The Report Women Inventors 2022, was prepared by the National Institute of Intellectual Property (Inapi), “showed a 5% increase in female requirements during 2021 compared to the previous year. This advance implied that Chilean women as a proportion of the total went from 21% to 26%”, detailed the Diario Financiero.
Thanks to this indicator, Chilean female researchers are in third place with respect to other OECD countries, behind countries such as Portugal and Costa Rica, highlighting the large number of patents filed by them in relation to their male colleagues.
In that detail, the UdeC concentrated the largest number of patent applications filed by 33 womenbeing followed by the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso.
Among the outstanding UdeC academics are Drs.: Vilma Sanhueza Nunez, Carolina Gomez Gaete, Katherina Fernandez Elgueta, Apolinaria Garcia Cancino Y Allisson Astuya Villalon.
the right choice
The latter affirmed that “it is a recognition that is appreciated, it is an additional motivation to follow the path we have chosen, to try to transfer knowledge in a more concrete way, and that the choice to participate in interdisciplinary teams is the correct one, because we see the results.”
Astuya is an academic in the Department of Oceanography and director of the Biotoxin Laboratory (LBTx)a center where the detection and analysis of biotoxins is carried out in samples of shellfish destined for national consumption and export, in addition to other matrices such as microalgae, being the first laboratory of this type in the Biobío region.
The LBTx, an initiative financed by the Regional Government through the Innovation Fund for Regional Competitiveness (FIC-R), is led by academics and professionals belonging to the Department of Oceanography of the Faculty of Natural and Oceanographic Sciences and the COPAS Sur-Austral and COPAS-Coastal centers of the Universidad de Concepción. Among them, Dr. Allison Astuya.
The center is also sponsored by public institutions such as the Ministry of Health, the Institute of Public Health, the Seremi de Salud del Biobío and IFOP, as well as national and international collaborations in the area of marine biotoxins.
-How important is this for your scientific career at the University of Concepción?
“Personally, I believe that it validates and stimulates me to continue in this line and, being the visible face of our University, since this allows us to demonstrate that they have not made a mistake in supporting us in our activities, from our Department directors, Research Centers , as in my case the COPAS Sur-Austral center and now the COPAS-Coastal Center, the FCNO Deanship and the R&D Vice-Rectory”.
–Is it difficult in Chile to be a woman scientist and inventor?
“Being a woman scientist in any part of the world is difficult, but more so in Chile, where although public policies are being generated that allow us to reduce gender gaps, changes have not yet been achieved. Willingness is required and leadership is also required that on many occasions we prefer to reject for fear of not only being evaluated, but also being judged in all the areas that concern us, including the family role.”
“Even more so in the role of ‘inventor’ where the times to specify are much longer. In my case, this nomination would not be possible if it were not for the generosity of the interdisciplinary work teams with which I collaborate and where they have decided to recognize the contributions of each one, even if it is at the beginning of the research or during development or validation. . In the current context, it is the only way to be recognized in categories like these.”
-How does this recognition impact the science that is developed in the LBTx UdeC?
“Indirectly, since being the director of the LBTx-UdeC Biotoxins laboratory, it allows us visibility and strengthens our scientific work, which is one of the main edges of the laboratory, which seeks to solve real and concrete problems from a scientific basis, in addition to motivating to our own team of researchers, who are part of LBTx-UdeC, creating opportunities and proposing solutions. An example of this is our head of laboratory and PhD candidate in Molecular Biotechnology, Ambbar Aballaywho is developing a paralytic toxin detection kit for use in the field, which would not only be a concrete solution but also patentable, which will enhance her career as a scientist and as a future UdeC inventor”.
In relation to the processes that come in the laboratory, the researcher said that “recently, LBTx-UdeC has approved its third international accreditation and we expanded the scope of services, in addition to paralyzing toxins now to amnesic toxins. We are waiting for the installation of an LC-MSMS, acquired by FONDEQUIP to, in the short or medium term, implement the detection of lipophilic toxins”.
“This will not only allow us to make our services and expertise available to the community, which are so necessary in the current scenario of Climate Change, but we will also be able to address scientific questions that would be impossible to answer without state-of-the-art equipmentsuch as the identification and characterization of ichthytoxins, vectors and being able to collaborate with other national and international teams on issues such as emerging toxins and potential risks for consumers as well as for the environment”, he added.
“This goes hand in hand with the formation of advanced human capitalthat has the skills to face real problems, capable of integrating where expertise is needed in both national and international ecosystems”, he concluded.
In the LBTx UdeC Biotoxins Laboratory website You can find more information regarding the center.
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