Jakarta (Unas) – The Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) of Universitas Nasional (Unas) held its first international conference in 2022. The event, titled the “International Conference on Natural Products and Chronic Diseases 2022,” was conducted both online and offline at the Unas Cyber Library Auditorium on Wednesday (06/07).
Head of LPPM Unas, Dr. Ir. Nonon Saribanon, M.Si., stated that the conference aims to bring together academics and researchers to exchange ideas and share experiences related to research on natural products and chronic diseases. “This forum is attended by academics and researchers who present and discuss innovations, trends, and challenges faced in the field of natural products and chronic diseases, along with possible solutions. The conference theme is ‘Natural Products for Quality of Life, Good Health, and Well-being,’” Nonon said in her opening remarks. She added that the conference is a collaboration between Unas, Universitas Pancasila, and the Center for Botanicals and Chronic Diseases (CBCD) at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. The conference concluded with parallel sessions featuring presentations from various researchers.
In his address, Unas Vice Rector for General Administration, Finance, and Human Resources, Prof. Dr. Drs. Eko Sugiyanto, M.Si., emphasized that this collaboration reflects Unas’ commitment to working alongside Universitas Pancasila and CBCD at Rutgers University on natural products and chronic diseases. “We hope this collaboration continues in the coming years and leads to valuable publications on natural products and chronic diseases that are still unknown to the public,” he said. The Vice Rector further explained that the conference covered presentations on topics such as medicinal plant exploration, natural product-based medications, chronic diseases, conservation of natural resources, and other related subjects.
Professor of the Department of Plant Biology at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, Prof. Dr. Ilya Raskin, highlighted that the partnership between Rutgers University and Unas was initiated to share insights and publish research findings on botanicals for health. “This is a great opportunity, particularly for Rutgers University, to collaborate with Unas, which has researchers producing remarkable works. Hopefully, this collaboration, from its inception to today’s conference, will benefit us all,” he remarked. As the keynote speaker, Raskin also discussed his research on ‘The Future of Research in Botanical Medicines.’
Other speakers at the event included Prof. Dr. Ernawati Sinaga, M.S., Apt., from Unas, Indonesia, who presented on ‘The Potential of Indonesian Underutilized Fruits as Functional Beverages.’ Meanwhile, the second speaker, Prof. Dr. Syamsudin, M.Biomed., Apt. from Universitas Pancasila, shared his insights on ‘Antidiabetic Potential of Polyherbal Formulation, Preclinical Development, Safety and Efficacy Studies.’
The third presentation was delivered by Prof. Saidbeg Satorov, represented by Assistant of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Virology Mirzoeva F.D. from Avicenna Tajik State Medical University, Tajikistan. She discussed ‘Correlation Between Content of Polyphenols and Fungicidal Activity Endemic Onions Tajikistan.’ In addition, Prof. Dr. Endang Sukara from Unas presented his research on ‘Fermentation of Ziziphus Mauritiana’s Fruits and Its Potential as Raw Material for Functional Drink Formulation.’ The session concluded with Assoc. Prof. Ts. Khamsah Suryati Mohd., Ph.D. from the School of Agriculture Science and Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioresources and Food Industry, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Malaysia, who explained ‘Natural Products As Anti-Uterine Fibroids Potential.’
The discussion sessions were moderated by Unas lecturer, Fadlan Muzzaki, S.IP., M.Phil., LL.M. Additionally, certificates were awarded to trainees from Unas who completed the Capacity Building Program for researchers in collaboration with Rutgers University. The certificates were presented to Alvira Noer Effendi, Rina Trifani, and Bunga Anggreani Sari. The event was supported and funded by the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research and the NIH-Fogarty International Center. (NIS)
