RAKIDUAM - Knowledge

Infectious diseases are responsible for approximately one quarter of deaths worldwide. Although there have been significant developments in research in the treatment of many contagious illnesses, there is a latent danger, which is the drastic increase in the quantity and worldwide distribution of pathogens that are resistant to antimicrobial drugs. Resistance to antibiotics in infections repre- sents serious damage, not only to health, but also economically, a crisis that is exacerbated by a lack of innovation in generating new antibiotics. The Center for Biotechnology and Bioengineering (CeBIB) attempts to address this problem through searching for microorganisms in external environments in Chile in order to develop new antibiotics and anti-cancer drugs. This objective has given fruit through the creation of drugs such as Chaxami- cina, Chaxalactina and Atacamicina, all from species of Streptomyces, prolific producers of antibio- tics, which were found in the Atacama desert, the driest in the world. They are also currently analyzing Antarctic strains, isolated by their researchers some years ago. In this way, it is expected to have a significant international impact on health with the discovery of new antibiotics and anti- neoplastics. Principal Institution: Universidad de Chile. Associated Institutions: Universidad de Antofagasta, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Universidad de La Frontera and Universidad de Los Lagos. 53 Center for Biotechnology and Bioengineering (CeBIB) Lines of Research Metabolomics and metabolic engineering. Protein engineering. Mathematical modeling. Bioinformatics. Molecular genetics, extremophiles and ecophysiology.