• After a thorough study, a research team of Universidad de Santiago found the transmitter that causes ejaculation in men: the ATP (adenosine 5’- triphosphate).The study was led by Dr Juan Pablo García-Huidobro, professor at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology. This work means an important contribution to modern medicine and it has already been published by Biology of Reproduction (USA), one of the most renowned journals worldwide.

The journal Biology of Reproduction published an article submitted by Dr Juan Pablo García-Huidobro, professor at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology. The article is the result of the study in which he determined that ATP (adenosine 5’- triphosphate) is in charge of contracting the smooth muscles that form the vas deferens (which is in charge of carrying the sperm) that, through its mechanism, contracts reflexively and propels sperm forward.

The study involved a multidisciplinary scientific team and it opens big opportunities for modern medicine.

The study also intended to define if the ATP was responsible for contracting the circular muscular layer, which is in charge of preventing retrograde ejaculation.

“The ATP acts as a cotransmitter in the longitudinal muscles, but not in the circular ones, and from a technical point of view, it is interesting, because it shows that the circular layer is controlled by other mechanisms that we could not precise during this study. We were able to show that the ATP works as a powerful sympathetic cotransmitter in the longitudinal layer,” Dr García-Huidobro said.

The biological material used for the laboratory tests was obtained by means of an agreement between the research team and Clínica Santa María. “The biopsy tissues were from young healthy men that wanted a vasectomy as a contraception method,” he explained.

In a vasectomy surgical procedure, the vas deference is tied and the central portion is severed.

“We were able to get very good material for the biological study, because it came from young and very healthy people. We had to comply with all the ethical requirements involved and the informed consent procedures to conduct our study,” he added. 

Impact on human physiology

The study conducted by Dr García-Huidobro determined the precise mechanism in which ATP is involved.

“We were able to establish that the ATP receptor is located in a very specific part of the membrane of the longitudinal smooth muscles called lipid rafts. Then, we could find specific details on where this receptor is functionally located,” he said.

In this way, the study results open several new questions and possibilities to understand human physiology and its relation with modern medicine.

He said that it is important to learn what is involved in this physiological process because it could be related to fertility disorders or it could contribute to masculine contraception.

Now we learned that ATP is the key transmitter in the ejaculation process, professor García-Huidobro says that it could help to develop ATP-targeted drugs for clinical cases that require fertility aids or control.

Professor García-Huidobro highlights the importance of having multidisciplinary research teams and the value of socializing the information of the studies, in order to improve the cultural and scientific capital in the country.

“There are many details of the studies that remain secret. Many of these research works were conducted with the participation of different research teams, and this is very important, because wherever a study is conducted, undergraduate, doctorate and post-doctorate students are required. This variety of people is able to develop very innovative methods that have a training-effect, resulting in very notable research people. It is not just a professor by himself: it is a team that makes all these findings possible,” he concluded.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• Plastic containers have caused an out-of-proportion environmental crisis all over the world. In this regard, Dr Alejandra Torres, professor at the Food Science and Technology Research Center is developing new containers with lower environmental impact through the Fondecyt Initiation Project (11140404,) “En la impregnación supercrítica de compuestos naturales en biopolímeros utilizados como envases de alimentos.”

The purpose of the study led by Dr Alejandra Torres is to inquire about new elements to produce new containers with lower environmental impact, by enhancing their properties through a novel process that involves the incorporation of substances that reverse the microbiological damage. Dr Torres is a professor at the Food Science and Technology Research Center (Cecta, in Spanish) and is member of the solid research team of the Packaging Laboratory of Universidad de Santiago (Laben, in Spanish).

The study was funded by the Fondecyt Initiation Project (11140404), ‘En la impregnación supercrítica de compuestos naturales en biopolímeros utilizados como envases de alimentos’.

According to the expert, through this initiative they will try to improve the production of food containers in three different areas: environment, new properties and new attributes.

The project addresses three essential aspects of research and development of new food packaging: the use of vegetal antimicrobial active compounds, the process to incorporate theses substances into the plastic material, and the material used to produce containers.

