On November 22, 2023, the Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS ) held its 10th Annual Meeting, bringing together more than 100 members of the Center, to present the results of the last year and report on the proposals that will be developed within the framework of the new ACCDIS award, as part of the FONDAP 2023 Research Centers of Excellence in Priority Areas.

After the welcome led by the deputy director and academic of the Faculty of Medicine of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, DRA. Catterina Ferreccio, the director of the Center and also an academic at the University of Chile, Dr. Sergio Lavandero, offered a few words of gratitude and appreciation to the Dr. Ramón Corbalán, who recently passed away. "Dr. Corbalán was a teacher of several generations, mentor and also outstanding collaborator of ACCDIS during these 10 years of execution. No doubt, He was an exceptional clinical scientist, He did excellent research until his last days, reaching more than 37 thousand citations in his publications. Within his career, his role as a teacher stood out, He was an extraordinary person with exceptional abilities to develop other people. Thank you for so much Dr. Corbalán, See you forever".

ACCDiS recently received the award promoted by the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID), which aims to contribute to the consolidation of Research Centers of Excellence in Priority Areas that are financed by the Research Centers of Excellence in Priority Areas Financing Fund (FONDAP).

"For the Center, this award represents an opportunity to innovate in new areas of study and strategically incorporate the regional factor. Over the last 10 years, we have collaborated multidisciplinarily with researchers from UCH and PUC and from now on we will incorporate the Catholic University of Maule, allowing us to expand our training of new advanced human capital and explore new areas of research, such as environmental pollution and bioinformatics and genomics." Reported Dr. Sergio Lavandero, director of ACCDIS.

During the meeting, The three new lines of research that will be led by: 

• DRA. Laura Andrea Huidobro, UCM academic who will study the "Predictors of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and implantation of continuous glucose monitoring devices".
• DRA. Sandra Cortés, PUC academic, who will study "Chemical Exposure in the Onset and Progression of Chronic Diseases".
• Dr. Vinicius Maracajá, UCH academic who will study the "Integrative genomics and systems biology of post-transcriptional events in heart failure". He was a renowned physician of the Cardiovascular Division of the School of Medicine of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

ANID's recent two-year contract, marks a crucial milestone for the Center, opening doors to innovation in new areas and strengthening strategic collaboration at the regional level. With the three new lines of research led by experts from various universities, the Center embarks on a promising decade of discoveries and advances in the fight against chronic diseases. Thank you to all those who have contributed to this long path of science, We look forward to continuing to make new discoveries together!

See photos here