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Researchers design advanced software program to detect deception through facial expressions

Researchers design advanced software program to detect deception through facial expressions

  • Dr. Edmundo Leiva, professor at the Informatics Department of Universidad de Santiago and Jorge Segura, who is pursuing a Master´s Degree in this area, developed a software program that recognizes facial microexpressions that evidence basic emotions more effectively than the human eye does. The program can detect sadness, anger and rage - that are expressed through involuntary expressions - even when they last for less than a second. According to professor Leiva, it could have multiple applications: detecting criminals at airports, selecting and recruiting staff for key positions or helping in psychological virtual therapy on Internet.

Affective computing is a research field that relates to the interpretation of human emotions through technology. It looks like science fiction, but it is more real than it appears, and our University is making progress in this matter.

Dr. Edmundo Leiva, professor at the Department of Informatics Engineering of Universidad de Santiago, together with Jorge Segura, a student at the Master’s Program of that unit, developed a software program that can identify emotions by reading human facial expressions even when someone is trying to hide them.

By means of a camera that captures facial muscles movements, it is possible to identify microexpressions, even those lasting less than a second.

“When a person is trying to deceive someone, this program recognizes his/her facial microexpressions. Microexpressions are brief facial expressions shown according to the basic emotions experienced, like anger, happiness, sadness and disgust,” professor Leiva explained.

Professor Leiva - PhD in Informatics - said that although there are experts who study and get certified in interpreting emotions through the face, their estimation range is only 63%, while “our software program has exceeded 70%.”

“Very few people are able to detect microexpressions, because an evident anger expression could hide or mask sadness, what could show for half a second. This microexpressions detector can read that emotion in a fraction of a second,” he explained.

Apps
 
Professor Leiva explained that this innovative tool has a wide scope of applications, from supporting police work to detecting the truthfulness of data provided in recruitment and selection processes of staff for key positions.

“It could be useful for detecting terrorists at airports, or even for virtual therapy given by some psychologists through Internet and Skype. The therapist could have some indications if the patient is lying or, for example, in case of senior people, if they took their medication or not,” professor Leiva said, betting that the list of possibilities could be very long. He also thinks that in the future, it could become an application for mobile devices.

“We speculate that in the future, even Google Glasses (optical displays connected to Internet networks) could have a microexpression recognition device, so that everyone would be able to detect if a person is trying to hide an underlying emotion,” he stressed.

The psychology field that related to facial expression metrics was developed by the American psychologist Paul Ekman, who is a pioneer in detecting the facial expressions of seven basic emotions considered to be linked to the atavistic part of the brain. “Sadness, anger, happiness, fear, surprise, contempt and disgust, which are emotions that all human beings show as a species heritage and not as a trait of a particular culture,” professor Leiva concluded.

The Department of Informatics Engineering is planning to show its work in this line and other research lines to the University community through different stands displaying related technology. Professor Leiva will participate to show this interesting program to anyone who is interested in knowing better about this matter.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

Researcher at the Department of Physics represents Universidad de Santiago at international conference

Researcher at the Department of Physics represents Universidad de Santiago at international conference

  • Dr Juan Escrig participated in the Fifth International Conference for Young Scientists and the Annual General Meeting of the Global Young Academy, held between May 25thand 29th, in Montebello, Canada. On the occasion, professor Escrig encouraged his peers to use all available means to disseminate their work among general public and other scientists. This conference gathers scientists from around the world, who are selected for the excellence of their science and their commitment to service. Currently, it has 200 members from 58 countries.

 

One of the goals of the Fifth International Conference for Young Scientists and the Annual General Meeting of the Global Young Academy (GYA), held between May 25th and 29th, in Montebello (Canada), was to provide an opportunity for reducing the science gap between developed and developing countries.

The activity gathers scientists from around the world, who are selected for their excellence demonstrated by their scientific achievements in their fields and their commitment to service. Currently, it has 200 members from 58 countries, representing the main regions of the planet.

GYA aims to empower and mobilize young scientists to address the principal issues they may face at their early careers. The idea is to reduce the science gap between developed and developing countries by connecting young scientists from different countries.

Besides, the organization maintains active links with international science organizations including the UN Science Advisory Board, the Global Network of Science Academies, the Global Research Council and the International Council for Science.

It publishes statements on international science policy and the research environment, what is important information for early-career researchers.

