Help send Lester to the 10th International Peptide Symposium!

On December 3-7, the 10th International Peptide Symposium will be held in Kyoto Japan. Hundreds of researchers from the world over will be flying in to present their studies in the field of peptide science. I am fortunate to have been accepted to present my research during this symposium. However, I am having a hard time coming up with the needed funds to be able to attend this symposium.

Hi! My name is Lester Pascua. I am a peptide chemist from the University of the Philippines Diliman. I am currently studying the venoms of marine cone snails of the genus Conus. The venom ducts of these cone snails have been found to contain specialized cocktails of peptides that can be used in the treatment of pain and neurodegenerative diseases. In fact, one peptide from a certain species, Conus magus, is now clinically available as a non-opioid analgesic alternative to morphine.

I am currently studying two species: Conus tribblei and Conus sugillatus. In the upcoming 10th International Peptide Symposium, I have been accepted to present my study on Conus sugillatus. This will be the first time that I will have a chance to present my study on Conus sugillatus and will be the first time that I will be attending an international symposium.

However, I am currently having a problem with gathering funds for this trip. I have tried multiple avenues to obtain funding for my trip to the symposium, but to no avail. I hope you can help me reach Japan to present my data and, through this, be able to improve and develop my perspectives and techniques on peptide science.

And perhaps one day, armed with newfound knowledge, I will be able to discover new drugs for treatment of pain, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and many others.