Currently, most of the plastic packaging used for food is made from petroleum-based raw materials. This causes a huge environmental impact for the plastic waste build-up.

“In the project, we will work with a biodegradable plastic material called polylactic acid, which is derived from renewable resources, such as corn. However, this type of material has some disadvantages. For example, it is highly permeable to water vapour, reducing the shelf life of products and/or increasing the risk of food-transmitted diseases,” Dr Torres says.

Incorporation of natural substances

A second important aspect addressed in this project is the incorporation of natural substances into packaging. These compounds come from essential oil extracts based on herbs, like oregano and thyme. They have antioxidant and/or antimicrobial properties that could extend the shelf life of the packed product and could keep its quality.

There are several ways of incorporating these substances into plastic containers. “One of the most common processes in food industry is the extrusion process. However, it usually requires high temperatures, resulting in the loss of the properties of the substances in the natural compounds,” the researcher says.

For this reason, this project intends to use the supercritical impregnation process as incorporation method.

This method has long been used in the field of medicine and one of its main advantages is that it does not require high temperatures, preventing the thermal degradation of the natural substances and, consequently, the degradation of its activity.

Regarding the expectations for this study, Dr Torres says that the results that they have obtained up to know are very interesting and promising for the development of new food packaging using more eco friendly materials.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• “Universidad de Santiago has all the potential to be number one in most areas (of research in the country),” Dr Pablo Zamora, Scientific Director of University of California Davis in Chile, says. The institution opened its centre in Santiago last April, thanks to the CORFO’s Program Attraction of International Centres of Excellence. He adds that his institution is interested in the possibilities of research and development in biology, chemistry and agricultural management, among others.

Dr Pablo Zamora, graduate of the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology of Universidad de Santiago and current Scientific Director of University of California Davis in Chile, proposes a research model based on demand. Last April, this institution established a research centre in Chile thanks to the CORFO’s Program Attraction of International Centres of Excellence.

On April 21^st, President Michelle Bachelet opened the UC Davis-Chile Life Sciences Innovation Centre in Santiago, Chile, a worldwide example in the development of research and solutions in agriculture, forestry and life sciences.

The founding academic partners are Universidad de Tarapacá, Universidad de Talca and Universidad Andrés Bello, while the corporate partners are Viña Concha y Toro and Viña San Pedro-Tarapacá. Currently, Universidad de Santiago de Chile is in the process of ratifying its incorporation to UC Davis Chile.

Dr Pablo Zamora, graduate of the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology of Universidad de Santiago and PhD in Biotechnology, leads the scientific area of this initiative and is in charge of facing this new challenge of doing science form a perspective that strengthens the links between the corporate and the academic worlds.

Interest

“We are interested in Universidad de Santiago for its research and development capabilities in biology, chemistry, agriculture and agriculture management in the Technological Faculty. Another big advantage is the capability that the University has in engineering issues,” Dr Zamora says.

Universidad de Santiago will be represented by Dr Alejandra Moenne, professor at the Department of Biology of the Faculty. She will be the technical counterpart in the Scientific Board of US Davis Chile. She will be in charge of leading research proposals and representing the University in the projects managed in partnership by both institutions.

“We see Universidad de Santiago in different roles. For example, in the area of applied research, with its laboratories and also in development issues,” he says.

“The UC Davis Chile research model is different, but not original. It is based on the demand. In Chile, this has not been well developed because companies have little capacity to generate research. There is also a sort of dissociation between the companies’ challenges and the research conducted by universities,” he explains.

UC Davis Chile focuses its work on four large areas: wine making, post harvest and climate change technologies and genetic improvement.

“In order to make sure that research projects will really have an impact on industry, we will meet with companies, learn about their problems and analyze the knowledge and services offered by UC Davis and its national academic partners to formulate projects to solve those problems. This seems quite obvious, but it usually does not occur,” he says, regarding the way in which UC Davis Chile works.

“Not all companies consider scientific research as a tool that can make them more productive. UC Davis has a large experience in collaborating and generating solutions for the production problems that companies have. This allows them to start seeing research as a means to enable increased competitiveness,” he adds.

