Professor of the University of Chile wins award for University scientific research

Dr. Rodrigo Castillo, researcher with the program of physiopathology of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Chile, won the award in the category "Young researcher", in a competition that sought this year, in its third edition, support and promote the best research on hypertension, dyslipidemias and coronary heart disease.

Hypoxia intermittent hypobaric (IHH) is experienced by a large number of workers Andean, estimated at 40,000 a year. In the case of chronic exposure - exceeding the two years - there are harmful cardiovascular effects to offset exposure to an environment of high, i.e. above 2,500 meters above sea level.

In order to alleviate the effects of this condition is that doctor Rodrigo Castillo, Assistant Professor in the program of physiopathology of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of our campus, conducted the research "Cardioprotection with fatty acids omega 3 in cardiovascular diseases in human and animal models: infarction myocardial hypoxia to intermittent Hypobaric", with that winner in the category was researcher young of the third edition of the prize to University scientific research (PIC) delivered by Universia.

The doctor Rodolfo Armas, national prize for medicine 2010, President of the Chilean Academy of medicine and a member of the jury, referred to the relevance of the theme that guided the third version of this event, which aims to support and promote the best research on the subject. "This issue is of great interest for public health around the world, because these diseases, which are major causes of disability and death, are also high cost in medicine. "It is a priority problem here and everywhere".

Meanwhile, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Chile, Dr. Manuel Kukuljan, noted of Banco Santander's commitment to scientific research. "In our country the main source of encouragement and funding for these studies is the public. However, I think that as a society we must have incentives and rewards from all sectors. In this sense, what makes this institution is very important in terms of the consistency and the seriousness with which the process is done."

To improve occupational and cardiovascular health in workers of height

Doctor Rodrigo Castillo received his PhD in Pharmacology in January 2011, thanks to a basic clinical study that showed the benefits of the acute use of Omega 3 and vitamins C and E to prevent arrhythmia postoperative patients of cardiac surgery with extracorporeal circulation, scientific contribution recognized by a Fondecyt's initiation support that continued this line of research, dealing with the effect of chronic supplementation with these essential fatty acids on infarct size and left ventricular function in an ex vivo infarction.

Currently, their studies address the use of a model of cardiovascular preconditioning the IHH, which directly involves the issues of occupational health and cardiovascular prevention in mining height-related.

In their project explains that "this intervention directly aims to reduce cardiovascular complications of miners associated with occupational disabilities, that are detrimental to the performance of the main source of income for our country. It is worth mentioning today, however, there are no pharmacological strategies that mitigate these effects in this type of populations".

"In my interest to develop translational research applied to this topic, in my lab we have made advances in the characterization of some pharmacological effects of supplementation with Omega 3, in an animal model of chronic HHI, through the use of a hypobaric Chamber in order to apply such knowledge later in mining town. The findings associated with cardio-protective mechanisms in animal model of chronic IHH found by our group, which are in the process of publication, have served as the basis for the application of some competitions with external funding, incorporating a translational approach proposed within their challenges by conducting a clinical trial that evaluated a cohort of mining town which would be supplemented with Omega 3. This, to determine cardiovascular response to match variables, and some markers of remodeling myocardial blood and by echocardiography, in this model of human hypoxia", concludes Dr. Castle.

University scientific research award

The stimulus for the researcher Joven category is USD $ 30,000, more a scholarship of international internship of USD $5,000 for up to two months abroad. The prize is convened and organized by Banco Santander and Santander universities through its program of support for higher education, and aims to recognize and support scientific research initiative that in a five-year horizon, expected to become a reference point and stimulus to promote the development of science for the benefit of health.

The jury was composed, in this third version of the PIC, by doctors Gloria Valdés, researcher of the Department of Nephrology of P. Universidad Católica de Chile and member of the Academy of Sciences; Rodolfo weapons, medicine 2010 National Award and President of the Chilean Academy of medicine and Fernando Mönckeberg, medicine 2012 national award. Moreover, the Deans of the most important faculties of medicine in the country, integrates this equipment such as the doctors Luis Ibáñez (P. Universidad Católica de Chile); Jaime Contreras (Andres Bello); Humberto Guajardo (u. de Santiago); Manuel Kukuljan, (u. de Chile), and Rogelio Altuzarra, (u. de los Andes). The general coordinator of the jury is José Pedro Fuenzalida, director of Universia Chile.