• Researchers at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology of Universidad de Santiago discovered the existence of functional TRP ion channels in the marine alga Ulva Compressa that are similar to the ones present at the nervous system in mammals and humans. “At first, it was difficult to imagine that these channels could exist in a marine alga, especially when they exist in mammals but not in terrestrial plants,” Dr Alejandra Moenne, researcher at the Department of Biology, says.

TRP channels are cellular sensors that detect and respond to different environmental stimuli, like temperature changes, pain and taste, what makes them key to many physiological processes.

“At first, it was difficult to imagine that these channels could exist in a marine alga, especially when they exist in mammals but not in terrestrial plants,” Dr Alejandra Moenne, researcher at the Department of Biology, says.

“Before having these results, we found that copper stress activates voltage dependent calcium channels (VDCC) similar to the ones present at the central nervous system of mammals. So, how the activation of voltage dependent channels was possible? We thought that the activation of VDCC depended on the previous activation of TRP channels, something difficult to imagine in a marine alga,” the researcher explains.

These results mean a change in the way how the physiological functioning of marine algae - organisms that have been present on Earth for about a thousand million years- is understood. They were published by the journal Frontiers in Plant Science in the paper "Copper-induced activation of TRP channels promotes extra cellular calcium entry, activation of CaMs and CDPKs, copper entry and membrane depolarization in Ulva compressa.” 

The researcher explains that they not only found that “there are functional TRP channels that respond to copper but also that copper stress induces the release of amino acids and amino acid derived neurotransmitters similar to the ones released by human neurons. Even more, we have preliminary evidence that suggests that there is communication among different marine algae species through these molecules.”


Future research 

In terms of research and to give answers to the new questions, Dr Moenne says that she intends to apply for a Proyecto Anillo together with researchers Juan Pablo García-Huidobro (Universidad de Santiago), Claudio Sáez (Universidad de Playa Ancha) and Erasmo Macaya (Universidad de Concepción), in order to deepen the knowledge on the communication among green, red and brown marine algae.

“As algae release amino acids and neurotransmitters- and have TRP channels and voltage dependent channels- algae functioning would be more and more similar to neurons, but with a slower response in minutes or hours, instead of the milliseconds of the neurons response,” she explains.

The paper "Copper-induced activation of TRP channels promotes extra cellular calcium entry, activation of CaMs and CDPKs, copper entry and membrane depolarization in Ulva compressa" (that received the recognition of the Editor of the journal Frontiers in Planet Science) was written by the research team of this project: Melissa Gómez, Alberto González, Claudio Sáez, Bernardo Morales and Alejandra Moenne. It is available online at http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpls.2015.00182/abstract 


Translated by Marcela Contreras

• In order to reduce the effects of the day-night fluctuations of solar radiation, researchers at the Department of Chemical Engineering of Universidad de Santiago developed a low-cost accumulator that allows storing solar thermal energy and avoid interruptions of the drying processes of different agricultural products. The research team is led by Dr Alejandro Reyes and the study is called “Design and evaluation of a heat exchanger that uses paraffin wax and recycled materials as solar energy accumulator”.

Chile has high levels of solar radiation, particularly in the northern and central zones of the country. This makes our territory an ideal area for studying and developing new methods to use solar energy. 

In this context, Dr Alejandro Reyes published part of the results of his study in the Elsevier’s journal Energy Conversion and Management. The article is called “Design and evaluation of a heat exchanger that uses paraffin wax and recycled materials as solar energy accumulator.”

Through this study, Professor Reyes seeks to solve one of the biggest problems posed by solar thermal energy: its fluctuation between day and night. He has the goal of extending the use of solar energy to hours when it is not directly received.

Solar energy can be thermally or electrically stored in batteries, by means of photovoltaic panels. In thermal storage, solids or liquids can be heated and sensible heat is stored. However, Dr Reyes’ study is focused on the phase change, i.e., the use of a solid that melts when it is heated.

Paraffin wax

Paraffin wax, similar to the one used in candle making, was the best option for this study, as it remains solid below 56^OC and, above this temperature, it changes to liquid.

The change in state of paraffin wax depends on energy input or output. “For a phase transition from solid to liquid, much energy is required, so we get it from the sun. And from liquid to solid, we need to take the energy inside out,” Professor Reyes explained.

