Profesores Mario Chiong, Javier O. Morales, Pablo Richter y Christian Wilson dan a conocer qué investigarán en FONDECYT Regular 2018
CONICYT unveiled (3 January 2018) the results of the contest Fondecyt Regular 2018. In total were selected 518 projects nationwide, including the University of Chile was awarded 88 initiatives funded more than five billion pesos to implement them within a period of 2 to 4 years maximum.
The vine, Silvia Núñez, Director of research indicated that each investigation will get 57 million pesos per year, to cover technical support staff; national and international trips that promote collaborations with peers overseas; grants for thesis and thesis that collaborate in the project; and capital goods.
Our faculty of chemical and pharmaceutical sciences obtained 6 total projects, which went to teachersMaruja Baez, Mario Chiong, Javier Morales M., Paul Richter and peace Robert and Christian Wilson.
The professors Chiong, Morales, Richter and Wilson pointed out some of the main aspects of their projects.
Professor Mario Chiong:It will examine if the Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and myostatin mioquinas can be synthesized by artery VSMC during exercise and regulate the phenotypic change of the VSMC through a mechanism autocrine / paracrine
In the case of Professor Mario Chiong, academic Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, is research manager of the project "Autocrine / paracrine interleukin-6 and myostatin control of VSMC differentiation under exercise and resting". Co-investigator: Rodrigo Troncoso, INTA, Universidad de Chile. (FONDECYT 1180157). Length: 2018-2022.
Its description says: "vascular smooth muscle (VSMC) cells are the main component of the middle layer of the arteries. The VSMC can pass from a differentiated phenotype (contractile, non-proliferative and non migratory) to one desdiferenciado (proliferative, migratory). This phenotypic change occurs in atherosclerosis, hypertension, Restenosis and neointima formation. However, this phenotypic change also occurs in exercise, and is associated with cardiovascular health. Exercise induces synthesis and secretion of hormones mioquinas from skeletal muscle. The mioquinas are responsible for the metabolic and structural adaptation of the organism to exercise.
According to Professor Chiong, "project Fondecyt shall examine whether the Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and myostatin mioquinas can be synthesized by artery VSMC during exercise and regulate the phenotypic change of the VSMC through a mechanism autocrine /" I paracrine".
Professor Javier O. Morales: it seeks to develop nanocarriers that can be absorbed through the oral mucosa (lining of the cheeks) and that once in the blood circulation deployed surface features that result in a direction Active to the heart
The project of Professor Javier O. Morales is entitled "Development of a dual acting nanocarrier for enhanced buccal permeation followed by cardiac targeting bioresponsive: formulation studies and biological proof of concept". According to what stated "aims at developing nanocarriers that can be absorbed through the oral mucosa (lining of the cheeks) and that once in circulation appear superficial characteristics that result in a direction Active towards the heart.
The research group is led by Professor Javier O. Morales Montecinos, academic and technology Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, and as co-investigators the professors Felipe Oyarzún, from the same Department; Lorena García, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; and Marcelo Kogan, academic Department of pharmacological and toxicological chemistry, along with collaborators at the University of Würzburg in Germany and Chile Fraunhofer.
Specifies the moral teacher "the nanocarriers (small particles loaded with drugs) have been widely investigated and one of its characteristics is its potential to be selectively addressed to therapeutic targets. Although this concept is still in the stage of clinical use, the future problem of nanomedicine will be to transform these nanocarriers that can only be managed through injectable, pharmaceutical forms friendly". Adds that "this aspect has been a focus of our research group and we have addressed it by the oral route (lining of the cheeks) as one-way with advantages over oral and more friendly than injectable route." Thus, this project aims to develop a system of delivery of drugs that allow the oral absorption of nanocarriers that subsequently are specifically targeting a therapeutic target model (the model in this project is the heart) ", indicates."
