STUDY PLAN KGSP - ANTI AGING RESEARCH PROJECT

Hi everyone.. I have finished my study plan, even though there are grammar mistakes everywhere. hahahaha
Please take a look

Statement of Purpose
Goal of study, title or subject of research, and detailed study plan

Master's Degree within 3 years

My academic goal is to earn a master's degree in Pharmacy major. Primarily, I have a high interest in industrial pharmacy and pharmacognosy, but I also want to improve my clinical pharmacist. As I study this major, I may have the opportunity to specialize in a particular type of role, such as natural product research, new medicine development, and pharmaceutical formulation. This pharmacy major is related with my study background and my work experience, also could take me to my future goals.

I have interest in developing natural product because as I mentioned before, the world, especially talking about my own country, has a variety of plants and other natural resources that can be used as medicine or cosmeceutical. Many people also begin to switch for using natural medicines because of their side effects is more minimal than using synthetic drugs, as well as natural medicine has many benefits that are not confined to only cure one specific problem. I believe that this master's program can prepare me to have a specialty in the field of natural product research, especially about extraction and isolation of active compound in natural extracts, knowing activities of plant extract, analysis of natural's active compound, drug design, and pharmaceutical formulation. My undergraduate study on Pharmacy has provided me with a strong knowledge about the natural product drug research which can contribute in developing myself to reach my future goal in this master's program. I have completed learning on pharmacognosy, natural product technology, and botanical research, in which I got the highest score on those courses. In addition, I did research about natural product as my requirement to get the bachelor's degree. My research is about activities of lycopene in tomato water extract as natural antioxidant and anti UV-A and UV-B light on sunscreen product. With that linked experiences, I believe that the development of natural product as drug or cosmeceutical is essential, especially needed for improving the human health. For these reasons, I am committed to perform well during my graduate study.

Recently, natural product has been researched thoroughly for new drug development, primarily for its anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-hypertension, and dyslipidemia activity. For taking this master's degree, I will focus on natural product research. The research will be about activity of natural product, especially I would like to use a bright-colored flower, such as Clitoria ternatea, as the research object. Nowadays, interest in flower shows an increasing tendency due to their activity as antioxidants. I put my interest on bright-colored flower, such as, because beside the flower's active component, the pigment color on the flower would be benefit for making the appearance of the finished pharmaceutical product look more attractive. Clitoria ternatea flower has been traditionally used in Asia for the treatment of various problems from the common disease like fever to the deadly ones such as diabetes, asthma, bronchitis, and antidote for snake bite or scorpion sting. Furthermore, it has a strong antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory properties. And some people believes that the antioxidants activity in Clitoria ternateacould stimulate collagen and elastin synthesis helping to rejuvenate the skin, reduce wrinkles and other effects of aging skin. Therefore, there is need of study to investigate the potential anti-aging activity for Clitoria ternatea.

Many people concern about skin aging, it is a complex evitable process of human life. Two important mechanism of skin aging are the breakdown of collagen and elastin. Therefore, the inhibition of elastase, which responsible in elastin breakdown, and MMP-1 (Matrix Metalloproteinase-1) enzymes, which responsible in collagen breakdown, could be potential to be cosmetic ingredients in combating skin aging and its anti-inflammatory effect due to their usefulness in preventing the loss of skin elasticity and sagging. However, to date, the inhibitory effect of Clitoria ternatea on elastase and MMP-1 activity has not been demonstrated. The in-vivo test of anti-aging potential of the Clitoria ternateaflower also hasn't been done before. If Clitoria ternatea is proven to be an elastase and MMP-1 inhibitor, and the in-vivo test shows a good results, the extracts can be a potential ingredients for anti-aging. Therefore, the objective of this research is to assess the anti-aging potential of Clitoria ternatea flower using in-vitroŹ and in-vivo test. So I would like to give this research's title as 'In-vitro Elastin and Collagen Breakdown Inhibition and In-vivo Anti-aging Effects of Spray-dried Aqueous Extract of Clitoria ternatea Flower'.

In this research, the dried Clitoria ternateaflower would be extracted with water then the aqueous extract would be dried using a spray dryer. I prefer using this spray-dried method to keep the extract to its original color and that would give a nice color on the finished product. Furthermore, the spray dried extract is more durable than the condensed extract which easily contaminated by the microbes and have a brown-sticky texture that is not good for the finished product quality. The extract that has been obtained then will be tested for its activity on elastase and MMP-1. The elastase inhibition will be performed by using UV-Visible Spectrophotometer. The absorbance of the sample will be measured at 410 nm for detecting the release of of p-nitro aniline due to proteolysis of N-succinyl-(Ala) 3 -p-nitroanilide by human leukocyte elastase in the presence or absence of inhibitor. While the MMP-1 inhibition will be determined by using 96 well fluorescence microplate which is measured by hydrolyzing a collagen substrate to yield a fluorescent product. The fluorescence product will be measured at excitation maxima at 495 nm and emission maxima at 515 nm. For the in-vivo test, the extract will be formulated into a vanishing cream. Then by using around 20 volunteers whose ages were in between 30 and 40 years, the vanishing cream contain extract and the blank cream will be applied at volunteers below eye or cheek area. The aging parameters such as skin moisture, amount of wrinkle and its depth will be measured using skin analyzer.

