MANILA — Biologists at the University of the Philippines Diliman have made a groundbreaking discovery as they present the first phase of their study that detects lymphovascular invasion (LVI), which identifies if a breast cancer patient will respond to chemotherapy.

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With their study hitting 92% accuracy, the team, led by Dr. Michael Villarde, discovered that identifying genetic patterns through RNA sequencing and machine learning algorithms can help experts make projections without sampling the tumor itself under the microscope.

“Chemotherapy can be physically draining,” Dr. Villarde told ABS-CBN News.

“Our goal is to help doctors make informed decisions early, preventing patients from undergoing ineffective treatments.”

FILIPINO EXPERTS, FILIPINO DATA

While the initial phase of the study focused on Filipino breast cancer samples, the team hopes to expand their research across various demographics and cancer types.

"The reason why we want to do this is because this means we have Filipinos as our sample. Our expression and our genes are different. We may have a different response. Who else would do this? Of course, a fellow Filipino as well," Dr. Villarde said.

The researchers remain committed to advancing medical science in the Philippines.

“This study is entirely driven by Filipino experts, using Filipino data,” Dr. Villarde emphasized. “We aim to develop solutions that directly benefit our own population.”

The second phase of the study is on hold due to funding limitations, which present challenges as additional resources are needed to conduct larger-scale validations and potential clinical trials.

The study is currently supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Philippine Genome Center, in which Dr. Villarde is part of as Program Director of Biobanking.

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As the team prepares for the next phase of research, they look forward to further refining their model, ensuring greater accuracy and clinical application in the fight against breast cancer.