Commemorating World Hepatitis Day, SITH ITB Addresses the Issue of Biotechnology in Hepatitis Virus Research

August 03, 2023 - ( update : 21-08-2023 )

By Anggun Nindita

Editor Anggun Nindita

BANDUNG, itb.ac.id – The School of Life Sciences and Technology at the Institut Teknologi Bandung (SITH ITB), in collaboration with the Eijkman Research Center for Molecular Biology (PRBME)-BRIN, hosted a webinar to commemorate World Hepatitis Day on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. The webinar, titled "Current Issues in Molecular Biology & Biotechnology in Hepatitis Virus Research," was organized with the purpose of discussing the most recent advancements in this field.

The virtual webinar began with an opening speech by Prof. Dr. drh. NLP Indi Dharmayanti, M.Si., who is the Head of the Health Research Organization-BRIN. During her speech, Prof. Indi emphasized the government's dedication to combat hepatitis in Indonesia by implementing the Hepatitis Control Program under the Ministry of Health.

Furthermore, she made reference to Regulation No. 53 of 2015 issued by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, which describes the regulation of Hepatitis Virus.

"May this webinar enhance knowledge and facilitate the exchange of insights for participants, especially those engaged in health research," Prof. Indi stated.

The event proceeded with a speech from Professor Endah Sulistyawati, Ph.D., who serves as the Dean of SITH ITB. She highlighted the importance of addressing hepatitis as a critical health concern for Indonesia.

Prof. Endah said, "The webinar can accelerate progress in hepatitis treatments through virus development."

The agenda included presentations from four speakers representing PRBME-BRIN and SITH ITB. The initial presenter, Dr. Elvanita El Khobar from PRBME-BRIN, delivered a presentation on the topic of "Molecular Epidemiology of Hepatitis Virus."

The next speaker, Dr. Caecilia Sukowati, discussed the "Molecular Pathogenicity of Hepatitis Virus and Its Impact on Human Health." An interactive question and answer session was conducted with the participants before proceeding to the third presentation.
Ernawati Arifin Giri-Rachman, M.Si., Ph.D., a faculty member at SITH ITB, delivered a presentation titled "Biotechnology Innovations for the Development of Hepatitis Vaccines."

The last speaker was Dr. Marselina Irasonia Tan, a faculty member from SITH ITB. She delivered a presentation on the topic of "The Utilization of Animal Models in Vaccine Testing." As with previous sessions, a question and answer session took place following the presentation of materials.

Reporter: Arif Hermawan (Teknik Sipil, 2021)
Translator: Anggi Nurdiani (Manajemen, 2021)
Editor: Hanifa Juliana (Perencanaan Wilayah dan Kota, 2020)