Taking another stride in scientific innovation, the Functional Foods and Nutraceutical Research Center (FNRC) and the Center for Cellular and Molecular Medical Research (CMED), two state-of-the-art research facilities, were inaugurated on October 15, during the 2nd Probiotics and Functional Foods Asian Summit.

Located at the RDE Buildings I and II and at the College of Medicine (COM), both centers were established under the CHED-LAKAS (Leading the Advancement of Knowledge in Agriculture and Sciences) funded Indigenous Food Plants–Probiotics (IFP-Probiotics) Research Program. This shows MMSU’s commitment to strengthening research infrastructure and advancing health and food science.

The inauguration and unveiling of the commemorative plaque were graced by CHED Chairperson Shirley C. Agrupis and MMSU President Virgilio Julius P. Manzano, Jr., joined by guests from CHED, PhilProFF, the IFP-Probiotics Team, and institutional partners.

FNRC drives innovation by utilizing indigenous bioresources to develop functional food and nutraceutical products. It houses six specialized laboratories: the Natural Products Research Laboratory (NatProd), Applied Microbiology Research Laboratory (AMR), Cheminformatics and Computational Metabolomics Research Laboratory (CMR), Food and Nutraceutical Research and Innovation Laboratory (FNRIL), Product Quality Testing Laboratory, and Nutraceutical Manufacturing Facility.

Meanwhile, CMED promotes biomedical, molecular, and cellular studies focused on disease prevention, diagnostics, and health education. It also has laboratories specifically for Genomics and Genetic Engineering, Sequencing and Molecular Diagnostics, Medical Microbiology, and Cell Culture and Pharmacology.

With these facilities, researchers can explore the mechanisms of traditional therapeutics in Northern Philippines, identify new biomarkers, develop early disease detection and treatment approaches using omics and cell models, train future scientists in biomedical technologies, and collaborate with the industry for impactful research translation.

As flagship centers, FNRC and CMED will serve as vital platforms for interdisciplinary research and instruction. The inauguration of these centers underscores the strong synergy among the academe, government, and the industry.