Back in Chile and at the University

For this graduate of the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology and current member of the staff of the doctoral program in biotechnology, collaborating with the University is not only a matter of being fond of the University; he thinks that Universidad de Santiago “has all the potential to be number one in most areas (of research) in Chile.”

“Being back at the Faculty is very gratifying. Its progress is evident and, for this reason, I have full confidence that Universidad de Santiago can be number one at a national level,” he says.

Ministry of Science

With regards to President’s Bachelet announcement of the creation of a Ministry of Science, Dr Zamora says: “It is valuable, because, in some way, it makes science visible, but it does not guarantee the development of better science in Chile. As a scientist, I think it is valuable, but I believe that there should be a focal point and clear guidelines, and because we are a country with little resources, some strategic areas should be clustered together and strengthened,” he says.

“I think that the State should make an effort in involving and building links with the productive sector. In turn, the private sector should commit itself to allocate more resources for research and development. UC Davis in Chile will contribute to strengthen the relation science-industry, together with other institutions. Is this happening? Yes, it is. Are we on the right track? I believe we are. Is all this happening at the speed the country requires? I think it is not, but things don’t happen from one day to the next,” he concludes.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• 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 10^th and 13^th.

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

• 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

• Between August 30^th and September 04^th, 2015, internationally renowned researchers, and professors and students in the field of microbiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, biocatalysis and biotechnology, will meet at Universidad de Santiago to discuss the importance, developments and potential applications of extremophile microorganisms, which are able to thrive in extreme conditions. The Thermophiles 2015 Meeting is a world conference held every two years. For the first time, it will take place in South America and Universidad de Santiago will host its 13^th version. 

Between August 30^th and September 04^th, 2015, world-class scientists and students of the field of microbiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, biocatalysis and biotechnology will meet at Universidad de Santiago for the 13^th International Thermophiles Meeting 2015, a multidisciplinary forum held every two years to discuss the latest scientific developments, applications and importance of these microorganisms that live in different extreme environments of the world.

The purpose of this conference is to increase the knowledge of scientists and students in this research field and, at the same time, to invite them to explore its importance for biological sciences and industrial biotechnology.

“This is an excellent opportunity not only to expose our scientists and students to world-class science and scientists in this field, but also to propose new approaches and views to contribute to science in our country and Latin America,” Dr Jenny Blamey said. Dr Blamey is a professor at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology of Universidad de Santiago and is in charge of the forum organization.

“It is important to mention that Chile is considered one of the six geographic areas with the most diverse extreme environments in the planet; therefore, the scientific matters that will be discussed during this conference are very relevant to the future scientific and technological development in this field in our country,” she added.

Scientists invited

Dr Karl Stetter is one of the scientists who will give a presentation during the activity. He is from Germany, a pioneer in the field of biological sciences and the discoverer of the microorganism Pyroccocus furiosus. The DNA polymerase from Pyroccocus furiosus is currently used for gene amplification and genome elucidation.

Another participant in the forum will be Dr Juergen Wiegel. He is from Germany too and is one of the most renowned microbiologists in the world and recipient of the Bergey’s Award.  

Dr Michael W. Adams, a British professor with many publications on this research field who leads the most important laboratory of structural genomics of extremophile microorganisms, will open the conference.

For further information, go to the meeting official web page: http://www.thermophiles2015.cl

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• A new index is the result of the study conducted by a research team at the Department of Informatics Engineering of Universidad de Santiago, led by Dr Max Chacón. This may be a great contribution to improve early detection and measurement of neurodegenerative diseases, like amyothrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other alterations in cerebral hemodynamics, including cerebrovascular accidents, and subarachnoid hemorrhages, among others.

Cerebral autoregulation is a mechanism which aims to maintain stable cerebral blood flow, despite of the changes in blood pressure.

In order to measure this mechanism, the Aaslid Tiecks method is widely used, but it is not accurate and sometimes it provides false positives that make difficult to differentiate between healthy and sick subjects.

During the study conducted by academics of our University in partnership with the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Leicester (United Kingdom), when the new model was applied to 16 healthy men, promising results were observed. 

