Educational Background
Mark graduated as the batch valedictorian of the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, College of Science in 2016. He finished Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. He was mentored by the Outstanding Young Scientist and Mycologist, Dr. Rer. Nat. Thomas Edison dela Cruz.
Currently, Mark is a resident graduate student at the University of the Philippines Diliman (the National University of the country) taking up Master of Science in Microbiology. He is under the supervision of the National Academician and UP Scientist, Dr. Windell L. Rivera.
Academic Achievements
Throughout his training years, Mark received numerous academic-, research-, and employment-related awards attesting to his commitment to excellence.
Among his notable achievements include being the topnotcher in the 2016 Certification Examination for Registered Microbiologist conferred by the Philippine Academy for Microbiology.
For his complete list of achievements, please click the button below.
Research Profile
As a young scientist, Mark has published a number of original and review articles in local and international scientific journals. Highlighted below are his recent publications. You may also access the complete list of his works by clicking the button below.
Research Projects
Mark is part of collaborative research projects funded by The Medical City and the Department of Science and Technology. These projects are mostly microbiology-related or quality improvement projects. Mark is fortunate to be mentored by infectious disease specialists, cell biologists, emergency medicine physicians, and natural product scientists.
Ongoing
Group Practice vs Independent Contractors in Emergency Department
Impact of physician group practice in the quality of care, productivity, and service satisfaction in an emergency department of a tertiary hospital in the Philippines (Principal Investigator: Dr. Ma. Lourdes Concepcion Jimenez)
Project Objective: To determine the impact of the group practice vs. independent contractors in reference to the patient’s quality of care, productivity, and physician’s satisfaction in a 24/7 ED healthcare setting.
Budget: PhP 100k (USD 1.8k)
Funding Agency: The Medical City
Duration: July 2023- present
Role: Co-Investigator
Nosocomial Klebsiella pneumoniae
Characteristics and Outcomes of community-acquired and nosocomial Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia in a tertiary hospital in the Philippines (Principal Investigator: Dr. Justin Allister Ong)
Project Objective: To describe the clinical, microbiologic profile, capsular types and outcomes of individuals with community-acquired and nosocomial Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia.
Budget: Not Applicable
Funding Agency: Not Applicable
Duration: June 2023- present
Role: Co-Investigator
ACORN-HAI
A Clinically-Oriented Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network for Healthcare-Associated Infections (Site Investigator: Dr. Cybele Lara Abad)
Project Objective: To implement clinical antimicrobial-resistant surveillance of patients with hospital-acquired bloodstream infection or ventilator-associated pneumonia.
Budget: SGD 68.3k (USD 50.5k)
Funding Agency: Wellcome Trust (through the National University of Singapore)
Duration: March 2023- present
Role: Research Coordinator/ Microbiologist
ResBac MRSA Project
Restoring antibiotic activity using Bacteriophages against biofilm-forming Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (Principal Investigator: Dr. Karl Evans R. Henson)
Project Objective: To determine the in vitro effect of bacteriophages in restoring the activity of OXA and SXT against MRSA.
Budget: PhP 4.7M (USD 82.8k)
Funding Agency: Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (Department of Science and Technology)
Duration: January 2023- present
Role: Co-investigator/ Project Staff II (Microbiology)
ORiGiN Study
An Online Registry of Carbapenemase Producing Gram-Negative Organisms for Evaluating the Clinical Profile, Outcomes, Mechanisms of Resistance and Antimicrobial Stewardship Practices of Two Tertiary Level Hospitals (Principal Investigator: Dr. Cybele Lara Abad)
Project Objective: To develop a prospective online registry from January 1, 2023 until December 31, 2025 and determine the burden of Gram-negative carbapenem-resistant microorganisms.
Budget: PhP 19.6M (USD 345k)
Funding Agency: Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (Department of Science and Technology)
Duration: January 2023- present
Role: Co-investigator/ Project Staff II (Microbiology)
SMART Study
Study for Monitoring Antimicrobial Resistance Trends (Principal Investigator: Dr. Raul Destura)
Project Objective: To establish a global surveillance study focused on gram-negative bacilli and their resistance or susceptibility to a broad spectrum of antimicrobials
Budget: USD 6,250
Funding Agency: International Health Management Associates, Inc. (on behalf of Merck & Co., Inc.)
Duration: January 2023- present
Role: Research Coordinator
SkIn PaTCH Project
Treatment of Skin wound Infection by multidrug-resistant pathogens using Phage Therapy Cocktail preparations formulated from bacteriophages in Hospital sewage in an in vitro 3D-printed skin infection model (Principal Investigator: Dr. Roland Gilbert Remenyi)
Project Objective: To formulate phage cocktail preparations from hospital sewage-isolated bacteriophages for use in treating wound infections caused by MDR pathogens in an in vitro wound infection model.