In order to melt wax and transform it to liquid and accumulate energy, Dr Reyes designed a heat accumulator that works with low-cost materials, like soft drink cans. “We designed a device in which we put paraffin in a group of soft drink cans that we painted black. We put the cans inside a box, and we closed the upper face with a glass cover, facing the sun. The solar energy melts the wax and then a cold air flow is passed trough the cans and goes out as hot air,” he said.

However, this process has some drawbacks related to the low thermal conductivity of paraffin wax that makes more difficult sucking out the heat from the cans: when liquid paraffin wax starts getting solid inside the cans, the extraction of the energy remaining in the centre of the cans is very slow.

This problem was solved by embedding aluminium wool in the paraffin wax, doubling its thermal conductivity. Aluminium strips were also placed outside the cans to improve the energy transfer to the air.

Mathematical equations

Professor Reyes says that the empirical results are correlated with the models that they have been able to develop through mathematical equations.

“Evidently, if we build a device with more cans, the energy accumulation would be proportionally higher. We have another piece of equipment with 300 cans placed on the roof of the Department of Chemical Engineering that allows extending the drying process of agroproducts to up to five hours. We have the help of thesis students and experts in modelling and a piece of software that allows predicting the results of the equipment, based on its size and the environmental conditions,” he said.

Dr Reyes expects to replicate the energy accumulator and use it for different purposes. “On the roof, we have an accumulator made of cans, plus a standard solar panel, both connected to a dryer with a drying capacity of 25 kg of agricultural products. Up to date, we have dehydrated mushrooms, onion flakes, and sweet peppers, among others.”

As the process of drying agricultural products is slow, during the day the dryer uses the solar energy obtained through the solar panel, and then at night, when the solar radiation is null, the air for drying is heated in the energy accumulator and the drying time is extended to up to 5 additional hours.

“We seek to extend the drying process all night long, by using solar energy, in spite of the radiation fluctuations between day and night,” the researcher said.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• According to official statistics, in Chile there are 34,000 people infected by the HBV, which is transmitted through exposure to infectious blood or body fluids. Worldwide, 240 million people live with this disease. This is the reason why Dr Camilo García, professor at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, decided to study the feasibility of a more effective and economical method for detecting this disease, in the context of a Fondecyt Initiation project awarded in 2015.

​

Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) which affects the liver. It is transmitted through exposure to infectious blood or body fluids and it can cause both acute and chronic infections. Hepatitis B can be fatal and cannot be cured.

According to statistics provided by the World health Organization (WHO), 240 million people worldwide suffer from chronic Hepatitis B, which can develop into cirrhosis and liver cancer. In Chile, 34,000 people are infected by the HBV

In this context, and thanks to the funding provided by a Fondecyt Initiation project (11150434), Dr Camilo García, professor at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology of Universidad de Santiago, seeks to develop a new method for detecting this disease.

Background

According to Dr García, he has an important reason for studying this disease. In Chile, there is a specific HBV genotype: genotype F.

“I decided to study Hepatitis B to explore a new field, because this is a terrible disease and the current detection methods are very expensive, in comparison to the one that we are studying. There is a type of Hepatitis B that has only been detected in Chilean people. So, it would be great to find a sensor that detects the strain that we want to identify,” he said.

“The human quality of the work team at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology of Universidad de Santiago was another reason to conduct this study,” he added.

After completing the three-year project, he expects to have a new detection method that contributes to the patients’ well-being and comfort during medical procedures.

Methods

“We want to see if it is possible to develop Hepatitis B sensors based on electrochemiluminescence,” professor García explained.

Quantum dots –fluorescent nanoparticles- emit light when voltage is applied. This light signal can be absorbed by a DNA-binding molecule, like cationic porphyrins.

Dr García explains that the study will be based on the comparison between linear DNA sequences and molecular beacons for Hepatitis B virus to establish if the light signal is affected by the resonance, providing novel biosensors to detect the disease.

Translated By Marcela Contreras

 A research team led by Dr Claudio Vásquez Guzmán, professor at the Department of Biology of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, proved that Antarctic bacteria are able to resist tellurium when they are exposed to oxidative stress.

Dr Claudio Vásquez, professor at the Department of Biology of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, together with his research team, proved that Antarctic bacteria are able to resist tellurium when they are exposed to oxidative stress. 

Tellurium (Te) is one of the many elements in the Periodic Table. It belongs to the same chemical family as oxygen, sulfur, and selenium, which are considered essential to life. However, until now, we still do not know if this element has any biological function. For this reason, the research team of the Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology of the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, led by Dr Claudio Vásquez, has studied this element for years, trying to understand the molecular basis of its toxicity.

