Photo caption 1: Participants in the Food Product Development Course displaying their products.
The Caribbean Centre for Research in Bioscience (UWI-CCRIB) and the Mona Academy of Science and Technology successfully delivered the Food Product Development Course, which ran from July 17, 2024 to October 17, 2025, under the IV Mexico–Jamaica Technical and Scientific Cooperation Programme. The course was offered in partnership with the Universidad Panamericana, with instruction provided by Dr. Dra. Julieta Domínguez-Soberanes (leader), Dr. Aarón González, Dra. Irery Lizbeth Melchor Durán and Mtro. Abraham Baltazar.
Twenty participants from academia and the private and public sectors benefited from the programme’s comprehensive hybrid format. The course integrated online theoretical instruction from the Mexican facilitators with practical, hands-on laboratory sessions conducted at the UWI Food Lab and coordinated by UWI-CCRIB Project Coordinator, Mr. Jordon L. Freeman (PhD candidate in Biotechnology).
The practical workshop, held from October 12–17, 2025, guided participants through key stages of product development, including concept refinement, prototype formulation, sensory evaluation, and business model planning. The week concluded with final presentations and the submission of complete project portfolios.
This collaborative initiative significantly strengthened regional capacity in applied product innovation and marked the successful completion of Phase II, paving the way for the issuance of ‘Diploma in Food Product Development’ from the Universidad Panamericana to all participants.
Photo caption 2: Participants in the UWI Food Lab as they complete the Food Product Development Course.
Published by The Faculty of Science & Technology (FST), UWI
The University of the West Indies is pleased to announce that Dr. Sylvia Adjoa Mitchell, Senior Lecturer in the Medicinal Plant Biotechnology Research Group (MPBRG) at the Caribbean Centre for Research in Bioscience, Biotechnology Centre (CCRIB-BTC), represented The UWI at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations Global Technical Recognition Ceremony for her work in Sustainable Plant Production and Protection. The University of the West Indies has been selected as a recipient of Technical Recognition of the Food and Agriculture Organization in the area of Sustainable plant production and protection. This ceremony was held October 15, 2025.
Congratulations to Dr. Mitchell and her team!!!
Today, The Caribbean Centre for Research in Bioscience (CCRiB), a research centre of the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of the West Indies, highlights research work done by Dr. Kimberley Foster (Research Fellow) and team. The research demonstrated the potency of Annona muricata, the Soursop plant (natural products) in killing breast and prostate cancer cells and stopping them from spreading to surrounding tissues.
The details of this research can be examined in the publications below:
Publication 1:
Foster, K., Oyenihi, O., Rademan, S., Erhabor, J., Matsabisa, M., Barker, J., ...& Delgoda, R. (2020).
Selective cytotoxic and anti-metastatic activity in DU-145 prostate cancer cells induced by Annona muricata L. bark extract and phytochemical, annonacin.
BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 20(1), 375.
https://bmccomplementmedtherapies.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12906-020-03130-z
Publication 2:
Foster, K., Younger, N., Aiken, W., Brady-West, D., & Delgoda, R. (2017).
Reliance on medicinal plant therapy among cancer patients in Jamaica.
Cancer Causes & Control, 28(11), 1349-1356.
Photo caption (left to right): (1) Professor John Lindo Director of MORI (represented the Principal), (2) His Excellency Mr. Mayank Joshi, High Commissioner of India to Jamaica, (3) Professor Rupika Delgoda, Director of CCRiB, (4) Mrs Isha Joshi, High Commissioner's wife, (5) Ms Emma Subratie, MD HemaLuxe, (6) Ms Shalane Lee, Wellness Entrepreneur, (7) Dr. Michelle Hamilton, Naturopathic Physician, (8) Dr. David Picking, Senior Research Fellow - CCRiB.
The Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) proudly partnered with the High Commission of India to celebrate 'Ayurveda Day' on Friday, September 26, 2025, made possible through the work of Dr. David Picking (Senior Research Fellow) and Prof. Rupika Delgoda (Director) at the Caribbean Centre for Research in Bioscience (CCRIB). This collaboration highlights the significance of traditional Indian medicine and its growing global relevance and CCRIB's mission to advance bioscience research in Jamaica.
His Excellency, Mr. Mayank Joshi, High Commissioner of India to Jamaica, delivered a compelling address, emphasizing the ongoing partnership between India and Jamaica. He noted that Ayurveda's principles of balance, sustainability, and natural healing resonate globally, offering valuable insights for modern healthcare.
The event was well attended and helped further strengthen ongoing collaborative efforts with the High Commission of India to Jamaica.
The Caribbean Centre for Research in Bioscience (CCRIB) expresses congratulations to Professor Ina Vandebroek was recently promoted to the rank of Professor of Ethnobotany.
This appointment recognizes her over two decades of pioneering research in ethnobotany, her dedication to community-based science in the Caribbean and beyond, and her leadership in advancing culturally informed approaches to biodiversity conservation and healthcare.
The Caribbean Centre for Research in Bioscience (CCRIB) expresses congratulations to Professor Marcia Roye, who is the recipient of the national award 2024 'Gold Musgrave Medal for Excellence. Prof. Roye also received the RJR Gleaner Honour for Science and Technology.
Dr. Sylvia Mitchell was awarded Distinguished Academic Staff Award at the Faculty of Science and Technology's annual award ceremony on November 7, 2024. Dr. Mitchell received a national award 'Phenomenal Woman in Agriculture 2024'.
On October 23, 2024, the Caribbean Centre for Research in Bioscience (CCRIB) hosted a meeting with Mayank Joshi, High Commissioner-Designate of India to discuss collaboration opportunity in medicinal plant research and India’s traditional medicinal practices. Professor Rupika Delgoda and Dr. David Picking spearheaded this event.
The Caribbean TRAMIL program has been exploring opportunities for traditional medicine, a Caribbean Pharmacopoeia and the role of botanicals in primary healthcare in the region for over 30 years, completing 50 surveys to date across 25 countries. In this event Dr David Picking will discuss a brief history of TRAMIL, the methodology and his own experience undertaking the first TRAMIL survey in Jamaica.
Watch the SEB Virtual Event – TRAMIL: Towards a Caribbean Herbal Pharmacopeia (youtube.com)
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The UWI, Mona ranks first in Jamaica among accredited tertiary-level programmes. In 2012, the University was again one of Jamaica’s Top 100 Employers.
