UI Experts Wants to Expand Research on Bajakah

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Gastroenterologist and Dean of the University of Indonesia Medical Faculty Ari Fahrial Syam, requested that the recent discovery of Bajakah (Spatholobus Littoralis Hassk) as a cure for cancer needs further research.

"I as an academician and researcher appreciate the discovery. It was started with a big interest from High School students who wanted to research herbs previously known to have good effect on health and turns out to bring positive result," Ari said when contacted by Tempo on Tuesday, August 20, 2019.

Bajakah is gaining popularity because it was said to be able to cure cancer. This discovery was first made by two students of the Public High School 2 in Palangka Raya Anggina Rafitri and Aysa Aurealya Mahanran during the World Invention Olympic (WICO) in Seoul, South Korea. The two students received gold medal after beating competitors from 22 different countries.

Ari said further research must be conducted. First, the research must pass the pre-clinical test hwere the researcher will analyze and identify the substances in the herb. After identifying the substances, it will need to be isolated. Then two more research will follow, which are the in vitro and in vivo research.

"In vitro is done using glasses and will refer to procedures within a controlled environment outside living organism. Meanwhile in vivo is administering the substance to a live object such as animals to further test the in vitro discovery," Ari explained.

If Bajakah successfully passed the pre-clinical tests, then it will be administered into the clinical test, which consists of four stages, starting from trial on patients, until observing the possible side effects after being sold in the market.

"It takes a long time to reach all of these. If we are focused and actually on to something, this will certainly bring benefits for the inventors and benefits for many people," Ari said.

SARAH ERVINA DARA SIYAHAILATUA