This new index uses two parameters that are obtained directly from the response signal of the brain to a decrease in arterial blood pressure caused by the sudden release of bilateral thigh cuffs, and a third parameter that measures the difference between the gradient of this response and the change in arterial blood pressure.

“This new index means an improvement in the whole system. The former index did not allow differentiating between healthy and sick individuals in a correct way. When you see the results of the tests, there is an improvement in the evaluation of healthy subjects. The next challenge is to test the index in pathological cases, to confirm the results already obtained,” Dr Chacón said.

University support

Professor Chacón stressed that the study was “completely conducted at the university.” He also highlighted the support that they received from Universidad de Santiago, as the study was brought forth thanks to the contribution of the Department of Scientific and Technological Research and the Department of Informatics Engineering.

Besides, professor Chacón expressed his gratitude to his work team, made up of Dr José Luis Lara, co-author of the study and professor at the Department of Informatics Engineering, and Dr Ronney Panerai, also co-author of this work and professor at the University of Leicester. The researcher also thanked Dr Gonzalo Acuña and Dr Millaray Curilem, both professors at Universidad de la Frontera, who did not formally take part in the study, but contributed to make this research a reality.

Publication of paper

The study results were published in the paper ‘A new model-free index on dynamic cerebral blood flow autoregulation’, where the new index is proposed. It represents a breakthrough in medicine.

The paper was also published by Plos one, one of the most important scientific journals around the world. According to Dr Chacón, this journal is one of the fastest means to publish, so it provides a way to disseminate the results of his work.

He explained that his work “should have a big impact because it is a useful tool at the service of medicine. As it is useful and shows concrete results, the paper might be cited in several occasions.”

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• Researchers at Universidad de Santiago, in partnership with researchers at the University of California (USA), developed a software program that includes several applications to study reading comprehension in users of digital texts. They will analyze the reading tracks in students and professionals all over the country to understand the cognitive processes developed when approaching a text on screen.

New technologies have also had an impact on people’s reading habits, as a result of the widespread use of digital texts. However, according to different studies, this change has not improved reading comprehension in Chilean people.  Thus, researchers at Universidad de Santiago have developed a software program that includes several applications to study reading comprehension in users of this type of text.

“Reading comprehension is essential to any field of knowledge. If someone does not have a good reading comprehension level, it will be more difficult for him/her to understand science, mathematics and texts related to financial products or a contract, for example. For this reason, we designed computerized environments for users to develop information processing strategies that allow them to process this information in a way that eases their understanding,” Dr Héctor Ponce, professor at the Department of Accounting and Auditing and an expert in information systems, said.

To design these environments, Dr Ponce and other professors at Universidad de Santiago have developed several software applications to improve reading comprehension of digital texts by including information processing strategies, like note-taking, cause-effect diagrams, sequences and comparisons. These strategies were turned into applications that complement each other, proving the effectiveness of this technology.

The results encouraged researchers to conduct further research on how Chilean people read and understand. They are currently working on the Regular Fondecyt Project (1151092) “Facilitation of cognitive processes by means of different computer-aided information processing strategies: An eye movement analysis.”

“Although we process information in different ways, there area some repeated patterns that we are trying to identify through this study. This why we will asses the cognitive strategies that a person uses when reading,” the researcher explained.

“For this purpose, we will use a computer-connected device called ‘eye-tracker’. It detects where on the screen the user is looking at, it follows the eye movement and detects how long someone spends watching objective elements, like words, for example, or the eye movement track when processing a text, among other aspects,” he added.

To inquire into how strategies help in understanding a text, tests will be run with plain texts without strategies, and with other texts that involve individual and multiple strategies.

The research team includes experts in cognitive psychology, like Dr Verónica Figueroa, co-investigator and researcher at Universidad de Santiago, and Dr Richard Mayer, professor at the University of California (Santa Barbara), who is collaborating in the study.

The project implementation started in March this year and it will involve school and university students and professionals. The study is divided in three phases: first, the design of the material to be used; then, testing and data collection through the eye-tracking device; and finally, the analysis of the collected data.