Since 2013, Dr Vásquez and Dr José Manuel Pérez, of Universidad Andrés Bello, have worked together in the Regular Fondecyt Project N° 1130362 “Tellurite-resistant Antarctic bacteria: Unveiling new toxicant resistance mechanisms,” which was recently completed.

“The hypothesis of our project was the following: As bacteria living in the Antarctica are resistant and adapted to oxidative stress, they should be resistant to tellurite. The idea was to find super-resistant bacteria that could help to establish the usefulness of tellurium to the cell,” Dr Vásquez explained.

The idea of the project came from the observation of isolated samples collected from different places in the Chilean Antarctica. They visited the Prat and Escudero Antarctic Bases, Deception Island and Fildes Peninsula and travelled on the Almirante Óscar Viel ice-breaker of the Chilean Army, where they were able to find, isolate and describe microorganisms resistant to oxidative stress and tellurite.

Tellurium is primarily used in the manufacturing of solar cells. According to Dr Vásquez, “It is an essential part of photoelectric cells that capture sunlight and transform it into electricity.” This is the reason why this element is a potential source of energy. “Now we need to create a system to remove tellurium from the environment, because it is very scarce,” he added.

In Chile, tellurium is produced as a byproduct of the copper refining process. It settles as anode slime and it is not recovered. “If we store it and control it well, we could contribute to prevent its potentially toxic effect on the flora and fauna,” he said.

Dr Vásquez concluded by saying that Universidad de Santiago has been really important during the conduct of this study for its support and constant collaboration.

• The flour substrate of the seed would serve as a basis for generating special foods for diabetic and celiac people

The Chilean food industry is constantly searching for the incorporation of new seeds, used for food production. The current market offers a variety of composite products based on quinoa, flaxseed and other seeds.

In this search for assessing the potential food in other seeds, Patricio Rojas, Forest Engineer and Master in Technology Management, with specialization in Biotechnology, of the Universidad de Santiago, investigated the food potential of Acacia Saligna seeds, as part of a thesis research project, in order to evaluate the possibility of using them in the elaboration of  food products.

Acacia saligna is a species from Western Australia and corresponds to an exotic legume very drought tolerant. In Chile, you can find over 16 thousand hectares in the rural communities of the Coquimbo region (El Tangue, Cuz Cuz, Higuertitas) and used as a complementary food (forage) for goats.

This productive use is "marginal as a source of income for farmers and for the region. The species has a high tolerance to drought and is adapted to the area conditions, so its cultivation is sustainable,” Patricio Rojas points out in his research.

Benefits

In Chile, the Instituto Forestal (INFOR) and other agriculture institutions such as CONAF and INDAP which  have fostered this type of farming among farmers, have added further that afforestation with Acacia Saligna has been an important factor to curb desertification and recover degraded soils of the Fourth Region.

Therefore, Patricio Rojas,  motivated by the agro-food situation in other regions where this seed is grown, refers to Australia where "there are ten species of the genus, whose seeds are eaten since ancient times by indigenous communities and are currently processed as functional food in the form of flour and others (cakes, flavors, pasta, etc.) for a market niche called 'bush food' , he explains.

Ricardo Munoz, guiding teacher of the thesis, notes that the benefits of the seeds are visible. "Seeds are low glycemic and gluten-free, so they could be an important part of a mix basis for preparing products for diabetic and celiac people. This result is an innovation in the agro-food development," this specialist says.
 

Acacia Saligna in the Chilean industry

Despite the progress in development and innovation, the Chilean industry in this area "is not ready to process the seeds of Acacia Saligna as a feedstock. Considering that there is an estimated resource of 16 000 hectares with limited commercial use, tons of flour could be generated", Patricio Rojas says.

Besides, Rojas notes that "by incorporating seed production as an input to the processing industry of flour with beneficial properties for health, the current profitability of Acacia Saligna plantations in the Coquimbo region could be improved. 

"You have to do research and product development to be validated on a pilot scale in order to make technological adjustments and test the consuming propensity that the market could have. The bakery industry which has the skills and the concern on the issue must invest and develop in order to validate what we're envisioning right now," Professor Ricardo Muñoz says.

 

• Universidad de Santiago was among the four national universities that will receive more funds from the National Fund for the Scientific and Technological Development (Fondecyt, its acronym in Spanish), according to the results of the 2014 Contest. Universidad de Chile, Universidad Católica and Universidad de Concepción were the other three universities.

