IRRI scholar takes 1st place at the International Conference in Biology and Biochemistry

His passion for developing and determining nutritionally dense rice paid off when Rhowell Tiozon and his study on rice’s anti-diabetic and cancer properties won first place in a poster competition at the 49th  Philippine Society of Biology and Biochemistry (PSBMB) Annual Convention on 23-26 November.

At the Virtual International Conference on Biology and Biochemistry, Tiozon presented the metabolomic studies on pigmented rice and the genetic analysis. This study reveals the genes responsible for accumulating specific metabolites with anti diabetic and anti-cancer properties.

As an International Rice Research Institute Ph.D. scholar since 2020, Tiozon decided to work on his research, Unravelling the genetic diversity of pigmented rice and their antidiabetic and anticancer properties with the belief that it is urgent to develop rice with essential nutrients to address the increasing prevalence of dietary-related diseases. "Many people depend on rice for caloric and dietary sources. However, nowadays, most milled rice is deficient in essential nutrients. This is why I became motivated to do this research, together with the staff of the Consumer-driven Grain Quality and Nutrition unit led by Dr. Nese Sreenivasulu," said Tiozon.

The Grain Quality and Nutrition Center managed  by the unit conducts research to understand the value of various grain quality traits and screen and identify value-addition alleles from pre-breeding and breeding materials.

Currently, Tiozon is taking his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Potsdam, Germany. He is also affiliated with the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology, Germany.

Congratulations on your success, Rhowell!

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