The director of the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (CEDENNA), Dr. Dora Altbir, took part in the program Sin Gravedad on Cooperativa Ciencia, hosted by Jorge Lira, where she discussed the main challenges and opportunities of the new institutional period following the award of ANID’s national 2025 Applied Research Centers competition.
During the conversation, the National Prize for Exact Sciences winner highlighted that this new stage will make it possible to consolidate key developments in applied nanotechnology, with direct impacts on health, the environment, industry and energy, among others, thanks to the multidisciplinary work of the Center, which brings together researchers in physics, chemistry, biology, medicine and engineering.
One area highlighted by Altbir was the potential of nanoparticles and nanomaterials to address environmental challenges.
In areas such as remediation, contaminant detection and the design of eco-friendly materials, the Center is promoting new approaches that combine frontier science and technological application.
The collaborative work of interdisciplinary teams makes it possible to advance solutions that connect directly with the country’s needs: better tools for agriculture, more efficient treatment systems and developments aimed at a sustainable environment.
In the area of health and biomedicine, she said that we are making progress on developments that could transform the way we treat complex diseases. One of them is a formulation based on magnetic nanoparticles for hyperthermia, a technique that makes it possible to destroy cancer cells by applying heat in a highly localized way. Initial results in cervical cancer show a significant reduction in tumor viability, which opens a real door towards safer, less invasive therapies with less impact on healthy tissue.
We are also working on an innovative solution for blindness caused by corneal damage, using a technique that makes it possible to grow the patient’s own oral epithelial cells to regenerate the cornea. This approach, based on the use of biomaterials and nanotechnology, represents a high-potential alternative for people who have no effective therapeutic options, and promises to substantially improve the success rates of current treatments.
Added to this is the development of an electrochemical biosensor capable of detecting, at early stages, biomarkers associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Using electrodes functionalized with nanoparticles and nanobodies, this device seeks to offer early and personalized diagnoses, something fundamental in conditions whose progression can be modified with timely intervention. These kinds of technological tools, based on nanotechnology, can have a direct impact on public health and people’s quality of life.
A scientific training ecosystem that already impacts Chile
Over its 15 years of existence, CEDENNA has trained more than 900 undergraduate and graduate students, and more than 150 PhDs who today lead lines of research at national universities and institutions.
Many of them develop theses and projects directly in strategic areas of nanotechnology, which has made it possible to consolidate a growing community of young researchers committed to applied science and innovation.
International outlook and future projection
Asked about Chile’s position in global nanoscience, the director said that, although countries such as the US, South Korea, Japan and Israel have been investing in this area for decades, the Chilean contribution is significant.
“The number of scientists in nanoscience has grown enormously in recent years, and the opportunities ahead are huge. CEDENNA will consolidate developments in health, energy, industry and the environment, surprising with new applications,” she said.
Finally, Altbir emphasized the need for science to occupy a more visible place in discussions about the country’s future:
“Science is a possible path to development and greater well-being. To reach the Chile we want, it needs to be on the agenda and have the necessary resources.”
