For Mario Jiz, a native of the Philippines and a doctoral candidate in Pathobiology at Brown, research isn't just a matter of scientific inquiry—it's a way to give back to his country. "It's a personal mission for me that whatever I contribute to science, I also contribute to my countrymen," says Jiz, who received a bachelor's in molecular biology and biotechnology from the University of the Philippines in 2001. "It's not just about the science. It's about being able to help people in some small way."
Photos by Lucas FogliaJiz's way of helping seems anything but small. He's trying to find a vaccine for schistosomiasis (schisto), a parasitic disease that infects 200 million people worldwide and is second only to malaria in its impact on public health. Schistosomes, or microscopic flatworms, inhabit the water supply in rural areas in the Philippines, China, Brazil, and Sub—Saharan Africa. When people bathe, do laundry, or farm in or around infected water sources, the parasites penetrate their skin and grow inside their bodies, causing a myriad of health problems—irregularities in liver function, anemia, and, for children, stunted growth. Most people don't know they're infected, and those who receive treatment are usually re—infected because they depend on infected water sources for their livelihoods.
Twenty-six—year—old Jiz began studying the disease in 2001 as part of a collaboration between the Manila—based Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and Dr. Jonathan Kurtis, a Brown professor who has since become Jiz's advisor. Over the course of two years, Jiz and his RITM research partners visited Filipino villages affected by the disease and collected 600 blood samples from infected locals. At the end of the collection period, half of the samples were shipped to labs at Brown. Jiz followed them a year later.
Jiz came to Brown on a Fulbright scholarship and joined Kurtis's lab, where he continued the work he'd started half a world away. He is still working with the same samples today, and his knowledge of their origins helps focus his research. "Because I'm Filipino, I know the culture. I know the norm," he says. "It helps me to ask the right questions. When you know the conditions where people are infected, it makes the process quicker."
Even with his insider's edge, Jiz admits that finding a vaccine for a parasitic disease is a huge challenge. "Vaccines for viruses and bacteria don't work for parasites. We need to create a vaccine that will target the parasite without harming the human host." A few labs in Europe have conducted clinical trials of vaccines without great success. "Their efficacy is about forty percent," says Jiz. "We're hoping to top that." Jiz has larger goals in mind too. "Scientific research is still in its infancy in the Philippines. I'd like to help build a culture of research and inquiry in my country."
— Michelle Walson