 

Universidad de Santiago

Universidad de Santiago was represented by Dr Juan Escrig, researcher at the Center for the Development of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (CEDENNA, in Spanish), at the Department of Physics.

 

According to Dr Escrig, the participants in the activity discussed that “a key challenge for researchers is the limited access to research software or scientific equipment due to the lack of funding for acquiring licences and/or new equipment.”

“This jeopardizes the quality of the research work, causes the use of pirated software and, in extreme cases, brain drain, and it is closely related to another problem: the need to improve the research environment in the institutions, something that would allow young scientists to fully develop their potential,” he adds.

He thinks that many women have not received yet the support that they require to succeed in their scientific careers.

And he also thinks that in general, institutions do not compensate the time that young scientists devote to promoting science.

Some guidance

Professor Escrig gives some guidance for young scientists at Universidad de Santiago, so that they contribute to the country development.

“The idea is that they participate in scientific education and in outreach activities at schools and universities of the country, because the benefits of science cannot be disseminated without the participation of and the communication among scientists, citizens, politicians and the media,” he says.

“Young scientists at the University should organize themselves, for example, through the INDI, the Group of Researchers for Development and Interdisciplinarity of Universidad de Santiago, because in this way, they will be in a unique position to take on roles in providing scientific advice for the country,” he adds.

“INDI scientists stand out not only for their excellent research work, but also for their commitment to bring together scientists and politicians to face the problems of the country. Also, I think that we require a mentoring network for young women scientists,” he concluded.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

Maqui berry to combat side effects of psychotropic drugs

Maqui berry to combat side effects of psychotropic drugs

  •  According to Dr Leonel Rojo, researcher at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, the use of Aristotelia Chilensis allows to reverse the problems caused by the use of psychotropic drugs, like obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

 

 

Dr Leonel Rojo, researcher at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, found that people using antipsychotic drugs for 6 continuous months exponentially developed obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and cardiovascular diseases.

According to the Chilean National Institute of Public Health, clozapine and olanzapine have been the most commonly imported psychotropic drugs in Chile in the past ten years for their low cost and effectiveness for the treatment of psychosis or schizophrenia in adult patients and the treatment of attention deficit disorder, autism, Asperger syndrome and bipolar disorders in children.

However, the side effects that they produce alerted Dr Rojo, as he found that antidiabetic drugs did not help patients to overcome their problem. He started looking for solutions, and after testing a Chilean product in laboratory, in 2012 he found an answer: Maqui berry (Aristotelia Chilensis), a small tree that grows in the center and the south of Chile.

“Descubrimos en Estados Unidos, que uno de sus compuestos es fuertemente antidiabético, así que pensamos que el maqui puede prevenir la obesidad que es causada por antisicóticos y descubrimos que previene la acumulación de lípidos en las células en pacientes tratados con estos fármacos”, explica el experto en toxicología.

“In the USA, we found that one of the maqui components is a strong antidiabetic compound, so we thought that maqui could prevent the obesity caused by antipsychotic drugs. We found that it reduces lipid accumulation in the cells of patients who are treated with these drugs,” Dr Rojo explains.

Research team

Dr Rojo has an extensive scientific experience. His work has been recognized by the New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists and the American Society of Pharmacognosy, after he discovered an anti-aging technology based on Pouteria Lucuma bioactive compounds.

The project has the collaboration of Dr Ilya Raskin, of Rutgers University, New Jersey (USA); a research team of Universidad de Chile, led by Dr Pablo Gaspar; and the Hadassah Academic College of Jerusalem.

The study is called “Evaluation of Anthocyanins from Maqui Berry in the Prevention of Clozapine-Induced Hepatic Lipid Accumulation, Activation of SREBP1c Target Genes and Obesity” and it is funded by a Fondecyt Initiation Project in the field of psychotropic drugs and metabolism.

Current situation and expectations

Currently, Dr Rojo and his collaborators continue working in the laboratory at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology of Universidad de Santiago. At this stage, they are trying to elucidate how the natural maqui components (called anthocyanins) prevent lipid accumulation and the metabolic problem associated to the use of antipsychotics.

 

The researcher expects to conclude his work by the end of 2017 with a continuity project that allows using the product in patients. Dr Rojo says that this project will benefit the country, because he thinks that the product would not be expensive; and it would also be good for national economy, because people who collect and sell maqui are eager to find new uses for it.

