Transnational science and collaborative networks. The case of Genetics and Radiobiology in Mexico, 1950-1970

The transnational approach of the science and technology studies (S&TS) abandons the nation as a unit of analysis in order to understand the development of science history. It also abandons Euro-US-centred narratives in order to explain the role of international collaborative networks and the circulation of knowledge, people, artefacts and scientific practices. It is precisely under this perspective that the development of genetics and radiobiology in Mexico shall be analyzed, together with the pioneering work of the Mexican physician-turned-geneticist Alfonso León de Garay who spent two years in the Galton Laboratory in London under the supervision of Lionel Penrose. Upon his return de Garay funded the Genetics and Radiobiology Program of the National Commission of Nuclear Energy based on local needs and the aim of working beyond geographical limitations to thus facilitate the circulation of knowledge, practices and people. The three main lines of research conducted in the years after its foundation that were in line with international projects while responding to the national context were, first, cytogenetic studies of certain abnormalities, and the cytogenetics and anthropological studies of the Olympic Games held in Mexico in 1968; second, the study of the effects of radiation on hereditary material; and third, the study of population genetics in Drosophila and in Mexican indigenous groups. The program played a key role in reshaping the scientific careers of Mexican geneticists, and in transferring locally sourced research into broader networks. This case shows the importance of international collaborative networks and circulation in the constitution of national scientific elites, and also shows the national and transnational concerns that shaped local practices

Castes and Trees: Tracing the Link Between European and Mexican Representations of Human Taxonomy

The authors of this manuscript are interested mainly in meta-scientific studies, particularly in historical reflection on biology. Species in the Age of Discordance being the main theme of this special issue, and taking inspiration from the idea that “biological lineages move through time, space and each other”, we find it thought-provoking to show that just as biological lineages have histories, diverse conceptual categories have also been historically constituted. Moreover their visual representations have been discordant at different levels, such as the concepts of species and race. This article presents how the struggle to achieve a human taxonomy in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe had a fundamental visual component that reflects the discussions and theories that led to important discordances in the racial classification of Homo sapiens and in other species of hominins. Using as main visual artifacts the representation of evolutionary trees, the painting of castes, as well as the natural classification tree of the Mexican naturalist Manuel Ortega from 1877, the authors will show on the one hand how European ideas about human species and race in the scientific mainstream were deployed in the very distinctive situations of Mexico. On the other hand, it will be shown that visual culture was fundamental and decisive in establishing and disseminating scientific accounts of species and race, and how both concepts have interacted in the visual characterization of human diversity, both to define it and to restrain it

Evolution Representation in Mexican Textbooks

La evolución es la base de toda la biología moderna. Uno de los aspectos más sobresalientes de los estudios actuales sobre la historia de la evolución es el interés creciente por explorar su papel y alcance en ámbitos no científicos, por ejemplo, en la educación. Algunos académicos han explorado la manera en que la teoría de la evolución fue introducida a los salones de clases; sin embargo, son pocos los estudios realizados específicamente sobre el escenario mexicano. Desde hace ya varias décadas, historiadores, filósofos, sociólogos y psicólogos han dirigido grandes esfuerzos hacia la comprensión de la naturaleza de las imágenes visuales y su papel en la generación de conocimiento y en el entendimiento de conceptos. El campo denominado “Estudios Sociales de Imágenes y Visualización Científica” (Scientific Imaging and Visualization) trata cuestiones enfocadas con la dimensión social y las implicaciones de las imágenes científicas y el conocimiento visual. En este trabajo buscamos responder, en el caso particular de la teoría de la evolución, qué ocurre cuándo las imágenes viajan fuera del contexto académico y se difunden en otros contextos.Evolution is the basis of all modern biology. One of the most outstanding aspects of current studies on evolution history is the growing interest for exploring its role and scope in non-scientific environments, for example, in education. Some scholars have explored the way in which the evolution theory was introduced to classrooms; however, there are few studies on the Mexican scenario. Since several decades ago, historians, philosophers, sociologists, and psychologists have made big efforts to understand the nature of visual images.and their role in knowledge generation and in concept understanding as well. The filed called “Scientific Imaging and Visualization 2 deals with subjects focused on the social dimension and implications of scientific images and visual knowledge. In this research, we we are searching for giving an answer – in the specific case of evolution theory- to what happens when images travel outside an academic context and penetrate other contexts

Factores que inciden en el rendimiento académico y la permanencia de los estudiantes de la UNED

