Bangkok, Thailand – Dr. Luthfi Nurhidayat and Dr. Tri Rini Nuringtyas, lecturers from the Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), participated in The 2025 Asian Conference on Fish Models for Diseases, held on February 17–19, 2025, in Bangkok, Thailand. This conference was attended by renowned scientists from various countries who use fish as model organisms in disease studies.
During the event, Dr. Luthfi Nurhidayat delivered a presentation titled “Indonesia’s Native Fish: From Aquaculture Towards Biomedical Research”. He highlighted the potential of the wader pari fish (Rasbora lateristriata), initially studied for aquaculture purposes, as a model organism in disease research. Dr. Luthfi emphasized that Indonesia possesses many natural compounds that have been characterized and have medicinal potential, yet their testing remains limited due to the constraints of using mice or rats as model organisms. The wader pari fish offers advantages such as a faster embryonic development compared to zebrafish, resilience to warm temperatures, and previous successful applications in testing natural compounds.
Meanwhile, Dr. Tri Rini Nuringtyas presented her research in a flash poster format, titled “Antidiabetic Potential of Gyrinops versteegii Agarwood Leaf Extract in Zebrafish Models”. She explained that her study demonstrated the antidiabetic potential of agarwood leaf extract, which was tested using zebrafish models.
The participation of the Faculty of Biology UGM lecturers in this conference is part of their efforts to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 3: Good Health and Well-being. This engagement not only strengthens Indonesia’s role in fish-based biomedical research but also opens opportunities for collaboration with international scientists in advancing fish models for health research.
