Manila: A woman scientist who tamed the deadliest toxins of cone snails that abound in the Philippines into therapeutic products that could ease pain, soothe epileptic attacks and weaken myocardial infarction has become a national treasure among Filipinos.
Last March, Lourdes "Luly" Jansuy Cruz, PhD, was one of five internationally acclaimed women who received at the Unesco headquarters in Paris $100,000 each and the coveted L'Oreal-Unesco Awards for Women in Science.
Her passion for the deadliest toxins conus geographicus, one of the 500 species found in the Indo-Pacific areas, began in the 1970s, when her associate, Dr. Baldomero "Toto" Olivera, an avid seashell collector, heard an intriguing story from fishermen that no one should be mesmerised by the beauty of conus, also known as Via Mare. It is one of the most expensive and well sought shells in the world. The fishermen said it could kill.
Working non-stop at the laboratory of the prestigious University of the Philippines, Jansuy-Cruz, Olivera, and two other associates, Olivia Veron and Lucy So found in 1976 some 100 to 200 conotoxins or venom peptides that came from the harpoon-like hollow tooth of conus.
Therapeutic products
From their chart, the venom peptides overflowed that the scientists started using Filipino names instead of Latin-derived names for them, such as contulakin (to awaken) and conantokin (to make drowsy).
In 2006, seven therapeutic products based on six different conus venom peptides were made for pain, epilepsy, and heart problems, which were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Jansuy-Cruz and Olivera have 13 patents of various contoxin or conotoxin peptides with possible medical application. One of their major plans is to use it to ease the pain of multiple sclerosis and Parkinson disease. A total of 80 patents have been given to all scientists for the medical application of conus.
In 2001, she established the Rural Livelihood Incubation (LINC) project to help Aytas, an ethnic group, in Morong, Bataan, in central Luzon.
Armed with science and technology, she has been helping fishermen and farmers. She has fought for studies on awareness about biodiversity and conservation of watershed areas in poor rural communities.
Too bad, the multi-awarded scientist is "not a household name in the Philippines," lamented Philippine Star columnist Amy Pamintuan.
"There were no parades to welcome her upon her return from Paris. Politicians did not line up to be photographed with her, and there has been no rush among big businessmen to provide more funding for her research," Pamintuan said.
