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 A summa cum laude graduate from the University of the Philippines in 1960, Dr. Olivera is the 2007 Harvard Foundation Scientist of the Year. He is best known for “his pioneering research with neurotoxins that are produced by the venomous cone snails, Conus, which are found in the tropical waters of the Philippines”.
Earlier that day, Dr. Olivera was conferred Doctor of Science, honoris causa, by the University of the Philippines. He also delivered a lecture, wherein he recounted his “scientific odyssey”, as part of the University’s Centennial Celebration.
Dr. Olivera’s interest in cone snails started at an early age. As a young boy in the Philippines, he would gather seashells and bring them home so he could study them. One particular seashell, the cone snail, aroused his curiosity. Though very exquisite in appearance, the cone snail was at the same time very lethal. He asked, “Why is this snail able to kill people?” With a team, Dr. Olivera embarked on a scientific research. He extracted the venom from the snails, and investigated each of its components by using mice as test subjects. He soon found out that the venom is very complicated, consisting of several components, each caused different behaviour to the mouse. One component he named conantukin, because it caused the mouse to drowse off (antok); another he called contulakin since it made the mouse nudge a bit (tulak).
Dr. Olivera also discovered that the cone snail’s venom, which is lethal, can also be used as an antidote. Contulakin is used to cure intractable pain, while conantukin for epilepsy. The conotoxins are now being used as ingredient of a drug, Prialt, and are also considered for treatment of Parkinson’s disease and other CNS disorders.
What new lessons on the practice of science can we perhaps learn from Dr. Olivera’s story?
First, as what Dr. Olivera himself said, “We don’t need sophisticated equipment to do science”. Advanced equipment is a plus, but the lack of it is not an excuse for one not to practice science. Dr. Olivera shared that their first assay equipment was very simple – “a grade school student can even make it” – yet they were able to do science with it.
This is especially true when you want to start your own research laboratory in a third-class country like the Philippines, and you are starting from scratch. You practically have to use your creativity to improvise your own equipment. Wits, and an undaunted spirit, are what it takes to overcome the obstacles and move ahead.
I remember Dr. Edgardo Gomez, the founding director behind the Marine Science Institute. In his commencement speech “Odyssey to Excellence” for the 2006 graduating batch, he shared how he helped transform the one-room Marine Sciences Center in 1974 to a world-class Marine Science Institute it is today. He said: “A positive attitude towards life is an important ingredient to success. Too much time is spent bellyaching in a typical Filipino work setting, when one’s attention and energies should be focused on opportunities...”
The second lesson is that our unique Filipino culture can be an asset for our scientific work. “What is unique about my research is its obvious Philippine character”, Dr. Olivera said. “My success as a scientist, I owe it mostly to my being a Filipino. I owe a profound debt to the marine diversity of the Philippine archipelago and also to the maritime tradition of the Filipinos.”
“Due to our unique geological history, we have such a very rich marine diversity. We have so many cone snails here in the Philippines. We have so many species of them.”
Another edge Dr. Olivera has as a Filipino is the rich maritime traditions and maritime knowledge system of local folks. “Our traditional knowledge of marine life is extremely sophisticated, and this forms the basis of our work”. He continued: “If I want to know more about snails, I won’t go to a curator of a European museum and consult him. I’ll go ask a local Filipino fisherman instead. He knows many things about cone snails than anyone else in this world.”
He also shared that Filipino fishermen know better and more efficient techniques of collecting snails, which impressed the Japanese a lot.
Lastly, Dr. Olivera shows what it means to be a genuine Filipino scientist in a global world. You become a world-class scientist not by disowning the Filipino in you and then becoming an American, a German, or a Japanese abroad. You can be a world-class scientist and at the same time being 100% Pinoy.
I remember a story told by a Filipino graduate student abroad, who is now in England, doing his doctorate. He lives in a house with an outstanding physicist. One time, the physicist saw in a journal a topic he is interested in. He read through the article, and he was very much impressed with it. But what impressed him all the more is when he found out that the research was actually authored by Filipino physicists who did the study in a Philippine laboratory. The work was outstanding, he said, because to do it requires a world-class laboratory and expert creativity.
Many bewail the fact that we lack facilities here in our country, which is a legitimate reason enough to seek for better opportunities abroad. Or that being a Filipino is an inherent disadvantage for a practicing scientist. It may be true, but as the example of Dr. Olivera and of the Filipino physicists has shown, what some regard as our point of weakness can be turned into a point of strength, which can be an edge that can set us apart from the rest.
Being a Filipino and practicing science in the Philippines can be the Filipino scientists’ greatest asset. It is high time we show this to the world over.
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