Today, the product is considered as a super fruit and it is mainly commercialized in the United States. Besides, there are already companies interested in the project and in getting involved in it.

 

Translated by Marcela Contreras

Researchers share proposals for using water as a strategic resource

Researchers share proposals for using water as a strategic resource

  • Among the different speakers that took part in the Colloquium “Water: a renewable resource?”, one of them, Alfredo Zolezzi, founder of the Advanced Innovation Center, considers that the contrast between technology progress and the poverty and shortage of sanitary resources affecting millions of people is “dramatic”. He says that the solution to this problem is to make sure that innovation reaches people who need it.

The recent celebration of the World Water Day brought again to the national and international agenda the importance of promoting sustainable practices for the good use of water resources in the planet. The Colloquium “Water: a renewable resource?” was held in this context and it was led by the Association of Researchers for Development and Interdisciplinarity (INDI, its Spanish acronym), that groups researchers from the different faculties of Universidad de Santiago de Chile.

The activity brought together three speakers that approached the implications and significance of this strategic resource from very different points of view.

Leyla Noriega, journalist of Red Mi Voz*, who has experience in working with indigenous communities in the north of Chile, gave the presentation “Between the Andean world view and the community’s political core”. She explains that “our philosophy understands water like a living being. The resource is distributed according to its ancestral use by common law; that is to say, based on customs or natural rights.”

However, this expert in communications says that this approach is little respected, as a consequence of a series of processes that have affected the native peoples of the north of the country, like “Chileanization and the disassembly of ancestral authorities.”

Then, Alfredo Zolezzi, founder of the Advanced Innovation Center spoke about “Meaningful innovation”, considering it like a concept that has always been present in the history of humankind. “We have never had as much technology available as we do now, but it is dramatic to see this progress without recognizing that there are millions of people living in poverty, without basic sanitary services,” he says.

Effective solutions

In light of this situation that accounts for a complex reality, specific answers are required. According to Zolezzi, the solution lies in changing the way of doing things and he suggests “doing activism with proposals that make sure that innovation will reach people who need it.”
 
In his case, innovation became socially meaningful through the creation of the Plasma Water Sanitation System (PWSS), a water purification system that allows transforming polluted water particles into plasma, making it potable.

This system was implemented in 2011, in Fundo San José, a shanty town in Cerrillos, Santiago, thanks to a partnership with Un Techo Para Mi País**. It is worth to mention that this shanty town’s residents were resettled in June, 2013.

The last presentation was given by Dr. Silvio Montalvo, professor at the Department of Chemistry Engineering of our University, who spoke about his research regarding water resources.

At present, he is working on the treatment of sludge generated at sewage water treatment plants, in order to develop technologies to optimize the anaerobic digestion process that allows breaking down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen.

“If we are able to preserve the water that we already have and keep it less polluted, we will be contributing to this matter,” the researcher says.

Translator’s notes: *Red Mi Voz is a digital network that promotes the practice of citizen journalism. **Un Techo Para Mi País is a nonprofit organization that mobilizes youth volunteers to fight extreme poverty in Latin America, by constructing transitional housing and implementing social inclusion programs.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

Professor at Universidad de Santiago recognized as the best reviewer by international scientific journal

Professor at Universidad de Santiago recognized as the best reviewer by international scientific journal

  • Dr Manuel Azócar, professor at the Department of Chemistry of Materials of Universidad de Santiago was recognized as the best scientific publication reviewer in the Material Science Engineering C international journal. The expert is also a reviewer in other six different journals in this field in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America.

 

Dr Manuel Azócar, professor at the Department of Chemistry of Materials of Universidad de Santiago was recognized as the best scientific publication reviewer in the Material Science Engineering C international journal, for reviewing around 30 papers in one year.

He is also a reviewer for other six journals in the field for which he usually evaluates the standard: an average of 5 article submissions. However, for the journal that recognized him, he evaluated an outstanding number of papers, so it demanded a very intense work. He expressed his gratitude for this recognition and said that he has reviewed works from the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America.

Dr Azócar has also published in the Material Science Engineering C journal since 2014 before becoming a reviewer.

