Juan Pablo Olano, who visited our capital these days is an expert pathologist at the University of Texas, southern United States, who specializes in the study of infectious diseases, taking into account that biodefense is the application of medical and biological sciences to Defend humans in case of a possible biological attack.

 

In addition to being a topic that links science with the national security of countries that could be involved in this type of actions, the researcher pointed out that biodefense has four important aspects that are the diagnosis of diseases quickly and effectively; Therapeutic studies; Prevention with the development of vaccines against these agents; And the study of how they attack the human body.

 

While progress is being made in detailed studies to understand how the human immune system will respond to these infections, the challenge is to propose effective solutions taking into account the origin of the presence of the agents mentioned.

 

"In the first place it must be identified if it is an attack or is a natural infection, the agents are the same, there may be modified agents but the most common is that it is an agent that produces the disease naturally, which is grown in large quantities and Is used as a biological agent of terror, "he said.

 

Olano said that following these investigations to combat dangerous agents, there is a key stage that has to do with the so-called transnational medicine, where all the knowledge, the methods used to obtain it, and after experimental phases, apply with humans the possible solutions .

 

Subsequently the approach goes towards obtaining authorizations by respective entities and validation for the commercial development of medicines. However, the research work is constantly fighting against possible mutations of the biological agents that may appear in that way.

 

"Fortunately, few (agents) really change the disease process completely by a mutation, and it starts from scratch the process of diagnosis, treatment, vaccines. But certain mutations will produce resistance to antiviral drugs, that takes years, the same in bacteria, those are slower processes, "he said.

 

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