JAKARTA – Dr. Karina and her team are actually conducting research into making cartilage for children born without ears. However, because COVID-19 was rampant, her research was finally diverted to aaPRP for complementary therapy for COVID-19 patients.
This choice was taken not without careful consideration, after the aaPRP is completed Karina and the team will continue their research to make cartilage. That's what she said when she was visited at the Hayandra Lab and Clinic, Kramat number, Central Jakarta not long ago.
Researcher
As a doctor as well as a researcher, Dr. Karina wants to pass it on to the younger generation. “Alhamdulillah, I was helped when it was covered by the media, I was able to educate the public, including young people, to realize that in every profession there is research, you know. And research is never going to die," she said.
And if we talk about whether research can make money? The answer is yes. “For example, we have issued a patent for stem cells that are not cultured. The results of our patents are appraised abroad. They want to buy it but we haven't released it yet, because it's a shame that if we sell this patent, it will return to Indonesia at a much higher price. So it can be a living," she said.
The research, she said, was very interesting because it was unlimited and growing continuously. “There is still a lot of need, in fact, the aaPRP project to assist therapy for COVID-19 patients, which is currently slightly distorting our program to make cartilage for children born without ears. So how wide there are still so many both in medical and non-medical that can be researched and can be good and can be for the benefit of the community," she continued.
After I explain this, many of my students are curious. "They also said how cool the biomedical field is. I opened their eyes, you know there is biomedicine," she explained. “So now, biotechnology has been welcomed by many people. More and more universities are opening this course. Imagine in the future how useful biomedicine is for every aspect of human life," she said.
Lifestyle
How do you maintain health and fitness in the midst of this current pandemic? “As a doctor, I still work every day, the clinic is still open and the patients are there. Although busy I try to eat in time and get enough rest. So there is nothing special from me for that matter," she said.
The momentum of her beloved mother getting cancer six years ago made Karina feel more concerned about her body's defenses. "My mother went to Japan for treatment with cell therapy there," she said.
Karina has a vow that if her mother recovers she will bring the technology to Indonesia. "Because the cost is very expensive, we can help bring a similar patient to Indonesia. But to transfer the technology, I have to learn about the body's immune cells first, if I don't master it, the professor will not give it," she said.
Immune cells are very dependent on many things, especially diet. "Indonesian people really like carbohydrates, eat rice to be healthy using vegetables. Continue to be healthy again using fruit. But take a look, if we get boxed rice. The fruit is average banana, so there is rice that has carbohydrates, then there are vegetables that have carbohydrates too. And there are bananas that are also carbohydrates. The side dish is usually a piece of chicken. With such a composition, there is no balance between protein and carbohydrates. It should only be half the rice, the side dishes are three pieces, and the fruit instead of bananas. Food intake is very influential on our immune cells," she explained.
And the next is vitamin D, this is mostly obtained from sunlight. “According to our research, many Indonesians are lacking, even though sunlight is free, you know. The more we come here, the further away we are from the sun, even though it is very important,” she said.
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Probiotics aka good bacteria in the body must also be maintained. “The trick is to consume tofu, tempeh, and foods made through fermentation such as yogurt, kefir, and kombucha, all of which contain probiotics. That's what I apply at home and also in the clinic. I like to keep them fed," she said.
Fried foods, Karina continued, are also not good for the body. “Frying produces free radicals for our bodies, which will make our cells collapse. Free radicals are like pollution in our bodies, and fried foods supply free radicals. So all this time we have been misunderstood. So to maintain immune cells is actually not difficult. It's as simple as eating everyday, as simple as drinking water, and as simple as avoiding fried foods," she said.
What sport do you do? “Before the pandemic, I used to ride a bicycle, but now I can't. Have to look for other alternatives, hehehe," said Dr. Karina hopes that the results of her research and the team on aaPRP can be applied to hospitals throughout Indonesia in curing COVID-19 patients.
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