Vatican distinguishes CARE scientist with Pio XI 2008 medal

Every two years the supreme pontiff delivers this recognition to the work performed by young scientists in natural sciences and that was created in 1961 by the Pope Juan XXIII. In this opportunity the decoration emphasizes the researches that Dr. Larraín makes in the Development Biology Laboratory of the Aging and Regeneration Center, CARE.

With only 38 years-old, Dr. Larrain will recieve, during the hearing granted to the academicians who take part in the “Scientific Knowledge on Universe Evolution and Human Life” meeting, the same medal awarded 33 years ago to the out-standing physicist Stephen Hawking.

The scientist who works in development biology, seeks for identification of which are the genes involved in the different tissues and organs formation during the embryonic development, discipline in which he has performed important advances.

In 2006, with his work team, discovered Sindecan 4, a gen that regulates the nervous system formation and prevents the normal development of the neuralgic pipe in amphibians. This find might allow to study a group of genetic malformations that happen during the pregnancy and that prevent the spine’s normal closing, like the spina bifida, that affects one every one-thousand children borned every year in the world.

The key could be in animals.

Like most part of scientists that work in development biology, Dr. Larrain has shown interest for regeneration studies.

Most diseases could be described like death or loss of tissues. The identification of the genes and the knowledge of mechanisms that intervene in the tissues regeneration, in a future might allow to design strategies that revert the damages caused by a wide range of pathologys.

Dr.Larrain, which in addition is associate teacher of PUC’s Biological Sciences Faculty, has centered his studies in knowing the genetic and molecular mechanisms that allow the frog’s tadpoles, Xenopus, to regenerate their spinal marrow.

There are adult cells, called main or ancestors, that in response to damage, activate themselves and produce regeneration. This is a common mechanism to most animals, but expresses the most in animals like amphibians that are capable of regenerating their tail or like the zebra fish that can regenerate part of its heart or fins.

To know how the process happens in this organisms, known as endogenous regeneration, and that allows to think that in some moment this could be imitated in the human is what most passionates this researcher, who has proved to be surprised with his Vatican award news, since he recognizes to never have been in instances as the Science Pontifical Academy.

2008
14 August

Vatican distinguishes CARE scientist with Pio XI 2008 medal

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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