To achieve this, the research team combined prior research that developed the technology to manufacture films loaded with nanocarriers through printing ink jet with a new concept of the design of the nanocarriers. "By means of printing, the nanocarriers are arranged in the immediacy of the buccal mucosa to achieve an enhanced permeation. The new design of the nanocarriers also allows that in a first phase its cover is optimized for the absorption process, and once in the blood, deploying its characteristic of targeting to the heart. So, expect the results of this research to impact the field of nanomedicine, enabling the development of new drugs can be administered by a no-inyectable route and allowing the drug selectively targeting his target", says Morales.
Professor Paul Richter:the innovative aspects are related, on the one hand, with the implementation of micro extraction techniques and the simultaneous determination of several EDC together with the most important sexual hormones
"Analytical developments in sample preparation for isolation and multi-determination of biomarkers by chromatographic techniques coupled to mass spectrometry" is the title of Professor Pablo Richter, academic in the Department of inorganic and analytical chemistry.
The summary of the project indicates: "the detection and quantification of biomarkers in an organism is increasingly important for more accurate diagnosis, prevention and the monitoring of certain diseases. In this project we propose to develop new analytical strategies that improve the quality of the measurements (bio)-chemical in this area, sumistrando more reliable information for solving problems related to health".
The summary adds that "the development of new analytical processes for the determination of biomarkers is a challenge, considering the difficulties to measure low concentrations of analytes in complex biological matrices, which so far is achieved mainly by means of analytical measurements of screening (immunoassays). In the project we will focus on the study of biological samples that contain three families of biomarkers, all of them are interrelated with the regulation of the reproductive functions of mammals: (a) kisspeptinas, (b) sex hormones and (c) some compounds (EDC) endocrine disruptors. The contents of kisspeptina and sex hormones in biological fluids are biomarkers useful for diagnosis, while the EOC are ranked as biomarkers of risk of exposure. We hope that the design and implementation of strategies for Microextraction for the determination of these biomarkers in biological samples (plasma, urine) together with determination by chromatography (GC and LC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) It will provide results with improved quality (figures of merit) in comparison with those obtained from methodologies previously reported, based on liquid-liquid extraction and solid-phase or extraction methods of detection, such as ELISA, EIA and RIA. Novel aspects covered in this project are related, on the one hand, with the implementation of techniques Microextraction before determining kisspeptinas by UHPLC-TOF GC / MS, which so far has not been reported, and on the other hand, with the simultaneous determination of several EDC along with sex hormones most important, since the previously published studies of biomonitoring of EDC focuses mainly on a specific biomarker of exposure. Evaluations will be conducted in vivo systems.
Professor Christian Wilson:In particular we will study a protein called BiP, which is considered to be the regular master of the endoplasmic reticulum to the cell interior
Professor Christian Wilson, academic Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology stated that "we are studying the mechanical properties of proteins. In particular we will study a protein called BiP, which is considered to be the regular master of the endoplasmic reticulum to the cell interior. This protein, its bad function has been implicated in diseases (alzheimer, parkinson) neurodegenerative and cancer". Adds Professor Wilson that "this project wants to understand how changes in these mechanical properties, and how the forces exerted proteins are essential to generate its function". It adds that "to carry out the project, we decided to build an instrument that would be the first in the country of nanorreologia. This instrument allows to determine movements at very small scales and see changes in the elasticity of proteins. In addition we will continue working with our instrument of optical tweezers, to see at the level of individual molecules how chaperones help in its function".
This Fondecyt is in collaboration with Professor Mauricio Báez, academic of the same Department from this ability with the professors Giovanni Zocchi and Randy Schekman, both of the University of California.
The Professor Wilson highlighted that this was a job with the team of his laboratory, including Hilda M. Alfaro-Valdés and Diego Quiroga-Roger who helped in the writing and ideas. It adds that "Nathalie Casanova-Morales helped me obtain data forward from the University of California at Los Angeles instrument nanorreologia which they invented. There we were working from a long time ago to have data that show in the project, to demonstrate the feasibility of doing so. In short, is a project that I have been thinking about it long enough, and I've been to reassemble it little by little, so that at the time of filing it noticeable solidity and consistency".
