The Region 1 Health Research and Development Consortium (R1HRDC) – Capacity Building Committee (CBC) successfully held a two-day free Training on Digital Toolkit and Integrating OMICS Technology on April 22–23, 2025, at the Paragon Hotel in Baguio City. Designed to enhance the digital capabilities of researchers, the training welcomed a total of 35 participants in attendance.
Day 1 Recap: Dr. Palaoag on AI and Digital Tools for Health Research
On behalf of Dr. Unity H. Cortez, Chairman of R1HRDC-CBC, Mr. Jesus Pimentel Jr., Member CBC, opened the event, followed by the introduction of resource speaker Dr. Thelma D. Palaoag by Dr. Maria Lyn P. Cortez. Day 1 featured a lecture titled “SMART Research: How AI and Digital Tools Transform Health Research Processes.” Dr. Palaoag’s presentation focused on three key learning objectives: Understanding the AI tools and platforms that streamline research writing and publication, identifying emerging trends in scholarly publishing, and applying best practices to enhance research visibility and impact. She emphasized the use of digital tools—both AI and non-AI—across the research cycle, from planning to publication. Tools shared included AI-based platforms like MindMeister, ResearchRabbit, Elicit, and Scite.ai, as well as essential non-AI software like Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, Microsoft Excel, and Zotero for data collection, analysis, citation, and plagiarism detection.
She also discussed current trends in scholarly publishing, including the rise of AI-assisted reviews, Open Access mandates, preprints, and the growing appeal of micropublications. Ethical research practices, avoiding predatory journals, and the responsible use of AI were key takeaways.
In the afternoon, participants engaged in a hands-on workshop titled “Smart Health Research: From Planning to Publication Using AI and Digital Research Toolkits.” The session guided them through the practical application of AI tools. They worked on identifying research gaps, conducting research planning in health sciences, literature reviews, data analysis, and writing and revising abstracts using AI. Participants also created visual presentation materials using tools like Canva and Microsoft PowerPoint, allowing them to present their outputs in a clear, engaging format.
Day 2 Recap: Dr. Palaoag on the Power of OMICS in Health Research
Day 2 kicked off with Dr. Palaoag’s lecture entitled “The Integrated Power of OMICS Technologies Revolutionizing Health Research,” focusing on: (1) the application of OMICS in health research, (2) the integration of OMICS technologies, and (3) the role of data analysis, AI, and IT in advancing these tools.
The session opened with a discussion on a new paradigm in biomedical research, introducing OMICS as the comprehensive study of biological molecules—such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. The presentation emphasized how OMICS enables comprehensive analysis of biological molecules and is empowered by data analysis, artificial intelligence (AI), and information technology (IT). High-throughput OMICS generates complex datasets requiring preprocessing, quality control, statistical analysis, dimensionality reduction, and visualization. AI and machine learning (ML) support biomarker discovery, disease prediction, drug response, and patient stratification, particularly in fields like oncology, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
ML also enhances understanding of disease mechanisms and supports precision medicine by grouping patients based on molecular profiles. In rare neurological diseases (RNDs), OMICS and AI assist in identifying diagnostic biomarkers. Network-based analysis tools such as NetworkAnalyst and iOmicsPASS visualize interactions among biological entities, while text mining tools like BeFree and PubTator extract insights from biomedical literature. IT plays a key role through high-performance computing, data storage, bioinformatics platforms, and secure data sharing systems.
The lecture highlighted clinical applications across diverse OMICS technologies, including genomics in oncology and pharmacogenomics, proteomics in kidney disease, and metabolomics in drug metabolism and cardiometabolic risk prediction. Spatial OMICS contributes to IBD research by mapping immune activity in tissues. Examples of ongoing health research projects at DIT included the JuanHeart Mobile App for heart health triage and neuroimaging tools like MATLAB and CONN for functional brain connectivity analysis.
Dr. Palaoag concluded with a call to action to fully realize the potential of OMICS in improving clinical outcomes through precision medicine.
The afternoon session featured a hands-on workshop that encouraged active participation from all attendees. Participants explored the Orange application using provided datasets, allowing them to experiment with various machine learning algorithms, including k-Nearest Neighbors (k-NN), Naive Bayes, Decision Tree, Neural Network, Random Forest, and Logistic Regression. The session also included an open forum and consultation period, where participants could ask questions and receive guidance. The day concluded with a closing and awarding ceremony, recognizing the efforts and contributions of the participants.
