Dr. Enrique Brandan: a new recognition to the path of the CARE’s out-standing scientist.

It’s the third important recognition that the out-standing scientist of the Aging and Regeneration Center, Dr. Enrique Brandan, recieves in what goes of the year. Less than a month ago he won a part of the 12 thousand 400 hundred million pesos that this year CONICYT delivers through the FONDEF programs and was nominated a member of the Chilean Science Academy, a select group of scientists.

The “grant” or proyect that the MDA gave him, will allow to support for three years the reasearches that Dr. Brandan performs in the fibrosis field.

The criteria considered by the international organism to award the funds aren’t few. The reasercher must possess doctorate studies, to be head teacher of some institution where researches are performed, to be capable of making an original investigation program and of administrating the granted funds. In addition, the organism only considers candidates out of the United States when they develop first priority proyects.

The fibrosis is a normal process by which the damaged tissues are repaired by the organism. With the age or associated with some diseases, it shows in a excessive way replacing healthy by not functional or fibrotic tissue. The damage caused by this anomaly, in organs such as heart, lungs, kidneys and the muscular-skeletal device, ends causing death.

All the diseases associated to damage and repair cycles like arterial hypertension, cirrohsis, hepatatis C, asthma and muscular dystrophys for example, produce fibrosis in the end. Almost the totality of chronic patologys are related to this process, which would explain why the 45% of deaths in the world are linked to this illness.

The work that Dr. Brandan will develop, as a whole with Dr Ricardo Fadic as a co-reasearcher, will focus on studying the genetic bases, cellular and molecular mechanisms, up to the physiological molecular function in diverse muscular dystrophys, having Duchenne as main focus, one of the most severe pathologys, that affects 1 or 2 out of every 10.000 children, who at very early age -between 10 and 12 years-old- remain confined to a wheelchair and most of them die before turning 20 years-old.

In addition, these scientists seek to identify an inhibitor for the fibrosis, since a few years ago a molecule has been identified –pro-fibrotic factor- that has a fundamental role in the production of this tissues type, which allows these investigators to think about the possibility of finding a treatment for the disease.

From the preliminary results obtained with some natural compounds, these scientists have proposed to develop a drug that could prevent the disease or, at least, delay the evolution of it considerably, improving the patients life quality. Only one less day of hospitalization for the half of the affected people in the world by the different types of fibrosis could be an enormous relief for the health systems.

The natural drugs are as effective as the chemical ones but unlike the above mentioned, they present void or slight side effects, which is of vital importance when it is thought in cronic treatments such as the fibrosis. This has done that the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, has made more flexible and has accelerate the patents delivery process for botanical origin medicines.

What’s the MDA?

The Muscular Dystrophy Association was created in 1951 as a national voluntary health agency that works to defeat neuromuscular diseases through reasearch programs around the world, complete services and long scope professional and public education.

The Telethon is the most important funds collector individual event for the MDA during the year. The funds help the assosation in its fight against more than 40 neuromuscular diseases, including a worldwide basic and applied reasearch program, a complete national network of medical and support services, and extensive professional and public education. Its the biggest non-govermental sponsor of neuromuscular diseases reasearches. It has destined almost 50 million dollars to support reasearchers in 36 countries and six continents.

The MDA recognizes the leading role that this scientifics have played in the progress of the researches of diseases like ELA, the Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy and the spinal muscular atrophy.

2008
13 August

Dr. Enrique Brandan: a new recognition to the path of the CARE’s out-standing scientist.

In this opportunity it’s the MDA, organization known throughout the world for organizing the Jerry Lewis telethon, who distinguishes and supports with a "Grant" the work that this researcher performs in the fibrosis field.

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