s and epilepsy in our Philippine wildlife,

and how the Philippines can play a part in the development of these drugs.

July 6, Friday

4-6pm

Filipinas Heritage Library

Nielsen Tower, Ayala Triangle,

Makati City 1224

rsvp: innovation@ayalafoundation.org

fee: P500

Sponsors:

Ayala Foundation

InfoDev

About Dr. Baldomero Olivera

Baldomero Olivera graduated summa cum laude graduate from the University of the Philippines in 1960, took his PhD in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology (1966), and did postdoctoral work at Stanford University from 1966-1968.

Olivera returned briefly to the Philippines to become a research associate professor of Biochemistry at the UP College of Medicine before returning back to the U.S. to become an associate professor at the University of Utah in 1970. He has held the title of Distinguished Professor of Biology since 1992.

Dr. Olivera has over 158 publications on Conus toxins. He is also a co-founder of Utah based startup Cognetix. In March 2007, Olivera was awarded by the Harvard Foundation as “Scientist of the Year” to honor his three decades of work in developing drugs from animal wildlife.

An article about Toto Olivera and his work on conotoxins was published in the July 2007 issue of

Forbes Asia .

See: http://members.forbes.com/global/2007/0702/064.html