Research on Jacalin plant; Study Objective for Fulbright - Pharmaceutical Sciences

Hi! this is my essay for applying scholarhip from Fulbright to pursue master degree in the US.

Indonesia is a country endowed with an abundance of natural resources and varied biodiversity. Nevertheless, natural resources in Indonesia have not been utilized optimally especially in the field of pharmacy. Many medicinal plants used by the society still based on empirical experience and not yet developed into pharmaceutical dosage form. One example is Jacalin that can be obtained and extracted from Jackfruit (Artocarpus Heterophyllus) seeds. Jacalin is an adjuvant that administered collectively with vaccine to enhance immune response from cells in our body, With the addition of Jacalin, vaccine effectiveness can be improved.

I've conducted a research regarding jacalin extraction and optimum pharmaceutical dosage form process with the title of 'Formulation of Jacalin Obtained from Jackfruit (Artocarpus Heterophyllus L.) Seeds as an Adjuvant Through Transdermal Route'. This research focused on jacalin that can be found abundantly in nature and also the manufacturing process of nanoemulsion vaccine with the size less than 100 nm. In pharmaceutical field, nanotechnology can play a role on improving production quality and safety performance. Active substances that formulated with nanotechnology will possess minuscule size and easier to penetrate to particular cell therefore the effects of drug will present faster. Nanoemulsion can attain a target cell that can't be reached by common drugs. The development of nanoproduct particularly drugs still very rare performed in Indonesia. Whereas the development of nanopharmaceutical product has numerous benefits. Nanoproduct can increase the quality of life because it can reduce cost and toxic effect of a medicine in the dose regimen.

Therefore, i want to pursue master degree in pharmaceutical sciences and learn more about drug development. During my bachelor study there was no course about nanopharmaceutical science. I am interested to study some subjects in pharmaceutical sciences such as nanopharmaceutical, immunopharmaceutics, and intracellular drug delivery and targetting. These subjects are rarely found in courses offered by some universities in Indonesia especially related to nanopharmaceutics. For that reason, i want to study in the USA to gain more knowledge and experienced practical work. Beside that, many researches have been conducted in the USA and the quality of pharmaceutical science in the USA is excellent. My purpose is not only to get theoretical knowledge about pharmaceutical dosage form but also to do practical work directly.

I've joined several competitions related to pharmaceutical product development. I developed a cosmetical product with fermented papaya as the active agent as an antioxidant. The process of fermentation of papaya resulted in nanosize and makes it easier to penetrate through cells. Beside that, i performed final project in pharmaceutics for almost a year. I believe that these experiences can assist me to achieve my targets.

After finishing post-graduate study, i will comeback to Indonesia to conduct further research and try to improve the quality of live of society through research. I want to developed a vaccine or drugs based on nanoscience that is beneficial for the community.It will be valuable for industry and society because when an industry approves a new line of production, it will give a new job field for society.