USU PR - The Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), initiated the “1st Medan International Conference on Biomedical Science (MICOBIOS)” event. The conference also coincided with TEMILNAS IX & RAKERNAS XIV KIBI, as well as TEMILNAS & RAKORNAS IKAFARI. It took place in a hybrid manner at the USU Faculty of Medicine Hall, on Thursday (07/11/2024).

Vice Rector III of USU, Prof. Dr. Poppy Anjelisa Zaitun Hasibuan, S.Si., M.Si., Apt highlighted the conference theme, namely “Bridging Omics to Healthcare: Implementation of Genomics and Metabolomics in Biomedical Research.” According to her, this theme is very relevant to the latest developments in healthcare, especially in the integration of genomics and metabolomics which now play an important role in biomedical research.

“This conference is expected to be a forum for knowledge exchange and collaboration between academics and medical practitioners, both from within and outside the country,” said Prof. Poppy.

Vice Rector III explained that omics technology, especially genomics and metabolomics, opens up great opportunities in understanding disease mechanisms in depth to the molecular level. This supports precision medicine innovation, enabling a treatment approach that suits the genetic and metabolic characteristics of each individual.

“The integration of OMICS technology in health services brings us to a new era that is more proactive and preventive in dealing with health problems,” added Prof. Poppy.

Dr.rer.medic.dr. M. Ichwan, MSc, SpKKLP, Subsp FOMC as Chairperson of the Committee & Head of Biomedical Science Master Program explained that this activity was the result of collaboration between the Biomedical Science Master Program of the USU Faculty of Medicine and various national institutions, including the Indonesian Biomedical Science Consortium (KIBI) and the Indonesian Pharmacology Association (IKAFARI).

“The results of this technology can be directly applied to patients in daily health services, so not only in the laboratory,” he said.

Prof. Dr. rer. Nat. Asmarinah, MS, Chairperson of KIBI highlighted that this conference not only showcases the latest research developments in the field of biomedicine, but also serves as a forum to strengthen scientific networking among academics and practitioners from various countries.

“This collaboration has supported various environmental education and research programs, especially in the Deli River area, and is expected to continue to grow in various biomedical fields,” she explained.

Conference participants came from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Germany, and Australia, as well as 19 universities in Indonesia. Also involved was the Deputy Consulate of Japan in Medan, Suzuki Yushi as part of USU's cooperation with Kitakyushu, since 2017. The series of events were workshops on pharmacogenomics, symposiums, and scientific competitions. It ended with a scientific tour to Samosir as part of an effort to introduce local culture.