Jamayka Rhose Pascual

Three Quezon City Science High School junior high students have gained international recognition in the scientific community after discovering the potential of cassava leaves as treatment for breast cancer.


Their research, which began as a school project, found that methanolic crude extracts from cassava leaves could kill breast cancer cells while sparing healthy ones.

The study was presented at the American Association for Cancer (AACR) forum in Chicago on April 29, receiving attention for its innovative approach using a native and accessible Philippine crop.

The students tested the crops’ extract on the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line, a widely studied model in cancer research for its relevance to hormone-sensitive breast cancer.

According to the United States National Cancer Institute, cell lines such as MCF-7 are used in laboratories to understand cancer behavior and to test the effectiveness of potential treatments.

Gabrielle Ruth Shinyo, one of the student researchers emphasized that their main goal was to explore an organic and natural option that could be further developed into a helpful treatment.

“Here in the Philippines, we know that cassava is native here because we are a tropical country. So, aside from looking for cancer treatment, gusto sana namin na natural or organic po siya and also available and accessible to the population if ma-develop po siya as a drug,” Shinyo stated.

Their research proposal was first reviewed and approved by National Kidney and Transplant Institute doctors, even before their experiments began.

With limited access to advanced laboratory facilities at the high school levels, the students partnered with a professor from the University of the Philippines Manila’s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology to complete their testing.

Emmannuelle Reign Tica, another member of the team, shared that the study held deep emotional value, as many people close to them had been affected by breast cancer.

Along with their teammate Bryce Ethan Cruz, the students committed themselves to a research project that grew far beyond classroom expectations.

“The study laid the groundwork for other studies to basically jump off of it and take the next step,” Cruz added.

The team’s efforts paid off as aside from being the youngest presenters at the AACR forum, they were also named as finalists in the 2025 Genius Olympiad organized by the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York.

“Imagine the potential of Filipino students, di ba? Sobrang gagaling ng mga Pinoy talaga. ‘Yun din yung narealize ko through time… if there are more institutions or even the private sector who could fund and support promising studies developed by students, imagine the progress that we could contribute to the science field in the country,” the students’ research adviser said.