JAKARTA - Two young scientists from Indonesia, Juan Leonardo and Fahrul Nurkolis, managed to record international achievements through the discovery of a new compound called Juanleoxy Fahrulanoside (C12H23NO9). This compound has been registered with the National Library of Medicine and is being proposed for patents.
From Traditional Herbals To The World Stage
Research began with exploration of Delites, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that has long been used in Indonesia. With a bioinformatics approach, this compound is proven to target GLP-1 modulators, an important receptor in controlling diabetes.
"This mechanism plays a role in reducing blood sugar levels after eating, increasing saturation, as well as supporting metabolic health," Juan explained, quoted Thursday, September 4.
Laboratory tests show significant changes to metabolic markers, and research results have been published in Frontiers in Nutrition (Switzerland), a journal with the category Scopus Q1. This research is also strengthened by collaboration with senior experts such as Dr. Rony (USU) and Prof. Dr. dr. Nurpudji (UNHAS).
The Road To Paris
For this contribution, Juan and Fahrul were invited as speakers at the 2025 International Congress of Nutrition (ICN) in Paris on August 24 '29. The quadrennial forum held by the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) was recognized by UNESCO and WHO, and received direct support from French President Emmanuel Macron. ICN is known as the most prestigious scientific stage in the world's nutrition sector.
"We sent the abstract according to ICN's schedule in July 2024, and the results of the selection were announced in May 2025. When it was received, it was a historic moment because only a few young researchers from Indonesia could appear in this large forum," said Fahrul.
Profile Of Inventors
Juan was born in Jakarta in 1993, studied secondary education in Shanghai, studied undergraduate Science in Boston, as well as a medical school at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. Now he is actively educating the public about nutrition through his Instagram account @juan.gula darah.
Meanwhile, Fahrul (25) comes from Madiun, East Java. He has written more than 105 international publications, has patents for anticancer compounds and antidiabetes, and serves as Vice President of Medical Research Center of Indonesia. Currently he has the status of a researcher at UIN Sunan Kalijaga and a graduate student at Airlangga University.
"We met at a conference at the end of 2022, then continued to collaborate because we had the same vision: scientific research for the discovery of new drugs," said Fahrul.
Research Travel
The discovery process began in 2022, through a series of stages: integration of the herbal literature with modern technology, in silico screening, metabolomic validation, to in vitro preliminary tests.
"Over a year, we fully invested" from compound characterization to experimental testing on experimental animals, Juan said.
But the journey was not easy. The biggest difficulty is the limitations of domestic research facilities, ranging from sophisticated instruments to sustainable funding. But with international collaboration and creativity maximizing local resources, these challenges can be overcome," he added.
Future Hopes
Currently, Juanleoxy Fahrulanoside is still at the basic research stage. In the future, this compound can be developed into various forms, ranging from extract capsules, tablets, to functional drinks. All of course require a long journey: preclinical tests, clinical trials, to distribution permits.
This research gives new hope in controlling diabetes with a clinically proven GLP-1 mechanism. If further developed, it can be the basis for effective, safe, and biological wealth-based therapy around us, "said Juan.
Integrity and Scientific Mission
For both of them, this success is not only a matter of scientific achievement, but also research integrity. Juan emphasized, "Integrity is not just preventing plagiarism, but academic culture: how data is collected, analyzed, reported, and has the courage to reject manipulation. Indonesia has many talents, but without integrity, any kind of research loses its meaning."
Fahrul added that their reason was simple: "Diabetes is a global problem that also hit Indonesia. We want to present a solution based on the country's own natural resources, which can compete scientifically on the international stage."
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