“It feels incredible to be able to help the works of humanitarian with genetics.”
“Nduk, do not let yourself get disheveled and dull. Love the beauty of everything, love your house, love your environment and most importantly, love yourself.”
I always remember what my late grandfather Eyang Kasran Mohammad Doerjat told me. Loving yourself is not for anyone else, not for your partner, but for your own good, because only by loving ourselves, we can give the best to the universe.
My grandfather is the one who shaped me to be who I am today. He is the former regent Tulungagung during the 1960s. My grandmother, Supadminah, is a graduate of Kweekschool teaching school and the principal of private HIS school. Both of them are very concerned about education.
“There is nothing that you cannot do.” That is what Eyang always said to boost our spirit in studying. It is a message that we continue to carry during our life, like a DNA in our body.
I studied at the University of Indonesia’s Medical Faculty in 1977. Following my graduation, I got married and having children. My husband is a doctor, Aru Sudoyo. I decided not to pursue a career as a clinical doctor. For us, it is enough already that only my husband being the clinical doctor. I choose to be a research scientist, albeit it seemed like an unpopular choice for many people.
Becoming a researcher means that I should be ready to spend a lot of time inside the quiet ivory tower, surrounded by books and sterilized laboratory equipment. Not earning much, workaholic, not cool, not having a good social life. Those are the stereotypes about this profession.
Every choice poses risks, and I am aware of it. However, I have always been so sure that becoming a researcher is an art that is applicable to the wide community. Later on, my belief is truly proven.
In the mid of 1985, I took a doctoral degree at Monash University, Australia. I studied molecular biology, a subject that was not very popular at that time. My lecturers advised me to master the knowledge to a fundamental level, to the level of its philosophy, going further beyond the technical application. “Be a researcher who has a deep understanding of the knowledge, so that you can be a problem solver, trouble shooter, more than just being an executor.”
Keeping this advice in mind, I chose to examine mitochondria DNA, which is different from the DNA sequence in the chromosome. For me, mitochondria the most important element in the nucleus, which is the source of energy and genes inherited specifically through the ovum.
Mitochondria is a very interesting biomarker at any level. It is the center of energy for cells, which move the brain and the muscles, and make them work. It is the element that is inherited through the female line of descent. What is more powerful than that?
Not many scientists were interested to make thorough research about mitochondria at that time. Globally, there were only four groups of scientists working on this matter. I joined one of these groups, a very competitive group that pushed me to have extraordinary concentration.
I worked together in a team that examined thalassemia, a disorder that causes the crescent-shaped blood cells. The researcher team carried out a research on thalassemia genes to school children in many villages and cities across Indonesia.
In 1992, I was informed that Indonesia would establish a molecular biology research institute. The establishment of this institute was initiated by the late Prof. BJ Habibie. Pak Habibie then asked Prof. Sangkot Marzuki to undertake the preparation.
I was invited to join this preparatory team since the very beginning. Together, we finally gave birth to the Eijkman Molecular Biology Institute, the place where I have been working at until now.
Pak Habibie allowed Eijkman to examine anything in the field of molecular biology. He believed that molecular biology would be an important subject. As we maintained the integrity of the institute, our research were never been influenced by any governmental or political agenda. This is Pak Habibie’s standpoint that reflects his great scientific leadership. We truly appreciate that.
Eijkman focuses on researching the DNA of Indonesian people, as part of the world’s Human Genome Project. We examine the genes of hundreds of ethnic groups, learning the pattern that appears, and observing the disorders that emerge.
As I focus on examining mitochondria, I explore further to find out how the pattern of hereditary diseases are inherited through the female mitochondria, including mitochondrial diabetes. This research gives us an insight that there are thousands of variety of thalassemia based on the ethnicities of Indonesia.
The technology increasingly advances. Molecular biology has developed beyond laboratory research, reaching out to the society to provide direct contributions. It requires a deep understanding of the scientific aspects before we can actually serve as problem solvers and troubleshooters for the society.
It was September 2004. Indonesia seized the world’s attention due to a fatal bombing attack at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. The police faced difficulties in discovering this case and identifying the perpetrators. The van suspectedly used to carry the bombs was shattered. No parts of the human bodies that were left and could be recognized by conventional methods.
The police asked researchers in Eijkman to help solving this case. All of us, the Eijkman team and the police, suspected that the person who was closest to the bomb would be thrown off farther from the epicenter of the explosion. Sure enough, the body tissues that were scattered farthest from the center of the bombing was proven to have similar DNA profile, which was allegedly belong to the bomb carrier. In less than two weeks, we succeeded to discover the identity of the perpetrator. The ability of this team is comparable to the ones in the movies.
This technique, called the Disaster Perpetrator Identification (DPI), is a complement to the Disaster Victim Identification technique, which is usually used to identify victims of natural disasters.
