Nanotechnology to help diagnose and cure colon cancer and bioproducts created from Colombia’s vast biodiversity have little in common. Except, of course, both projects were selected for funding from the prestigious Colombia Científica program grant and both projects included collaborations with Purdue.
The grant comes from the International Development Bank and is distributed by Colciencias, Colombia’s version of the National Science Foundation, which partnered with the ministries of education and industry and tourism and Icetex to enhance the country’s academic profile by soliciting proposals for education and research in health, sustainable energy, bioeconomy and society. Colombia Científica is aimed at both producing more robust research and more advanced-degree graduates.
Professor Elena Stashenko and the Universidad Industrial de Santander’s were funded for developing bioproducts for health, agriculture and cosmetic industries from Colombian biodiversity. Purdue's Office of Institutional Research, Assessment and Effectiveness is a collaborator for this grant to develop accredited educational programs that extend this research expertise across Colombia.
And Professor Lina Marcela Hoyos Palacio and the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana were funded for a project to develop nanobioengineering for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of colon cancer. Purdue’s College of Pharmacy is a partner on their project.
Bringing bioproducts to life
Stashenko’s laboratory space is a direct reflection of her passion: plants. According to Morris Levy, professor emeritus of biology at Purdue, her lab facility is surrounded by a botanical garden filled with orchids, vanilla and medicinal plants. Her workstation is a thatch-roofed hut in the center of it all.
The rich variety of plants is something Colombia is known for. It is one of the top countries for biodiversity, situated in the midst of tropical rainforests, deserts, the Andean mountains, two oceans and vast plains.
Finally, after decades of conflict, the country is ready to dive into experimenting and researching its own incredible biodiversity and always with sustainability in mind. Stashenko, originally from Russia, holds a deep appreciation for Colombia’s natural resources.
“Whenever she goes to the field or community, she has successfully set up distillation plants,” Levy said. “A group of farmers will get together and she will train them to grow the plants she needs and pay them to produce them. Also, recently, she developed portable distillation machinery to extract essential oils in the field without disturbing the environment.”
Not only are Stashenko and her team looking to create bioproducts for both commercial and pharmaceutical use, they’re also hoping to create an industry and education around the process. Farmers who were, say, previously producing illicit crops could turn to growing crops for bioproducts. Further, men looking for work post-conflict can work these farms or other parts of the process.
This is where Purdue’s Office of Institutional Research, Assessment and Effectiveness (OIRAE) comes in. OIRAE will help Stashenko and her team develop the resulting educational programs to get them accredited.
“The opportunity for us to have OIRAE as an important arm to the university internally and as an extension service, essentially, is unique,” Levy said.
Drs. Jairo Martinez, Morris Levy, Elena Stashenko and Maria Levy (left to right) in the Stashenko lab.
Collaboration leads to one big international lab spanning two continents
Palacio, a professor at the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, met Rodolfo Pinal, an associate professor of industrial and physical pharmacy, met at one of the first nanotechnology conferences in Colombia, which was coordinated with help from Arvind Raman, associate dean for Global Engineering Programs, and professor in mechanical engineering.
From there, the research relationship flourished. Hoyos came to Purdue’s campus for an English language immersion and students from both Hoyos’s lab visited Purdue and Pinal’s lab. The result was an incredible exchange of information, techniques and camaraderie. This cemented the connection between the two groups, according to Pinal.
“People in my lab look at the people in Hoyos’s lab as part of the same, bigger lab,” Pinal said. “That can only happen when people are doing their everyday work together. And these everyday activities are what makes it a seamless relationship.”
Hoyos said the exchange gave her and her team a huge advantage - collaborating with an American university, especially one with such close ties to Colombia translated into a mutually beneficial relationship.
“Purdue was absolutely integral to being awarded the Colombia Cientifica grant,” Hoyos said. “And, the best part, our labs will get to continue to collaborate.”
Her students were able to learn the advanced techniques while Pinal’s students learned to better innovate and adapt.
“The Colombian students, because at times they lack all the high-tech equipment, they compensate with really good skills,” Pinal said. “So when they come here, they become extremely productive. Typically it would take weeks in Colombia to do what they do in a few days here. In this way, it expands their time and my students learn so much from them.”
Pinal, reminiscing on the future that has yet to come, is looking forward to the continued relationship and strengthening of the academic exchange.
“I bet you 20 years from now, our students are going to look at each other like alumni of the same lab,” he said. “They are colleagues of the same group, so it is almost a guarantee they will be part of the same professional network for future collaborations.”
UPB's NanoBioCáncer research group receiving the award at the Colombia Cientifica ceremony
Last modified: November 6, 2023