IMPACT’s annual event took place on November 12, marking another anniversary of the research center. This year, the traditional gathering, which aims to bring together all members of the institution, was held at the Central House of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso.
The meeting began with words of welcome from the Vice Rector for Research, Creation and Innovation of the PUCV, Luis Mercado, who highlighted the role of IMPACT within the university. “As a University, we are very interested in research in the medical area. This is an area that has not been very present within our institution and therefore the presence of IMPACT is within our strategic development plans. We believe that the work they are developing is undoubtedly a bet on frontier research, a research that aims to be revolutionary in what is currently known, and that is the idea of the Basal centers”, she said.
Along the same lines, the principal investigator of IMPACT and PUCV academic, Claudia Altamirano, underscored the importance of the center in the work that her team has been doing in the scaling up of technologies. “IMPACT has allowed us to work not only from a management point of view, but also from a research point of view. They have been exceptional partners, who have allowed us to make important decisions, to work together always with a view to going further. I am grateful that they have come, I think it is important for them to see the reality of working in regions”, he said.
For his part, IMPACT’s manager, Miguel Rebolledo, stressed the importance of visiting partner universities during these annual meetings, which have already been held in previous versions at the Universidad de los Andes and the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. “Our intention is that today we can talk about what we are doing, how we are doing it and what more we could do. The objective is for us to get out of our bubble and talk with people we don’t usually talk with, to get to know other points of view, other reflections, other experiences and other models, and perhaps connect it with other research,” he explained.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
The day was marked by the participation of distinguished international guests, who also participated in the 10th Latin American Symposium on Animal Cell Technology (SLATCC 2024) organized by the PUCV.
The IMPACT annual meeting was joined by Ernesto Chico, Chemical Engineer and member of the founding group of the Center for Molecular Immunology in Havana (Cuba); Alan Dickson, Professor of Biotechnology at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) of the University of Manchester (UK) and Director of the Centre of Excellence in Biopharmaceuticals of the same University; and Paula Alves, CEO of iBET, member of the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) and professor at NOVA University of Lisbon (Portugal). These international guests were able to share with the audience their experiences on the challenges in the development of drugs with high clinical and economic impact, and the importance of involving the industry in these processes.
The final talk was given by Leopoldo Naranjo, chief scientist of the biotechnological solutions company Spora, which is focused on generating environmentally friendly solutions for the industry. On this occasion, the conference focused on the scientific process behind the development of the product Sporatex, a leather substitute biotextile based on fungal mycelium.
ENHANCING TEAMWORK
Finally, this year’s IMPACT Day included a fun activity focused on promoting and reinforcing the importance of teamwork. On this occasion, the participants were divided into previously defined groups and had to solve a trivia game about the center and the riddles and puzzles of the Exit board game in just over an hour. The initiative, organized by the center’s communications team, was very well evaluated by the participants, who were able to share with people from different sectors and institutions and get to know each other beyond their daily work.
Finally, the group went to Cerro Florida in Valparaíso, where they were able to share a small cocktail before returning to Santiago.