Investigación

With more than 5,000 years of history, Ayurvedic medicine is about to leap forward in Chile thanks to the efforts of Dr. Susana Urrutia, a researcher of the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology at Usach and one of the leading authorities of this discipline in the country. 

The surgeon, with more than 25 years of experience integrating Ayurveda into conventional medicine, has been selected as the only expert in this field as part of the upcoming presidential tour to India.  

The technology known as Iodine Autogenous Fusion (IAF), developed at the University of Santiago in Chile, has been granted a patent in Japan, adding to the patent already obtained in Chile and the patent application filed in the United States.

This innovation is led by Dr. Ricardo Vega Viveros, an academic and researcher at the Faculty of Engineering (FING), and emerged as a solution to the problems of the iodine refining process in our country, which is notorious for being discontinuous, complex, costly, and environmentally hazardous.

During March, the Vice Rector’s Office for Research, Innovation and Creation (Vriic) joined in the commemoration of International Women’s Day, acknowledging the work of various researchers at the University of Santiago de Chile who lead in high economic, social and environmental impact development, which seek to contribute to our society and the evolution of industry. 

Its R&D projects have received support from Vriic's Directorate of Technology Management (DGT).

Transforming the packaging industry 

In Chile, around 6.6 million tires are thrown away every year, according to data provided by the Ministry of the Environment. Of these, only 17% are managed in an environmentally responsible way, while the rest end up in illegal dumps or disappear from the records, creating a serious environmental problem. 

The Gill Health International Conference is the place where academia, industry, technology and research laboratories come together to discuss gill health in salmon. Its purpose is to discuss the results and solutions, and to share knowledge and new practices that are generated in the country regarding the management of the most prevalent and important gill pathology in Atlantic salmon in Chile. This is known as Proliferative Gill Disease (PGD) and has been present in our territory since 2012.

Agricultural crops are permanently exposed to infections caused by dangerous phytopathogenic agents, which can seriously damage plants and even cause losses of vegetable crops. 

One of the most harmful phytopathogenic bacteria for agriculture is the species Pseudomonas syringae, which affects kiwifruit, cherry, plum, tomato and bean plantations, among others. As a result of this infection, there are considerable losses in production and harvests, implying millions of dollars in economic losses for the industry.

With the aim of developing a mechanism that can predict faults in mining fans, a group of researchers from the University of Santiago de Chile, led by Dr. Sebastián Pérez from the Department of Mining Engineering (Dimin) Usach, are working on a Fondef R&D project, which has now begun field tests to prove its effectiveness in real operating conditions.

Audiological diseases due to continuous exposure to noise at work are among the main occupational pathologies in our country, according to data from the Superintendence of Social Security.

The WHO recommends a limit of 65 decibels to ensure good health and well-being of people, while Chilean regulations allow up to 85 decibels in eight-hour workdays, which is not always complied with.

Chile is one of the leaders in the world salmon industry, occupying second place in salmonid production, after Norway, and supplying 25% of the global supply. At the national level, this product is the largest exporter, after copper.

The sector faces several challenges, however, including the spread of diseases that threaten the stability and quality of production. One of the most common and dangerous is salmonid rickettsial septicemia (SRS), caused by the bacterium Piscirickettsia salmonis.

In Chile, around 6.6 million tires are thrown away every year, according to data provided by the Ministry of the Environment. Of these, only 17% are managed in an environmentally responsible way, while the rest end up in illegal dumps or disappear from the records, creating a serious environmental problem.