According to Dr Ponce, the results of the study could have two potential impacts. One is the software improvement, as the most effective strategies could be assembled to understand what is being read. And the other, the possibility of improving the content presentation in textbooks and the presentation of specialized information, like the one related to online products sales, health care plans, and contracts, among others.

“In a society, it is very important for people to be able to understand what they read, as one of the natural consequences of a good comprehension is a better decision-making,” Dr Ponce stressed.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• Cross-laminated timber offers some extraordinary advantages for buildings: thermal insulation, seismic properties, good performance under fire and ecological sustainability are some of its properties. This was shown by the study led by Paulina González, professor at the Department of Civil Works Engineering. On May 18^th, the book with the results of the study was launched.

   

  An innovating system for constructing buildings with more than two floors using cross-laminated timber (CLT) was proposed by an outstanding study led by Paulina González, professor at the Department of Civil Works Engineering.

  Cross-laminated timber is a three-layered panel made of lumber. The layers are laid in parallel formation and are “bonded together with special glues, at 90º to the layer below,” Paulina González says. “This gives the panel a high resistance, because wood has different mechanical and physical properties in the three directions,” she adds.

  This technology proposed by professor González has already been implemented in other countries; the difference is that, in Chile, it would be based on radiata pine, which forestry is highly developed in Chile.

  Professor González says that Chile is among the countries with the largest planted areas of radiata pine. “In addition to developing this project, we can give value added to our timber, try to solve the housing shortage of our country, and establish a system that would allow constructing buildings which structural elements, walls and slabs are made of this new product,” she adds.

  Better properties

  According to her research, constructing a cross-laminated timber-based building has many advantages over constructing with other materials, like reinforced concrete; For example, as it is a prefabricated product, it allows reduced construction times and a cleaner environment.

  “You bring the walls and slabs and assemble the building like a meccano set. It reduces construction times to a third, if compared to the construction of a reinforced concrete building,” she explains.

  Besides, cross-laminated timber has seismic properties. As reinforced concrete weighs as much as six times as cross-laminated timber, it generates higher seismic forces than the ones of a CLT-based building. “As it (a CLT based building) is assembled like a meccano set, with steel connectors, it gets so flexible that prevents its destruction,” professor González adds.

  Additionally, when constructing a building with CLT, less time is required, what can eventually lead to a solution for reconstruction works after natural disasters.

  “Construction times are reduced to a third. And so are the costs. The costs of structural work get reduced by 35%, and the total cost, after installations, to 10%,” she says with regards the economic benefits of CLT.

  Radiata pine, the base of the product studied by professor González, is ecologically sustainable. On the one hand, because its carbon footprint- the total amount of greenhouse gases that it emits- is very low; and on the other, because this tree grows very fast and it has extensively been planted in the country.

  “It is sustainable because carbon remains in the timber, and the carbon footprint is almost zero. Also, radiata pine grows very fast. This is why there are so many plantations in Chile.”

  A safe material

  “Depending on its density, when timber burns, it produces a charcoal layer in the outside that works as insulation to prevent fire and heat from entering its inner part,” professor González said, debunking the myth that this material is fragile.

  “It will last longer, even longer than a steel building. The steel building’s ability to resist fire is reduced to a half when it is exposed to 400º C. Timber remains stable for its charcoal layer,” she adds.

  Besides, timber has better acoustic insulation properties than reinforced concrete.

  CORFO Project

  The CORFO Project 12BPC2-13553 “Estudios de Ingeniería para Introducir en Chile un Sistema Constructivo de Rápida Ejecución para Edificios de Mediana Altura, Utilizando Elementos de Madera Contralaminada” lasted for two years; however, researchers at the Faculty of Engineering had conducted former studies on this subject matter. For this reason, after all this process, “we concluded that, considering the use of timber, CLT is the best system for a seismic country,” professor González says.

  “We have been the first ones in developing a project like this in Chile, with this system for medium-rise buildings,” she says.

  Professor González is optimistic about the future that TLC may have in our country due the experiences in other countries of the world. “In Vancouver (Canada), they are designing an eighteen-floored building and organizing a contest to build a 30-floored one,” she explains.