• A research team led by Dr. Pedro Chaná designed an application for computers and mobile devices that helps people with Parkinson’s disease to follow an exercise routine and contact with their attending team of physicians.
• The researchers of this study that relates Psychology to Information Science are part of the Information Technology Innovation Center for Social Applications and the Center for Movement Disorders. Dr. Pedro Chaná said that this tool “facilitates patients’ rehabilitation, contributing to improve their quality of life.”

According to international data, there are about 40 thousand people with Parkinson’s disease in Chile, while about 2% of the world population suffers from this neurodegenerative disorder that affects the central nervous system and movement and, therefore, people’s quality of life.

In this context, researchers at our University developed an innovative application for computers and mobile devices that helps patients with their exercise routines.

By relating Information Science to Psychology, specialists of the Information Technology Innovation Center for Social Applications (Citiaps, in Spanish) and the Center for Movement Disorders (Cetram, in Spanish), both of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, designed the Rehabilitation Exercise Virtual Assistant (AVER, in Spanish).

This tool allows people with Parkinson’s disease to follow an exercise routine according to a calendar and to receive instructions from their doctors in their cell phones. At the same time, doctors will be able to monitor their patients’ progress and to communicate with them through texts, images and videos from their computers.

The principal investigator of the project and director of Cetram, Dr. Pedro Chaná, said that the application “facilitates patients’ rehabilitation, complements their workout routines and contributes to improve their quality of life.”

Dr. Chaná also said the AVER has already been implemented as a pilot project and is being evaluated in order to adapt the technology to users. “What follows is the field test, the last pertinent corrections and the implementation,” he added.

Besides, Dr. Chaná valued the work done together with young researchers of Cetram and Citiaps, “with whom we made up a multidisciplinary team and developed a different and very positive work culture.”

Contribution to patients’ quality of life

The Rehabilitation Exercise Virtual Assistant has been developed by a team mostly made up of young researchers. One of them, Álvaro Fernández (Citiaps), a post-doctoral researcher, shows himself “very pleased” with the work that they have done. Dr. Elena Herrera (Citiaps) shares his opinion, highlighting the contribution “to patients’ autonomy and quality of life” made by the application that they developed.

“Frequently, patients are not able to go to the physiotherapist on a regular basis or cannot afford it. This innovation will be of great help to them. Besides, it is a significant contribution to their autonomy, as they will be able to work out without needing to travel long distances or to interrupt their daily routines,” Dr. Herrera added.

The AVER tool developed at Universidad de Santiago is expected to undergo the last improvements to finally be implemented for the benefit of patients, the world of medicine and society in general.


Translated by Marcela Contreras

·         In 1859, Charles Darwin published the book “On the Origin of Species”, where he states that invading species with a high degree of evolutionary closeness to the invaded community (phylogenetic relationship), would be less likely to become established, because “struggle for survival” would be more intense between related species. However, experiments conducted by Dr Sergio Castro, researcher at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology and CEDENNA, have shown something different.

“Many people have accepted Darwin’s hypotheses as incontrovertible facts due to his recognized status in science. However, many of these hypotheses lie on mechanisms that have not been evaluated. This is a common situation in science development: usually the observations made are tested afterwards,” Dr Sergio A. Castro, researcher at the Laboratory of Ecology and Biodiversity of Universidad de Santiago, says.

In order to test Darwin’s hypothesis, Dr Castro and his research team developed a Fondecyt project. In this context, their paper “Evaluating Darwin’s Naturalization Hypothesis in Experimental Plant Assemblages: Phylogenetic Relationships Do Not Determine Colonization Success” was published by the renowned journal PLOS ONE, currently the largest scientific journal in the world, with a high impact factor (Q1) for its citations.

“Different species can be introduced in an area and several of them can finally establish themselves as populations, as if they were native species, without depending on human action. These are considered naturalized species. In our experiment, we observed a colonizing plant in different vegetal communities. These communities had different degrees of phylogenetic relatedness with the invading species. If Darwin was right, a trend towards the establishment of the invading species would have been recorded, depending on the evolutionary relatedness. However, after three years, we evaluated the results and they did not support Darwin’s hypothesis,” Dr Castro says.

