The Costa Rican Institute of Technology (TEC), through the Center for Biotechnology Research (CIB) of the School of Biology, signed a framework collaboration agreement with the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology (KRIBB) of the Republic of South Korea.
“The objective of the agreement is to conduct bioprospecting research on plants found within Costa Rican territory that have potential properties with positive effects on human health,” stated Dr. Laura Calvo Castro, CIB coordinator.
According to Dr. Calvo, some plants with potential anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects, among other benefits, have already been identified. For example, the agreement will continue previous research by TEC scientists Giovanni Garro, Karol Jiménez, and Silvia Castro. They have conducted studies for years on the Phyllanthus acuminatus plant, popularly known as “Chilillo,” which has potential effects against some types of cancer.
“The agreement with South Korea includes several investigations that have already begun at the CIB; among them, that of the Chilillo plant, for which we at TEC have even developed a hairy root production technology for the identification and production of compounds with anticancer activity,” stated Costa Rican scientist Giovanni Garro.
Complementing Biological Activity Analysis
Now, many are asking, if the TEC has already initiated research on these topics, why sign an agreement?
“The Korean Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology has extensive infrastructure and experience, including testing technologies unavailable in Costa Rica. So, at the national level, Costa Rica has significant biodiversity; but they have much more infrastructure to complement the biological activity analyses we have been working on at the TEC,” the CIB Coordinator explained, excited and happy.
According to Dr. Calvo, scientists from both institutions are now in the planning phase of research projects in which “CIB scientists will prepare and characterize plant extracts of mutual interest, complemented by highly specialized genetic, biochemical, and cellular analyses using cutting-edge technology in South Korea, all of this, of course, in compliance with national and international standards for biodiversity research. This entire collaboration has been monitored and advised by the National Commission for Biodiversity Management,” she emphasized.
First Joint Research Project
In 2025, the TEC and the KRIBB will begin their first joint research project, which will be funded by the Costa Rican Innovation and Research Promotion Agency (MICITT) through a call for proposals seeking to promote research and technological development projects in health, focused on tobacco control and its harmful effects.
“In this project, we will be analyzing, together with the KRIBB, the potential of some Costa Rican plants against the inflammation caused by tobacco use. Our interest is to evaluate potential new agents against the damage caused by smoking, primarily targeting ex-smokers and passive smokers,” said Dr. Calvo.
The Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology has been collaborating with Costa Rica on research for 17 years; the tests were conducted at the former National Institute of Biodiversity (INBio), located in Santo Domingo de Heredia.
After the closure of the INBio, the KRIBB has partnered with the TEC to continue supporting the country. “The Korean government has recognized biotechnology as a key industry for the future and has actively supported various research projects in this field,” stated Ambassador of the Republic of Korea Keunseok Jeon.
The signing of the agreement took place at the CIB in an official ceremony attended by university officials, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Keunseok Jeon; representatives of KRIBB, Dr. Sangho Choi, Director of the KRIBB International Research Center for Biological Materials; and researchers Dr. Soo-Yong Kim, Dr. Dong-Keun Yi, and Dr. Minsu Park; as well as Dr. Orlando Vega, Vice Minister of Science, Innovation, Technology, and Telecommunications.