Budget: PhP 18.6M (USD 327k)
Funding Agency: Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (Department of Science and Technology)
Duration: October 2022- present
Role: Co-investigator/ Project Staff II (Microbiology)
3D-HEP-DD Project
Local adoption of a robust 3D-bioprinted Hepatic model for antiviral Drug Discovery research (Principal Investigator: Dr. Roland Gilbert Remenyi)
Project Objective: To develop an advanced in vitro human liver model for biomedical research.
Budget: PhP 4.9M (USD 86.3k)
Funding Agency: Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (Department of Science and Technology)
Duration: October 2022- present
Role: Co-investigator/ Project Staff II (Microbiology)
MOTTiplex PCR Project
Design, optimization, and analytical performance of a multiplex PCR assay for the detection and differentiation of common non-tuberculous Mycobacterium isolated from a tertiary hospital in the Philippines (Principal Investigator: Mark Carascal)
Project Objective: To design, optimize and determine the analytical performance of an in-house multiplex PCR for the detection and identification of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTMs).
Budget: PhP 100k (USD 1.8k)
Funding Agency: The Medical City
Duration: October 2022- present
Role: Principal Investigator
CRAb LAMP Project
Development of loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for the detection of common class D carbapenem-hydrolyzing beta-lactamase genes in Acinetobacter baumannii clinical isolates (Principal Investigator: Mark Carascal)
Project Objective: To develop loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the detection of common class D carbapenem-hydrolyzing beta-lactamase (CHDL) genes from Acinetobacter baumannii clinical isolates.
Budget: Not Applicable
Funding Agency: None
Duration: May 2020- present
Role: Principal Investigator (for Thesis)
Completed
PHILMARINE-BLI Project
Re-arming the antibiotic arsenal with PHILippine MARINE actinomycete Beta-Lactamase Inhibitors (Principal Investigator: Dr. Jonel Saludes)
Grant: National Research Council of the Philippines 2021 Basic Research in Chemistry Grant
Duration: January 2021- June 2023
Role: Project Staff III
Prediction Scoring Model for COVID-19
Validation of Prediction Scoring Systems for Severe COVID-19 disease: a Multi-Site Retrospective Cohort Study (Principal Investigator: Dr. Charles Kevin Rivera)
Grant: The Medical City Intramural Grant for Quality Improvement Research
Duration: September 2022- April 2023
Role: Co-investigator
Physician-Scientist Research Fellowship Program
The PCHRD-TMC Physician-Scientist Research Fellow: Creation of a Pioneer Health Research Fellowship Program through a Private Training and Research Hospital in the Philippines (Principal Investigator: Dr. Maria Fe Tayzon)
Grant: Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, Non-RnD Grant
Duration: September 2021- August 2022
Role: Co-Investigator
Mental Health of COVID-recovered Healthcare Workers
Experiences of COVID-19-recovered healthcare workers in a tertiary hospital in the Philippines: a mixed-method inquiry (Principal Investigator: Mark Carascal)
Grant: None
Duration: March 2021- May 2022
Role: Principal Investigator
GenAmplify™ Saliva COVID-19 Self Collection Kit
Clinical Utility of the GenAmplify™ Saliva COVID-19 Self-Collection Kit for Direct Detection of COVID-19 Infections Using a locally produced quantitative RT-PCR Kit (Principal Investigator: Dr. Regina Berba)
Grant: Industry Sponsorship from Manila HealthTek Inc.
Duration: August 2021- October 2021
Role: Project Research Assistant
Non-urgent consultations in the Emergency Department
Factors affecting the non‐urgent consultations in the emergency department of a tertiary hospital in the Philippines: A cross‐sectional study (Principal Investigator: Dr. Ma. Lourdes Concepcion Jimenez)
Grant: The Medical City Intramural Grant for Quality Improvement Research
Duration: August 2020- April 2021
Role: Co-Investigator
Dengue Anti-NS1 Assay
Performance of a Dengue Anti-NS1 Assay for the Determination of Dengue Serostatus Among Children in the Philippines (Principal Investigator: Dr. Raul V. Destura)
Grant: Philippine Council for Health Research and Development 2019 Re-emerging and Emerging Infectious Diseases Grant
Duration: September 2020- March 2021
Role: Project Evaluation Officer
Triple-D Targets
Triple D Targets: The UK-Philippines Dengue Diagnostic and Drug Target (Principal Investigator: Dr. Raul V. Destura)
Grant: Medical Research Council (United Kingdom) Grant
Duration: December 2016- May 2017
Role: Science Research Specialist I
PLANET Study
A Multi-National Cohort Study On The Clinical Trajectory Of Resected Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) (Principal Investigator: Dr. Vanessa De Villa)
Grant: Singapore National Academy of Science
Duration: November 2016- October 2017
Role: Scientific Officer