He became a reviewer on his own merit, studying materials with potential medical applications, specifically metals like copper and silver, which have antibacterial properties to combat bacteria, viruses and fungi, among other microorganisms.

All the articles undergo an expert “blind review”. This means that the author does not know who is evaluating his/her article. The committee is made up of two reviewers and they decide if the article is accepted or not. If there is a tie, they may call for a third opinion.

Dr Azócar says that the process for the approval of scientific publications is very rigorous. “I rejected 60% of the articles. This usually happens, because in science, the standards to accept articles are very strict. Most of the article submissions are usually rejected for writing problems, poor contributions, and poor quality and lack of novelty,” he explains.

Scientific connectivity

The Materials Science and Engineering C: Materials for Biological Applications journal can be digitally accessed and Universidad de Santiago has subscribed to it, so academics can log in through the university account.

He says that information at a scientific level is increasingly democratising. “Many things have changed in science, like open access articles (PDF) which publication costs are paid by the authors and networking sites, like ResearchGate, a sort of “Facebook” for scientists,” he adds.

Goals and expectations

Dr Azócar expects to continue both publishing and reviewing at an international level. “Being considered at a global level is very interesting. They should know that there are people in Chile with a voice to give opinions on specific issues,” he explains.

He says that the journal has helped him in his professional positioning and career. “All these references help scientists to be good professionals, to be formally recognized and valued by the university. Besides, this benefits my future research work, because it gives me more credibility in my field of work. In the scientific career, the scientist is constantly growing up in time,” he concludes.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

Professor at Universidad de Santiago will be part of the UN Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters

Professor at Universidad de Santiago will be part of the UN Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters

  • A security specialist at Universidad de Santiago will be the only representative of Latin America in the UN Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters, which is made up of sixteen international experts on this matters.

 

 

Dr Lucía Dammert, a security specialist at Universidad de Santiago de Chile, will be part of the UN Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters. Early in January 2017, Dr Dammert received an invitation extended by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon to become part of the Board.

The Board has the goal of debating and commenting on the UN decisions on nuclear disarmament, cyber-attacks  and small arms and light weapons control and it is made up of 16 experts from all over the world. Professor Dammert, a Peruvian security specialist, will be the only representative of Latin America.

“Most of the Board members are experts on this matter or renowned academics,” Dr Dammert says. They come from Australia, Croatia, Jordan, USA, Philippines, China, South Korea, Spain, France, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Ghana, Norway and Finland.

With regard to her participation, she says that she will contribute from the Latin American experience. “I expect to learn from the different realities in other parts of the world and, particularly, to identify topics which are not currently part of the security agenda in the country or Latin America,” she says.

The Board meets twice a year, in Geneva, Switzerland, and New York, USA. “During these meetings, the Board reviews different issues on the disarmament agenda and debates on new global challenges,” she explains. After the meetings, the Board delivers a report with suggestions and recommendations to the UN Secretary-General.

Dr Dammert is a sociologist, PhD in Political Sciences and professor at the Bachelor’s Program in International Studies of the Faculty of Humanities, Universidad de Santiago de Chile.

She has a vast academic experience at universities in USA, Argentina and Chile. Her participation in the Board is not limited to a specific period, as it is an “open invitation in time,” she says.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

Food protective film is developed using local byproducts

Food protective film is developed using local byproducts

  • Universidad de Santiago’s interdisciplinary research team, led by Dr. Silvia Matiacevich from the Technological Faculty, is focused on developing an edible film that could increase the shelf life of fresh foods by 30%.

Improving the way of preserving foods has been a permanent concern in food industry. This is the reason why packaging is essential for the quality and shelf life of the product. But this packaging should be in harmony with the environment.

In light of this situation, a sustainable alternative for food packaging has been developed: food covering edible films, which are being widely used and have become a world trend nowadays. At Universidad de Santiago, an interdisciplinary research team is trying to replicate this development, giving value added to different national byproducts.

This initiative will be viable thanks to the Associative Dicyt Project called “Bioactive Coatings for Foods”, which gathers together experts from different faculties of the University.

“We will use food industry byproducts which are considered as dispensable or waste material. We are going to give them a value added by adding antioxidant and antimicrobial components to them in order to increase the shelf life of fresh food products,” Dr. Daniel López says.

