Translational Medicine and Research Initiatives at Conicet Córdoba: A Focus on Everyday Medical Problems

2023-12-18 08:00:00

Researchers will work to apply basic science to the resolution of everyday medical problems within health centers. This was announced by Mónica Balzarini at her inauguration in front of the scientific organization

The agricultural engineer Mónica Balzarini has just assumed leadership of the Conicet Córdoba for two years, until last Thursday she was the vice principal. Her dream: “To be able to promote and influence the definition of state policies in science and technology for social well-being. Let it be understood that many things we are doing are and should be state policies.”

Y define: “I perceive science as a national heritage, qI want to work to accompany the development of State policies for science, technology and innovation; and in that action I am open to the public-private network. For me we need a mix, not swings that go from end to end that hurt us, we need to move forward, not go backwards with what we have.”

This sums it up to Commerce and Justice This principal researcher of Conicet at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (UNC), who is part of the Group linked to the Phytopathology and Agricultural Modeling Unit (INTA – Conicet). Additionally, she is a specialist in Statistics and Data Science for research in agriculture and the environment.

During his assumption, celebrated the recent formation of two “associated units” of Conicet Córdoba that work in health matters. They will operate in the Private and Children’s hospitals, with researchers and scholarship holders from Conicet. Promptly will advance translational medicine which is what applies basic science to the resolution of everyday medical problems. In some of the cases with stem cells and with cardiovascular diseases.

– What are the new units associated with a focus on translational medicine about?

– A few years ago, health research centers were formed, which are made up of Conicet researchers who are in hospitals researching a particular topic. They are nuclei that Conicet recognized as a workplace, there are interns. Now, since December, it was approved that several of these nuclei, 12 in the country of which two are from Córdoba, become Conicet Associated Units, this means that they work in the same way as an Executing Unit except that the budget It is not from the State but from the health units or hospitals where they are located.

Of the two from Conicet Córdoba, one is associated with the University Institute of Biomedical Sciences of Córdoba (Iucbc) linked to the Private Hospital, and the other unit is in the Children’s Hospital of the Province. The idea is to work in translational medicine, which would be investigating problems that arise in the hospital and research responses that return to the hospital and feed each other.

The investigations would have to be nourished by data and experiences of the hospital and the hospital would have to be nourished by the responses of the research that may be basic, which is carried out in that Associated Unit that in fact are immersed in those hospitals. In this way, the private and government sectors are involved. We love the idea that these associated units exist, it is a possibility to continue developing quality research with contributions from sectors other than the National State.

It should be noted that Conicet pays the salaries of the researchers and the scholarship holders are paid by the Nation; there may also be other researchers who are paid by the hospitals. It is a mix of funds to support that research.