Javier Morales Montecinos, academic at our campus' Faculty of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and primarily responsible for this innovation, a project was awarded to test this drug system printed on the treatment of colocutaneous fistulas, high mortality pathology associated with postoperative complications. The research will be conducted in conjunction with a team from Paris Diderot University and will allow the exchange of students and researchers between the two institutions for three years.

The application of drugs by printing inks on films in extracellular vesicles, specifically exosomes, as a therapeutic method for the colocutaneous fistula treatment. This is the central objective of the ECOS-ANID project awarded to the Dr. Javier Morales Montecinos, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology at the U.S. School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences. of Chile, director of the Center for New Drugs for Hypertension (CENDHY) and primarily responsible for this drug printing system.

The project, entitled "Designing a new management strategy for potential extracellular vesicle therapy based on ink printing in films in search of a local effect and controlled release" aims to transport drugs through exosomes to treat a specific disease and will be developed together with Dr.. Florence Gazeau of Paris Diderot University (France)

The initiative, according to Professor Morales, aims to "be able to incorporate extracellular vesicles into these polymeric films", who are just researched and developed at the Drug Delivery Lab (which is also part of CENDHY). Indica that, during the early stages of this investigation, seeks to use colocutaneous fistulas as a pathological model, high mortality pathology associated with postoperative complications.

The accdis researcher also says that "we will be able to replicate or study the development of these new materials incorporated with extracellular vesicles through our printing technology, in this case adapted for this type of system". He also says he hopes that these polymeric films to be used can be evaluated as a potential therapy for this type of fistula.

Scope of the project

Professor Morales Montecinos referred to the possible projections of the project. "Of course it has a potential impact on this pathology, the colocutaneous fistula". Although he stated that perhaps, in the future, this research can be extended to other types of exosomes "or load them with drugs for other pathologies and create a platform where these exosomes can be available to impact different diseases".

He mentioned that when research is in a more advanced state it is likely that these types of extracellular vesicles could be used beyond the treatment of fistulas. For example, "the role that exosomes could have as therapy against some types of cancer". Although he emphasized that very little of this type of gallbladder is known, because when you remove them "a lot of very different particles are extracted from each other, and we know that some of them may be responsible for the effect. However, we still have to know about that pool of material, which are specifically responsible for the effect".

Experimentation and exchange

This project, points out the academic, lasts for three years. First "we start with the characterization and manufacture of extracellular vesicles, then comes his incorporation into films, then the characterization of these films and finally the work of biological validation will be carried out in France".

About ECOS-ANID, explains that "is a project that finances mobility, exchanges of researchers and students. This means that students from France will come, one for each year, for the entire execution of the investigation. They would arrive at the Faculty to work in our laboratory in order to develop something experimental according to the health conditions in Santiago", indicates our academic.

In this respect, highlights the benefits this project will have on postdoctoral researchers, PhD or undergraduate students. "This program seeks to fund mainly graduate students, but also younger college students who partner with this project. A current PhD student will make the first trip to France as a project participant", said, considering also the status of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Interview conducted by the Directorate of Extension and Communications of the Faculty of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences of the U. of Chile:

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