The Eijkman team continues to work to collect DNA data of Indonesian people. We get the chance to really get out of the quiet laboratory. We go to many places across the country, meeting people in their hometowns— on the mountains, beaches, or inside the dense forests. We have a lot of amazing and memorable experience. In the mountains of Papua, for instance, where we were in the midst of Eipomek tribe, a mother walked a long way just to meet us and serve warm sweet potatoes for us. She offered such a heartwarming and touching relationship.
My trip around Indonesia also proves that the tribes of our indigenous people have always been living in protected places. They are like cocoons that protect their community as a way to survive. They never care about political conflicts in big cities. They only have simple wish on health and education. A modesty that is really touching.
As technology keeps advancing, the application of genetic tracing continues to evolve. Eijkman develops a team of forensic DNA, to respond to the actual needs in the field. We work together with various institutions. In our cooperation scheme with the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fishery, for example, we examine the DNA of fish captured by foreign boats. The Eijkman team also helps many institutions to uncover cases of trafficking and sexual abuse cases, and to track wildlife trading. It feels incredible for me to be able to help the works of humanitarian with genetics.
During the last several years, the so-called ‘identity politics’ is getting stronger. We, in the Eijkman Institute, continue our work, from which we learn and underline that the journey of humans are never linear. There has never been a single color in the lines of human genetics, in any ethnic groups. This is actually related to an old research about the four tracks of human migration across the globe.
I even took this search of ancestral origin to a personal level. In addition to being curious, I also felt the desire to make it feel very ‘real’. Therefore, last year, I used a sample of my saliva swab to trace the origins of my ancestors thousands of years ago. I sent this swab to a reputable genetic testing laboratory in the United States called “23 and Me”. I paid US$125 for the test. Feeling enthusiastic, I was sure that this would be a very interesting search!
Well, actually, I did not need to send the sample to “23 and Me” to test the genetics and figure out the origin of my ancestor. Eijkman can actually do it. However, Eijkman focuses on research and has yet to open a service of genetics testing for the public. Besides, this is my personal matter, so I cannot do that in Eijkman. I better use the service of other party.
Several weeks later, I received an email. I was mesmerized to read it. According to the email, the ancestor of Hera was originally from Africa 150,000 years ago. They wandered to the north until they reached Gibraltar. Then, 57,000 years ago, they walked to the east, passing through the Euroasia. The test also detected that 2.7 percent of me belong to the Chinese people in the 1700s— a very interesting thing if I match it with the history that happened during those years.
There is one more thing that amazed me. My genes have the haplotype B7 fragment. This makes me curious. I was wondering where this came from.
I match the data with the Eijkman database. We have conducted research on hundreds of ethnicities in Indonesia, and never find anything that specifically mention about this type. I kept searching and reading various research until I found that the gene of Haplotype B7 belongs to Kasi tribe, who live in the Himalaya, Nepal.
I found another interesting fact that the Kasi tribe have almost similar characters with the Javanese people. They wove cloth, plaited bamboo, and lived on a house on stilts made of wooden board. They also wore sarong like us.
I learn that all of us is the result of assimilation of various ethnic groups all over the world. There is no ethnic group that has a single pure gene. Actually, this conclusion has been commonly understood since a long time ago, then the science absolutely confirms it.
The excitement of tracing back the origin of our ancestors was exhibited in the National Cultural Week (Pekan Kebudayaan Nasional), organized by the Directorate General of the Ministry of Education and Culture, September 2019, in cooperation with Historia.id.
Understanding the origin, cultural crossing, as well as interaction with nature, make us more humble. It is the diversity and the crossing of culture that create incredibility.
Looking back to my journey as a researcher, I have proven to myself that I can go beyond the ivory tower. We are able to share with the ordinary people, who are completely unfamiliar with genetics. This is my ultimate happiest moment, more than any award I have ever achieved.
Is there any dream that I have yet to attain? Hmmm… I think I already have enough. Now, in my 68th year, I am happy with my life.
However, I am worried about the future of Eijkman. Currently, there are millions of data that have been collected in the institute’s server. The upcoming challenges is the analysis, the reading the data and the development of the data into a precise diagnostic technology.
This is really a big data. Just imagine, inside the mitochondria, there are 16,000 sequences of nucleotides, there are 4 billion genomes. Those numbers come from one person only. In fact, we have collected data of millions of people. It is truly a treasure with an extraordinary value.
Eijkman has pioneered and proven to be able to become an impactful institute in the field of molecular biology, not only in Indonesia, but also in the world. It takes a scientific leadership and a robust research ecosystem to manage the outcomes and continue the measures that we have undertaken. ***
Note : Profesor Herawati Supolo-Sudoyo achieved various awards, including Anugerah Sekar Bangsa (2013), Australian Alumni Award (2008), Wing Kehormatan Kepolisian (2007), Third World Academy of Science Award (1992). The Lancet, in 2012, dubbed her as “the champion of basic champion in Indonesia”.
