Instrumental Access 2016
Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología: Department of Bioengineering
UTEC Peru’s Dr. Julio Valdivia-Silva, research associate in the biomedical engineering program; Dr. Juan Carlos Rodríguez, research professor of industrial chemical engineering; and Dr. Paloma Salas, faculty member in the biomedical engineering program (seated).
UTEC’s Dr. Juan Carlos Rodríguez, a chemist, would like to use minerals available in Peru as base materials to develop sensors, catalysts, and adsorbents.
Dr. Paloma Salas of UTEC Peru’s biomedical engineering program is co-leading a project on loading nanoparticles with biocides for application in disinfecting coatings.
UTEC’s Dr. Julio Valdivia-Silva, physician and astrobiologist, would like to use synthetic biology to better understand the molecular mechanisms of different diseases and the behavior of living organisms in extreme conditions.
Meet the Department
The Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología (UTEC) is a private, engineering-focused university established in 2012. UTEC is currently in the process of establishing a program in bioengineering that will be the first and only program of its kind in Peru. A 10-year agreement is in place with the Cleveland Clinic to provide technical assistance and teaching and curriculum support for the new program.
Launching the Country’s First Bioengineering Program: Dr. Melanie Cornejo
Bioengineering is especially important for Peru given its biodiversity, rates of tropical and infectious disease, and issues of pollution and bioremediation.
To find creative solutions for these challenges, UTEC provost Dr. Melanie Cornejo is spearheading the country’s first bioengineering program. The new Department of Bioengineering will launch its undergraduate and graduate degree programs in 2017.
Solving the country’s most important public health issues through bioengineering is the center of Dr. Cornejo’s own research. She is currently working with nanotechnology and nanomedicine to find novel solutions to Peru’s shortage of potable water, which is often contaminated by illegal mining. She is also investigating new approaches to accurate early diagnosis and treatment of neglected tropical diseases.
The new Department of Bioengineering has strong relationships with US-based institutions, including Harvard, MIT, and the Cleveland Clinic, and top hospitals and clinics in Peru that will “make it successful from an academic point of view,” Dr. Cornejo says. “However, the investment for research is big, which is why the support from Seeding Labs plays such an important role.”
In the future, Dr. Cornejo hopes to explore research issues such as population genetics relevant to cancer and infectious diseases, as well as biotechnology-based solutions for challenges facing Peru’s agriculture and fishing industries.
Dr. Cornejo holds a PhD in immunology from Harvard University.
Bolstering Bioengineering in Peru
Check out our blog for an update from UTEC on the equipment's arrival!