The experiment was conducted in Batuco (a place close to Santiago) and 15 species were selected. One of them, the native lettuce Lactuca, was used as a colonizing or invading species, while the other 14, like chamomile, broad bean, arugula, among others, were used as experimental assemblage communities. With these plants, five treatments were organized according to their different phylogenetic relatedness with respect to Lactuca. They showed that colonization did not depend on phylogenetic relatedness. 

“En nuestro estudio todas las plantas pudieron convivir, independiente de sus parentescos. Por esto, los resultados manifiestan que la hipótesis de Darwin no tiene un respaldo tan sólido o por lo menos no es tan general como él lo planteaba”, indica Castro.

“In our study, all plants were able to coexist, regardless of their relatedness. Therefore, the results show that Darwin’s hypothesis does not have a strong base or, at least, the hypothesis is not as generalized as he stated,” Dr Castro says.

The researcher has also evaluated Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis by analyzing the composition of Chilean flora and introduced exotic plants. This work not only disproved the hypothesis, but it yielded opposite results.

“We found that species from other environments can be introduced in Chile’s central zone and find relatives that survive well in this climate. These relatives can provide pollinators and seed dispersers, making naturalization more likely to happen, contrary to what is expected in Darwin’s hypothesis,” he says.

Having an impact on global change

In the past few decades, people have become more interested in knowing how the different human activities affect the environment. The focal point has been climate change, passing over other factors, like introducing foreign species, flora or fauna, in other places. These factors are considered as part of global change.

“Chile is a biogeographic island. It is surrounded by a mountain chain, a desert and an ocean; therefore its flora has evolved isolated for more than 180 years. However, in the past centuries some species have been introduced that are risky to native species,” he explains.

Chile’s central zone biogeography is so particular that it is considered one of the 35 biodiversity hotspots of the world. These places are characterized by a high level of species endemism, but at the same time, their preservation is in danger as a result of human impact.

“An introduced species can produce the extinction of a native one, damaging our biodiversity. Nowadays, our variety of exotic plants is wide if compared with the variety of our native flora. But, what can we do to prevent this situation? There is little we can do in a globalization context, but we can generate diagnosis to prevent some species from entering and becoming naturalized,” Dr Castro says.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• Its first office in South America will be located at Universidad de Santiago de Chile, with name of Leitat Chile International Center of Excellence in Nanotechnology (CEN) and it will operate with all the experience in research and technology that the Leitat Technological Center has had in Spain since 1906.
• It will contribute to give added value to strategic sectors of the Chilean economy, like mining industry, fishing and aquaculture, food and agriculture, and forest industry, and to the industry of personal protection equipment. According to the President of Universidad de Santiago, Juan Manuel Zolezzi, CEN’s contribution “Will allow us to give qualitative leaps in innovation matters based on science and technology.”
• The Center will arrive in Chile thanks to the Attraction of International R&D Centers of Excellence program promoted by the Chilean Economic Development Agency (Corfo), Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Knowledge Innovation Market (KIM), and Universidad de Santiago.

On September 03^rd, the Leitat Chile International Center of Excellence in Nanotechnology (CEN) was officially presented. Universidad de Santiago de Chile is one of its partners.

In Chile, it will contribute to give added value to strategic sectors of the local economy, like mining industry, fishing and aquaculture, agricultural-food and forest industry, and to the industry of personal protection equipment.

This center will also try to transform technological research and development into concrete services and products that contribute to national productivity and competitiveness, which are currently based on natural resources.

This Center will become a reality in Chile thanks to the Attraction of International R&D Centers of Excellence program promoted by the Chilean Economic Development Agency (Corfo), and to the contribution of Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Knowledge Innovation Market (KIM), and Universidad de Santiago de Chile.

During the ceremony held at Club El Golf 50, Dr Joan Parra, General Director of Leitat, was the first speaker. He said that his project in Chile is based on three core ideas: people and their talent, the making of industrial policies and the value of the product or service.

“We want these core ideas to be the seed. We are absolutely convinced that societies require technology, that technology is affecting not only our work and our leisure time, but that it is an important part of the base for social stability and economic growth,” he added.

“We will spare no efforts to make this initiative a collective success and I would like to express my gratitude, again, to Corfo and the university (Universidad de Santiago),” he said. Dr Parra travelled from Spain to head this important opening activity.

Qualitative leaps in innovation matters

The President of Universidad de Santiago, Dr Juan Manuel Zolezzi, said that CEN’s contribution “Will allow us to give qualitative leaps in innovation matters based on science and technology.”

