The Department of Innovation, Development and Technology Transfer of the Universidad Católica del Maule recognized four projects that seek to generate solutions applicable to the industrial sector or science-based technology companies.
A Biotechnology Engineering student won first place in the «Do your Thesis in Innovation» contest organized by the Universidad Católica del Maule (UCM).
Marcela Cancino received the recognition for her research on the interaction of nanoparticles with therapeutic potential, in the call organized by the Direction of Innovation, Development and Technology Transfer (DIDTT, in Spanish), belonging to the campus.
«My thesis explores new therapies emerging in medicine, with the targeting of drugs that treat cancer. Conventional therapies are very aggressive because they affect all types of tissues. A targeted treatment would allow directing the drug specifically to the cancer cells, reducing side effects for patients,» explained Marcela Cancino, student at the Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, whose guiding professor is the doctor in Biotechnology, Rodrigo Andler.
«I feel happy. My business idea consists of an entity that would allow us to evaluate the biocompatibility and toxicity of products of medical interest that have nanoparticles and thus generate a certification in Chile,» she added.
In its 2023 version, the competition received 18 proposals from students of various faculties, including Engineering Sciences and Basic Sciences.
«I am delighted since we had 31 students applying and because every year there are more students interested and from more programs. This means that students want to promote entrepreneurship and understand that their theses, beyond being a process to leave the university, can be a future company,» said the director of the DIDTT, Fabiola Loyola.
In second place were the students Eric Pérez, Javier Aguilera, José Caro and José Duarte from the Biotechnology Engineering program, and in third place were the students Tomás Meléndez, Bastián Bustamante, Felipe López, Cristóbal Cortés and Cristóbal Rojas from the Computer Engineering program.
Additionally, Juan Briones, an Industrial Civil Engineering student, received an honorable mention for his project, «RememberMe: Digital platform for the planning of personalized messages that resist the passage of time for the purpose of emotional family preservation.”
«It was gratifying and beautiful to see how the ideas of students properly mentored by their professors come to a successful outcome. Years ago, these activities were probably highly incipient, but now they reflect a very interesting degree of maturity and perhaps, in time, we will have technology-based companies put together by our own students. That is very stimulating,» said, Claudio Rojas, Rector of the UCM.
As part of the awards, the winners will receive specialized mentoring in formulation and presentation of projects in public calls.
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