I contend that this research will be valuable in the future considering that the issue of skin aging still hot in every country and people tend to use a product based on natural active ingredient. The findings of the research will highlight the Clitoria ternatea flower as a skin-aging prevention. Furthermore, Clitoria ternatea could be developed as wound healing agent as their mechanisms are same which work on elastase and MMP-1 inhibition. This scientific research could indicated that the Clitoria ternatea can be potential candidates for anti-aging cosmetics as well as in other healthcare products where skin evaluation, irritation and eye shall be conducted in future for cosmeceutical application and to be included in cosmetics products.

In order to get the Master's Degree, I plan to finish it within 3 years. I would focus on learning Korean Language for the first year. While studying language, I would also prepare my research by communicate with the professor who major in my research's topic. I would discuss with the professor about the aim and the method of the research so that I could start to prepare making the proposal. And maybe I could join the professor's research project that related to my interest and make a publication papers. I would like to do it on the second semester. I would also collect and review journal that related to my research. After finishing the first year learning Korean language, for the next two years, I want to focus on strengthen my fundamental knowledge so that help me on the research. Besides learn the theory on class, I would like to finish my proposal and show it to my professor so I could start doing the real research at the laboratory. I also want to join some seminar related to my research area so that can add my knowledge. For the last semester, I would work hard to finish my thesis and getting my master's degree.

Paragraphs 1, 2, and 7 are not necessary in this essay. The first 2 paragraphs are nothing more than useless word fillers as they do not relate to the actual study goal and plan that you have in mind for your masters thesis The removal of those paragraphs will bring the actual goal discussion up to the top, which is exactly where the reviewer needs that information to be. Your last paragraph which discusses the minor actions that you need to accomplish and undertake before working on the thesis research is unnecessary as well. Just focus on the actual thesis presentation, methodology, and expected outcome. You already have those parts in this essay. So when you delete the unnecessary paragraphs, you will have a presentable study plan to attach to your scholarship application.

@Holt
Hi again Ms Mary.. Thank you for the comment.

I write the 1st and 2nd paragraphs to present the idea of what i want to study in that major and connect it with my study experience in my undergraduate study. I thought that the 'goal of study' means what would i get after study that major.

And i interpreted the 'detailed study plan' on the 7th paragraph.

Do you think it's really unnecessary?? Should i delete or edit it? If i delete it, i dont know how to start the paragraph. Please help :)

Paragraphs 3.4.5. and 6 are more than sufficient to represent your goal of study along with your study plan. It carries all of the required elements that can inform the reviewer about the background of your study, the influence of that background, and what your study will be all about. So, in order to fill the page, you have to expand upon the discussions in these paragraphs. I know that you summarized the content of the aforementioned paragraphs because of the 3 paragraphs that I am asking you to remove. Now is your chance to further explain the reasons and motivation behind your research. How do you see this research changing the face of organic cosmetics in the future? Discuss the potential form that this product might take. Perhaps it will be cream? Lotion? Ointment? Shower gel? Creative thinking will play a role here because you are essentially doing a product development for your research. So think about the presentation and inform the reviewer about it.

Fiuhhh.. I have revised it... hahaha
please take a look.. Sorry i cant find a better paragraph to start, so i just edit the 'unnecessary paragraph' to make it more related with the research topic. It has the reason why i choose the natural product research

Your academic goal was already described in the motivating factor section of your letter of self introduction. There is no need to repeat that information in the study plan. That said, I really must insist that you remove the first paragraph of your essay. Focus directly on your study goal as the purpose of this essay. You need to focus on the goal itself. The goal here is to develop a product using this particular natural ingredient. That is why you are proposing an in-depth research of the plant in relation to your expected outcome.

While the rest of the essay will fall into place with the removal of the first paragraph, it is important that you also edit the final paragraph of your essay to remove the portion that you added in bold letters at the moment. The next phase of the study should be presented as a PhD proposal, which does not come until much later in your academic life.

The edits that I am proposing will help you to better finalize the content of your essay. It brings the whole research into direct focus and brings attention to the importance of your research. Once edited, the essay should enter its final form already.

Okay Ms. Mary, i will make sure to delete that paragraph.
I will revise it and ready to send.
Thank you for spend your time here. I will tell you the result when it comes out.
God bless you :)