Academics from three different faculties gathered for this purpose: Dr. Rubén Bustos, from the Faculty of Engineering (Department of Chemical Engineering); Dr. Diego Venegas and Dr. Marlén Gutiérrez, from the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology (Department of Materials Chemistry); and Dr. Daniel López and Dr. Silvia Matiacevich, from the Technological Faculty (Department of Food Science and Technology), being Dr. Matiacevich the leader of the project.

During the two years scheduled for the project, the researchers plan to study the synergistic effect of this combination of products and they expect to increase food shelf life by over 30%.

Interdisciplinarity

Most of the academics related to this project are part of a larger group created by the end of 2013 called Indi, Asociación de Investigadores por el Desarrollo e Interdisciplinariedad of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, a group of researchers that promotes development and interdisciplinarity at the university.

“All of us have participated in some of these initiatives at some point, seeking for this interdisciplinarity. This is how we have met other people and created contacts. What is good is that more than just admiring the work of others, we have the real possibility of conducting studies together. For this reason, we value this type of projects, as they promote the integration and interdisciplinarity that define a university,” Dr. Matiacevich says.

Translated by Marcela Contreras
 

Researcher at Universidad de Santiago presented innovative technology at the Expo Milano 2015

Researcher at Universidad de Santiago presented innovative technology at the Expo Milano 2015

  • Dr Laura Almendares Calderón, professor at the Technological Faculty of Universidad de Santiago, presented her study “Development of a technology to replace prickly pear skin with a peel to keep the physiological, microbiological and organoleptic properties of the fresh fruit” at the Expo Milano 2015 (Italy). Dr Almendares presented the innovation in an activity devoted to the best sustainable development practices for food security.

 

Dr Laura Almendares Calderón, professor at the Technological Faculty of our University, carried out a technical visit to the Expo Milano 2015 (Italy) in order to get an insight of the food situation around the world. She was able to see a wide variety of raw materials, manufactured goods, equipment and supplies exhibited by more than one hundred countries. The activity had the presence of leaders from all over the world, like President Michelle Bachelet, who opened the Chilean Pavillion.

In this context, Dr Almendares, director of the FIA-USACH Project, PYT-2012-0033, “Development of a technology to replace prickly pear skin with a peel to keep the physiological, microbiological and organoleptic properties of the fresh fruit”, presented her work at the BSDP Week.

The activity started with an exhibition of photos, porters, brochures and other information material related to this matter. The academic was able to show the results of this Chilean innovative project to people from different countries, at the Urban Center, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, in downtown Milano, between June 10th and 13th.

Chile participated in the competition “Feeding Knowledge”, a program created to contribute to the permanent legacy of the Expo Milano 2015.

With that purpose in mind, a document will be generated containing policies and key recommendations to create an effective knowledge system in the food security field in the Mediterranean Region. The final version of this document will be available in September this year.

Selection of proposals

The proposals submitted by eligible candidates underwent a strict admission control by the International Selection Committee, which is responsible for the final evaluation, using nine pre-established criteria.

The proposals that did not meet one or more of the admission criteria were not considered as “Good Practices in Food Safety.”

The ones that were well evaluated officially became “participating initiatives”, like the work presented by Dr Almendares. 

Her work was included in the priority theme “Food consumption habits: diet, environment, society, economy and health.”

 

This theme groups all projects which objectives are focused on research activities that evaluate the impact of current diets on the environment, economy, society, culture, health and nutritional sustainability.

This was the only Chilean study presented at the activity and it was registered as ‘9712. Development of methodology to replace prickly pear skin for enriched eatable peel. Chile. 25’.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

Researchers seek to feed the population in a healthy and equitable manner

Researchers seek to feed the population in a healthy and equitable manner

  • The projects supported by the Department of Agrarian Management of the Technological Faculty and the Food Science and Technology Research Center of Universidad de Santiago show important results, like a bio-pesticide based on residual quinoa grains or the potential edible use of this pseudo-cereal leaves.

 

The projects supported by the Department of Agrarian Management of the Technological Faculty and the Food Science and Technology Research Center of Universidad de Santiago (Cecta, in Spanish), show important progress in their goal of feeding the population in a healthy and equitable way.

The first project, “Biopesticidas en base a saponinas de quínoa” (Bio-pesticides based on quinoa saponins) (FIC 30343624-0) lasts three years and it is being developed in the O’Higgins Region, in Central Chile. It has the purpose of using the residual quinoa grains to generate a natural pesticide for grapevines.

