Asst. Prof. Leonardo Acosta Guevarra Jr., MSc is a researcher from the Research Center for Natural and Applied Sciences (RCNAS) and a faculty member at the Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Santo Tomas. He finished both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Biochemistry at the University of the Philippines Manila in 2001 and 2010, respectively and is currently finishing his PhD in Health Sciences (by Research) at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine in the same university.

Since he joined RCNAS in 2015, he participated in and led several research projects in the field of molecular diagnostics and therapeutics. His work focuses on bioactivities of peptides and their applications in human health particularly as immunodiagnostic and immunotherapeutic tools, anti-cancer and antimicrobial agents, and therapeutic molecules against neurologic and cardiovascular diseases. His knowledge of in silico epitope prediction and protein and peptide chemistry has been the key for him to address timely and relevant issues in health and life sciences. Several of his publications and presentations were recognized as best in the field of health sciences at the university level and at national conferences.

In 2017, he joined a team of researchers from the UST Department of Biochemistry in establishing the Spider Venom Research Team and started working on the bioactivity screening of venom from selected Salticidae and Theraphosidae species from Mindanao. This became the impetus for the multi-institutional collaborative three-year research program GAGAMBA or Gamot mula sa Gagamba at Mananaliksik ng Bayan: An Omics-guided Bioprospecting of Philippine Tarantula and its Venom which is funded by DOST in 2021 which he currently leads.  

Currently, Asst. Prof. Guevarra is a board member of the Philippine Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PSBMB) and the Natural Products Society of the Philippines. He is also one of the co-founders of the Philippine Arachnological Society, Inc., an organization of academic researchers, hobbyists, and enthusiasts established to promote arachnid research.