UNS – Another proud achievement was made by students of Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta. This achievement was presented by Citra Apriliana, Denis Octareta Amelia Putri, and Qosrul Karimah, all three of whom are students of the Chemistry Study Program, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) UNS.
Citra and the team made a poster with the title “Material Cerdas Penghantar Obat Kanker Tertarget pH Berbasis Carbon Nanotube Terfungsionalisasi Kitosan dari Limbah Kulit Udang” (Intelligent Material for Conducting pH-Targeted Cancer Drugs Based on Chitosan Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes from Shrimp Shell Waste). This idea led them to win five prizes at the same time in the El Bajo Essay Competition in the Poster Presentation category organized by the Rizki Prima Sentosa Foundation in collaboration with the Office of Education, Youth and Sports of West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).
The winners won by Citra and the team were the third-place Winner Poster (3rd highest final score on all themes), the Best Poster (highest poster score), the Silver Medal (2nd highest score on the health theme), the Favorite Poster (with the most likes), and the General Champion (accumulation of the most wins from the combined teams from UNS).
When contacted by the uns.ac.id team on Tuesday (17/5/2023), Citra as the Team Leader said that the idea in the poster was motivated because the most commonly used cancer treatment is chemotherapy. However, the chemotherapy that is commonly used still causes several side effects such as hair loss, digestive disorders, and anemia.
Therefore, it is necessary to have a drug system that selectively treats cancer cells without damaging normal cells to minimize side effects. Curcumin as an anticancer agent is embedded in chitosan-functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNT). Chitosan can expand due to protonation at a more acidic pH which is the pH of cancer cells, while at a normal cell pH chitosan will shrink.
This can be used so that curcumin can only be released on cancer cells and not on normal cells. “Simply, it can be analogized as a person who is going to his or her destination more accurately and efficiently, namely by taking a car that has a GPS. Where people are curcumin, cars are CNT, and GPS (directors) are chitosan,” Citra explained.
Furthermore, the chitosan that Citra and the team use comes from the abundant amount of shrimp shell waste. “So, with the development of our drug delivery materials, it is hoped that we can contribute to solving health and environmental problems,” Citra continued.
For this achievement, Citra and the team said they were happy and grateful. “We certainly feel very happy because our struggle to make essays, posters and videos took quite a lot of time. However, in the end it paid off by winning a championship which we are quite proud of,” Citra said.
Furthermore, when participating in the competition, Citra and the team not only felt the competition but also at the same time had a memorable vacation to an extraordinary place. This is because Citra and the team took part in carrying out the finals in Labuan Bajo, NTT by conducting field trips to several destinations such as Padar Island and Komodo Island.
“Meanwhile, our tip is to try to participate in team competitions. Because having a team makes work better and provides additional motivation. Choose a teammate who is suitable or has good communication,” Citra added.
Lastly, Citra and the team hope to be able to continue working and take part in competitions at a higher level up to international events.
“Don’t doubt any of your abilities. Build a support system with friends who both want to progress. Don’t give up easily when the race still fails. It is better to fail when you have tried than to fail because you did not try. Keep going!” Citra concluded. Humas UNS
Reporter: Lina Khoirun Nisa
Redaktur: Dwi Hastuti