Bogor, West Java — As a breakthrough to the more disclosure of molecular diagnostic approach in Indonesia, PT. PathGen Diagnostik Teknologi has successfully created a 2-days workshop series, named exactly as the purpose of the event: “Cancer Molecular Diagnostics” from August 21st to 22nd, 2023. The event was held at BNC Tower of the National Research and Innovation Agency (Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional-BRIN), Cibinong, Bogor, Indonesia.
Encouraged by the PathGen team’s idea as well as the enthusiasm of 34 participants nationwide, this event aimed to provide a dynamic platform for the clinical and scientific communities to delve into cutting-edge advancements in cancer molecular diagnostics. These devoted participants are a group of think-tank, composed of oncologists, pathology anatomists, and molecular biology enthusiasts.
The two-day workshop was warmly welcomed by the Head of the Genetic Engineering Research Center at BRIN herself, Dr. Ratih Asmana Ningrum. Passionately, she introduced a variety of infrastructures and research concerns that are employed within the institution. In a wider scope, this event optimistically could become the facade to induce more research enthusiasm between BRIN and these medical backgrounds participants.
Furthermore, the workshop went deeper into the main subject, molecular diagnostics. Mr. Asep M. Ridwanuloh, M.Si, one of the key persons of PathGen’s team R&D advisor from BRIN’s Genetic Engineering Lab, intensely brought up a talk about molecular biomarkers in cancer. He also elaborated fascinating methods in oncology’s molecular diagnostics. Stepping into the limelight, Dr. Susanti, Ph.D, founder and CEO of PT. PathGen Diagnostik Teknologi presented the topic about approaches in the the performance of molecular diagnostics. This most-awaited talk by the participants was also discussed about wide exploration and challenges related to the regulatory, ethical, and legal issues within the field.
As the workshop was generating more enthusiasm from the participants, BRIN representatives, and PathGen’s team, Gilang Akbariani, M.Sc, Manager R&D of PathGen, introduced the icon of her company. She showcased PathGen first launched product, which support the company’s vision to democratize genomics solutions in lower and middle-income countries. It is BiocoloMelt–Dx, the first affordable and comprehensive PCR-based cancer diagnostic kit in Indonesia specifically for colorectal cancer.
The workshop continued to the next speaker, Mr. Muhammad Zulfikar, S.Si. Zulfikar is a part of scientist in PathGen’s R&D team. He delivered the further utilization of BiocoloMelt-Dx with its compatible quantitative analysis of High-Resolution Melting PCR.
The event was expected to draw participation from clinical and scientific colleagues, forming a vibrant community on how to make cancer molecular diagnosis technically feasible for Indonesian healthcare service providers. Networking and mutual partnerships are also fruitful outputs from the event. Step by step, an ecosystem to support the growth of molecular diagnostics in Indonesia has started to be built from this workshop.