Institute of Biomedical Sciences

The Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB for its initials in Spanish) at UNAB was created in March 2019 in an effort by the Faculty of Biological Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine to promote multidisciplinary basic and translational biomedical research in Chile. The CIB is focused on understanding basic cellular and molecular mechanisms behind devastating diseases including osteoporosis and brain disorders such as Alzheimer, Autism Spectrum Disorder and ALS.

Our Institute is directed by Dr. Martin Montecino, and is composed by 8 research groups  Dr. Jimmy Stehberg, Dr. Brigitte van Zundert, Dr. Lorena Varela-Nallar, Dr. Álvaro Elorza, Dr. Gloria Arriagada, Dr. Carlos Blondel, Dr. Francisca Bronfman, and Dr. Fernando Bustos. The expertise of these investigators includes molecular and cellular biology, genetics, biochemistry, fluorescent techniques, electrophysiology and behavioral studies.

The investigators of ICB maintain a wide platform of international scientific collaborators with investigators at prestigious foreign institutions such as University of Massachusetts (UMASS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University, California Institute of Technology, University of Washington, National Institute of Health (NIH), Emory University and University of Groningen.

Our institute has a strong commitment to developing basic research capacities. Currently, we are training many young scientists including postdoctoral fellows, PhD students and a large number of undergraduate students in fields such as Biochemistry and Biotechnology.

The research at ICB is funded by national agencies, including FONDAP and FONDECYT, as well as by international agencies, like NIH and ALS-Therapy Alliance.