Malaria Thesis Award Winner

2004/07/01 Andonegi Beristain, Garazi - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Kimika
• Medikuntza

The Thesis Prize organized by the Basque Research portal has already ended. A total of 40 works have been presented to the awards, among which the jury has unanimously chosen the work of Ángel Montero Carcaboso. This work has been, in the opinion of the jury, the best outreach work.

Research to improve the Patarroyo vaccine

Ángel Montero analyses a malaria vaccine developed by Colombian researcher Manuel Patarroyo. This vaccine developed in the 1990s, but the results of clinical sessions were not as satisfactory as expected. The World Health Organization therefore rejected support for the vaccine.

Pedro Ilundain User Award winner and Angel Montero Grand Prix winner.

G. Andonegi

The Colombian researcher then went to the University of the Basque Country to improve the vaccine. There, Ángel Montero investigates the transport substance used to administer the vaccine. In fact, it has proven that replacing this transporting substance increases the incidence of the vaccine. In addition, he has researched ways to breathe the vaccine and put it under the skin and analyzed with animals if these new forms of administration alter its effectiveness.

Angel Montero has reached significant conclusions to improve one of the best-known malaria vaccines.

Ecological paintings

The User Award went to chemist Pedro Ilundain Aranburu. In this case, readers have awarded a doctoral thesis to develop ecological acrylic and vinyl paintings.

Pedro Ilundain has aimed to reduce the harmful compounds of some paintings. Therefore, it has analyzed the reactions used in the manufacture of paints, specifically the post-polymerization that is done to reduce harmful compounds.

For this reaction it proposes a series of improvements ranging from the optimization of the start-up system to the development of a mathematical model of measurement of harmful compounds. Research therefore has a direct application in the industry, as it presents a way to produce more ecological paintings.

To conclude, the jury highlighted the dissemination effort of all the works and valued the dissemination work carried out through Basque Research. The work of the winners and other participants can be seen on the website www.basqueresearch.com until July 1.