  Based on this study, the book ‘Sistema Constructivo en Madera Contralaminada para Edificios’ was produced. It includes former studies on this subject matter and an outstanding model of a four-floored CLT-based.

  The book was launched on May 18th, at 12:00 h, in a ceremony at the Salón de Honor of Universidad de Santiago, with the presence of President Juan Manuel Zolezzi Cid.

  Translated by Marcela Contreras

•  A natural technological solution to manage Bortrytis cinerea- a phytopathogenic fungus that affects grapes and causes significant economic losses- was developed by researchers at Universidad de Santiago. The study conducted by a team that involved researchers at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology and the Faculty of Engineering will provide a healthier and more eco-friendly solution to this problem. Dr Milena Cotoras explains: “It is a natural product that adds value to residues, something that is very important for the industry,” adding that Chile produces about 100 thousand tones of these residues.

A natural and biodegradable fungicide was the result obtained in the project led by Dr Milena Cotoras. The project was funded by the National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (Conicyt, in Spanish) through the Fund for the Promotion of Scientific and Technological Development (Fondef, in Spanish) and its IDeA Program.

With this support, the project “Development of a fungicide derived from wine industry residues against pthytopathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea (code CA12i10054) was conducted in order to find an innovative solution to a problem that commonly affects wine industry: the presence of the Botrytis cinerea fungus (grey mould).

This fungus affects more than 250 vegetal species; however, it is usually related to wine making industry for its negative impact on local vineyards that leads to significant economic losses.

An interesting aspect of this study is the fact that the team used grape pomace extracts to produce this solution which, until recently, was considered as waste. These residues were obtained thanks to the collaboration of Viña Miguel Torres winery during the study.

Dr Cotoras explains: “It is a natural product that adds value to residues, something that is very important for the industry,” adding that Chile produces about 100 thousand tones of these residues.

The results of this study also included the development of six undergraduate thesis, two publications, seven presentations in national and international conferences and one patent application.

The project closure ceremony was held on May 05^th in the Auditorium of the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology and was headed by the Dean of the Faculty, Dr Gustavo Zúñiga. Francisco Vargas, executive of Fondef; Edgardo Santibáñez, manager of the Department of Technology Management of Universidad de Santiago, and Dr Isidro González Collado, professor at Universidad de Cádiz (Spain), attended the ceremony. Some of the researchers, Dr Leonora Mendoza and Dr Rubén Bustos, were also present at the activity.

Eco-friendly solutions

During the activity, Dr Isidro González Collado gave the presentation ‘Síntesis, inspirada en la genómica, de moléculas hibridas como antifúngicos contra el hongo fitopatógeno Botrytis cinerea’ to inform about part of the work that he has been doing for 35 years with his research team. 

“The big current problem with most of fungicides is that they remain on the soil for a long time, causing environmental problems and toxicity to animals, birds and even to human beings, because they enter the food chain,” Dr González, an expert in organic chemistry, says.

According to the Spanish expert, the challenge taken on by Dr Milena Cotoras and Dr Leonora Mendoza is on the right track, because it is part of the current challenges in the field, where all the efforts are being made to find effective solutions, which are less damaging to people and the environment.

Dr González says that in the case of Chile, the fungus that causes “grey rot” (Botrytis cinerea) has a strong relation with oenology. “During the past years, the use of natural fungicides has been improved in Chile and I am aware that recent work has been oriented to a natural control of Botrytis to avoid toxic residues in wine,” he says.

Bringing industry and universities closer together

Francisco Vargas, executive of Fondef, who also participated in the activity, says: “We have tried to bring industry and universities closer together, as it is the only way we have to reach products, development and innovation.”

Besides, Mr Vargas announced that in August, the fourth call for the Fondef Technological Research contest will be opened. “In this way, the efforts made in research and in activities to get economic and social impacts that give sense to research, will be extended. In other words, it is necessary to generate industrial and government actions to give our society and our markets universal access to research results. And this will only be possible if there is a permanent cooperation and mutual benefit between universities and companies.”

Translated by Marcela Contreras