The second project, “Valorización agroindustrial de subproductos de la quínoa” (Agro-industrial valuation of quinoa byproducts) (FIC 30429825-0), lasts three years and it is also being developed in the O’Higgins Region. The goal of this project is to promote the cultivation of quinoa, with new applications. Besides using the grains, they expect to promote the use of the leaves in salads.

The third project, “Habilitación de productores hortícolas de la región Metropolitana para la elaboración de productos IV gama” (Training vegetable producers of the Metropolitan Region in the elaboration of IV range products) (GORE BIP 30442786-0), lasts 18 months and it is the continuation of a project developed by the Cecta researchers in 2011 that tested different protocols to reduce the microbial load in vegetables like lettuces, cabbages and carrots.

Carlos Díaz Ramírez, Professor at the Department of Agrarian Management and Innovation Manager of the projects, explains that the purpose of this project is to train small farmers in the care and safety of all the production and supply chain of vegetables, until the products reach the consumer.

Some of the Cecta scientists involved in the projects are Professor Lina Yáñez Catalán, Dr Claudio Martínez and Dr José Luis Palacios Pino.

 

Inorganic molecules could help in anticancer treatments

Inorganic molecules could help in anticancer treatments

  • Through a Fondecyt Initiation into Research Project, Dr. Luis Lemus, professor at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, has studied the interaction between new molecules called “helicates” and DNA, in order to evaluate the development of more specific drugs to fight cancer, avoiding the destructive effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

According to Globocan, a worldwide survey on cancer conducted in 2012; there are 14.1 million new cases of this disease. At present, the most widely used treatments are chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Their purpose is to stop cancer spreading in the body by killing malignant cells that divide rapidly, one of the main properties of most cancer cells; however, in the process healthy cells are killed too: hair follicles, gastric mucosal cells, blood cells, etc. These side effects make these non-specific treatments very destructive:

Something that could help to change this situation is the development of new compounds with a higher selectivity towards a specific biological target, the line of research of Dr. Luis Lemus, professor at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology of Universidad de Santiago, who leads the Fondecyt* Initiation into Research Project named “Study on Helicates as DNA coordinators”. Its results could lead to developing more specific anticancer drugs.

“These molecules (helicates) are able to bind to DNA strands by means of specific and strong interactions, modifying its structure, what prevents the genetic material from replicating inside the cell. What should be noticed is that cancer cells are the ones that produce the largest amount of DNA; therefore, these molecules could be a potential treatment against cancer progression,” professor Lemus stresses.

To make progress in the treatment of this disease, first it is essential to deepen the knowledge about these compounds, which started to be studied less than 30 years ago. According to professor Lemus, nowadays there are a few groups in the world dedicated to study the use of helicates as anticancer drugs and the way in which this type of interaction affects the DNA structural modification has not been studied yet. This is the line of research that Dr. Lemus intends to develop.

“Helicates are inorganic chiral molecules with a helical shape similar to the one of DNA, in which each molecule has a helical twist sense defined according to its structure. These positive molecules interact with negatives ones, in this case, DNA. After this electrostatic attraction occurs, the DNA is able to recognize and selectively establish secondary interactions with helicates with better twist sense than others. Here, documenting this phenomenon is essential.

This project will be implemented in two stages. First, by performing the structural study and synthesis of different types of helicates with different transition metals; and second, by doing DNA tests to evaluate the affinity between the molecules and DNA, and the extent to which helicates could modify the latter.

Regarding the projections of the study, professor Lemus says that in the future, “it would be ideal to evaluate these compounds against cancer cells and therefore, to prove if they are able to kill these cells. However, today we are trying to build a very basic knowledge, because it does not exist. Acquiring this knowledge will be very helpful for us and for other groups.”

A field to explore

Creating a research group dedicated to study inorganic complexes for biological applications is among the goals that Dr. Lemus has for this project. According to the academic, this area is little developed in Chile, so this study could start a new line of research both at the University and in the country.

“We have the facilities, equipment and experience in synthesis to meet the initial goals of this project; but we also need help from other researchers who could contribute with their knowledge in biology to make the study more valuable. This project is the first step for the expectations that we have as a group,” Dr. Lemus says.

*Fondecyt: National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

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