He said that, in order to collaborate in this process, our university will accommodate the center in the campus, so that it brings its laboratories, equipment, and advanced human capital to develop technological and innovation collaborative scientific work.

“For us, Leitat is an international strategic partner with significant experience in outreach and engagement and technological transfer and innovation. These aspects are very important for our university, as it is stated in our Institutional Strategic Plan,” President Zolezzi said. 

Dr Zolezzi highlighted that “At becoming partners, we seek to broaden our capabilities to plan and to use the knowledge and technologies generated at our university to reach other important agents of the country, like industries, the government and the society. This is part of the clear commitment that we have made as a state and public university to contribute to people’s welfare.”

As Dr Zolezzi explained, Universidad de Santiago will participate in three research lines: mining industry, fishing and aquaculture, and food and agriculture

The analysis of the industry needs and opportunities in these areas will be led by Dr Alejandro Gutiérrez (Mining industry), Dr Rubén Bustos (Fishing and aquaculture), and Dr Claudio Martínez (Food and agriculture).

Positive impact on the corporate sector

For his part, CEN’s manager, José Luis Checa, said: “Leitat’s strategy on arriving in Chile is to have a positive impact on the Chilean corporate sector, especially on those areas that have been defined as strategic ones. It is our firm belief that companies need innovation, as a sustainable mechanism to create value, what in turns becomes added value for the country. 

He invited all local agents in the nanoscience field to collaborate in joint projects that allow making the most of the knowledge and experience of this Spanish institution.

Needs of the productive world

Finally, in his speech, Eduardo Bitrán, Vice President of Corfo, said that we will have the opportunity of linking Leitat’s experience with the efforts made in research by Universidad de Santiago

“We acknowledge that our universities have progressed in the development of scientific research; but we still have essential challenges regarding to better relations with the needs of the country and the productive world,” he added.

“As a country, we want to move forward from an economy that uses natural resources as raw material to develop, to an economy that develops products and services with a higher added value by using its natural resources. For this reason, one of the results that we expect is the development of companies with higher levels of innovation and technology, to start developing business sectors with a higher knowledge-base,” he concluded.

Leitat Foundation in South America

This is the first office of Leitat Foundation in South America and it will focus on promoting research, development and innovation in the different economic sectors, contributing to the integral development of society and the territory, to innovation promotion and competitiveness improvement.

The Foundation defines itself as a “technological partner” constantly adapting to the market that promotes changes to strengthen technological ventures -supporting innovation in big companies- and to consolidate international collaboration as the value given by technological networking, linking research with the market.

Translated by Marcela Contreras

• A research team at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology of Universidad de Santiago de Chile is working on an ointment to combat melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer

The study led by scientists Sofía Michelson and Claudio Acuña is currently at preclinical stage (animal testing). The cream’s active compound comes from a Chilean endemic plant and it has proved to be an effective solution for melanoma. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between 2 and 3 million people are diagnosed with this type of cancer every year.

"We are fighting melanoma because it is the most aggressive skin cancer. Currently, there exist other ointments to treat skin cancer but they do not specifically treat this type," Michelson said.

The main challenge the researchers face is to find a mechanism that is able to boost the body’s response in the presence of a tumor, so that it can stop the progress of the disease.

“The problem is that the human body does not react to tumours because they make the body believe that they are normal. For this reason, the idea is to achieve an immune response similar to the one that is produced in case of bacterial, viral or parasitic infection,” Acuña said.

The cream developed by the researchers is applied topically every third day for about a month. During that period, the application zone should be protected.

The cream contains an extract of an endemic bush in Chile that is found between the regions of Coquimbo and Bíobío (central Chile) which affects the viability of the tumor cells. “We have already conducted other studies on melanoma treatments, so it was during that search that we found this substance,” Michelson said.

The effectiveness of the treatment has been encouraging. After using the ointment in animals, they more than doubled their life expectancy in comparison with conventional treatments.

"The ointment gives protection against tumor growth. If life expectancy was previously seven days, now it is up to 24 days. There are even some subsequent cases that were able to successfully eradicate melanoma," she added. The medication also allows to prevent the disease from recurring.

Another advantage of this product is its low cost. Therefore, it would give the patients more access to the treatment.

“Currently, there are many products available to treat general cancer, but many of them are expensive, so people cannot have access to them,” Michelson said. This is one of the reasons that led the researchers to study melanoma.

Translated by Marcela Contreras