UP Diliman doing its share in fight against COVID-19
Published May 20, 2020, 11:37 AM
The University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) has continued to reach out to people who were greatly affected by the coronavirus pandemic by sharing its expertise through various projects and initiatives.
The College of Engineering’s “3D Printing Solutions for our Frontliners” project has so far produced 2,375 face shield frames using 17 3D printers, assembled 1,854 complete face shields and distributed 1,654 of these to 31 hospitals in Metro Manila, Baguio, Pangasinan, Laguna, Batangas and Cavite.
The project also designed, 3D-printed and distributed ear saver pieces to reduce the strain on a user’s ears when wearing the face shield.
Meanwhile, the team behind the “Prototype Adult Ventilator” conducted its first test on the prototype’s touch screen controls last April 23. With the positive initial test results from the lone prototype, a more permanent assembly will be made.
Another team is leading an initiative on disinfection of personal protective equipment via UV light.
It is currently testing two prototypes for efficiency of disinfection, while parallel tests will also be done at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).
A third prototype changes the format of the chamber to fit six coveralls and hasten the time of exposure.
The chemical engineers behind “ChlorGen: On-Site Hypochlorite Disinfectant Generation Via Brine Water Electrolysis” have successfully produced some sodium hypochlorite from brine water.
The team is still in the prototyping stage and will do further experiments to optimize the extraction of sodium hypochlorite from brine water.
A UP team is also working on the “Identification of Potential Drug Candidates for the SARS-Cov-2 using Structure Based Drug Discovery.”
It has tested 1,000 natural compounds against the main protease of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2).
The three best natural compounds coming out of the search so far are found in apples (Malusdomestica), bell peppers (Capsicum annuum) and the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris).
It noted that further simulations are needed to test the compounds’ stability.
Likewise, more researches are being conducted to identify additional compounds and to find what compounds or “ligand complexes” will be better alternatives because of their characteristics.
The UP College of Human Kinetics (CHK) has also launched on various social media platforms the “SIPA-in COVID,
A UP CHK Initiative,” an infographics on the recommended daily physical activity work-outs and physical activity with a relative intensity for all ages.
According to CHK Dean Francis Carlos Diaz, SIPA or short incidental physical activity, is an exercise routine with four to five minutes duration to be done every two hours all throughout the day.
SOURCE: https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/05/20/up-diliman-doing-its-share-in-fight-against-covid-19/