Investigadores principales de los proyectos recopilados en el documento: Rodrigo Alfaro Monge, Anabelle Castillo López, Giuseppa D’Agostino Santoro, Cristina D’Alton Kilby, Delfilia Mora Hamblin, Ana María Rodino Pierri, Walter Solano Gutiérrez, Roy Umaña Carillo, Alfonso Villalobos Pérez. Investigadores colaboradores: Guiselle Bolaños Mora, Lester Osorno Membreño, Ilse Gutiérrez, Schwanhauser, Carlos Urroz Madrigal.Este trabajo constituye una síntesis de los distintos informes de investigación producidos en el marco del programa de investigación: Factores que inciden en el rendimiento académico y la permanencia de los estudiantes de la UNED, llevado a cabo entre los años 2002 y 2007 por el Centro para el Mejoramiento de los Procesos Académicos (CEMPA) y las diferentes Escuelas de la UNED, con el fin de caracterizar los hábitos, condiciones de vida y estrategias de estudio de los alumnos, y determinar la influencia de estas variables sobre su rendimiento académico y permanencia en la institución. Esta síntesis resalta los hallazgos más relevantes de cada una de las etapas de investigación y sugiere algunas Conclusiones y recomendaciones para estudios futuros

Across borders : science and technology during the Cold War. An introduction

The five papers included in this dossier aim to contribute to a further understanding of the role of across-the-border travels, itineraries, and transactions that characterized technoscientific practices during the Cold War. They do so by broadening the geographical scope of historical studies, and contextualizing the local within the global events, concerns, and policies of the period, especially through the role of international agencies in the construction of almost-global networks of science. The papers also share a way of seeing, of interrogating the global projects and goals in their local happening and the tensions produced between them. The result, we must say, is not a triumphalist view of science and technical assistance, but one of mixed results. Personal agendas are furthered, development programs fail, the scientific community is seldom truly international, while at the same time the growth of international networks allowed the training of a new generation of scientists around the world, and the incorporation of places, technologies, and actors transformed Cold War technoscientific practices by introducing different local priorities and ways of doing

Genética en México y sus instituciones en la primera mitad del siglo XX

RESUMENEl tema del presente trabajo apunta hacia la conformación del campo disciplinario de la genética en México, entendida como la creación de las instituciones alrededor y en las que las actividades científicas se llevaron a cabo. Este tipo de reconstrucción histórica permite entender cómo se estableció la genética en las instituciones mexicanas en la primera mitad del siglo XX. Se pretende analizar las condiciones científicas y las relaciones sociales que permitieron el establecimiento de la genética en México como una nueva disciplina a principios del siglo XX, y que se consolidó e institucionalizó posteriormente hacia la segunda mitad del mismo siglo. Se examinarán los efectos que tuvieron pequeñas comunidades durante la introducción de la genética en México, la aplicación, difusión y aceptación de la genética en el gremio de los agrónomos, particularmente el del Ingeniero Edmundo Taboada Ramírez en la Escuela Nacional de Agricultura.PALABRAS CLAVEALFONSO L. HERRERA, EDMUNDO TABOADA RAMÍREZ, ESCUELA NACIONAL DE AGRICULTURA, GENÉTICA Y AGRICULTURA, INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES AGRÍCOLAS, OFICINA DE CAMPOS EXPERIMENTALESABSTRACTThe theme of this work addresses the formation of genetics as a field of study in Mexico, which meant the creation of surrounding institutions in which scientific activities were carried out. This kind of historical reconstruction allows us to understand how genetics was established in Mexican institutions in the first half of the 20th century. It aims to analyze the scientific conditions and social relationships that allowed genetics to be established as a new discipline in Mexico at the start of the 20th century, as well as its later consolidation and institutionalization towards the second half of the same century. We shall examine the effects that small communities had during the introduction of genetics to Mexico, and application, dissemination and acceptance of genetics in the agronomist community, especially regarding Edmundo Taboada Ramírez at the National School of Agriculture.KEYWORDSALFONSO L. HERRERA, EDMUNDO TABOADA RAMÍREZ, NATIONAL SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE, GENETICS AND AGRICULTURE, INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHE

Transnational science and collaborative networks : the case of Genetics and Radiobiology in Mexico, 1950-1970

The transnational approach of the science and technology studies (S&TS) abandons the nation as a unit of analysis in order to understand the development of science history. It also abandons Euro-US-centred narratives in order to explain the role of international collaborative networks and the circulation of knowledge, people, artefacts and scientific practices. It is precisely under this perspective that the development of genetics and radiobiology in Mexico shall be analyzed, together with the pioneering work of the Mexican physician-turned-geneticist Alfonso León de Garay who spent two years in the Galton Laboratory in London under the supervision of Lionel Penrose. Upon his return de Garay funded the Genetics and Radiobiology Program of the National Commission of Nuclear Energy based on local needs and the aim of working beyond geographical limitations to thus facilitate the circulation of knowledge, practices and people. The three main lines of research conducted in the years after its foundation that were in line with international projects while responding to the national context were, first, cytogenetic studies of certain abnormalities, and the cytogenetics and anthropological studies of the Olympic Games held in Mexico in 1968; second, the study of the effects of radiation on hereditary material; and third, the study of population genetics in Drosophila and in Mexican indigenous groups. The program played a key role in reshaping the scientific careers of Mexican geneticists, and in transferring locally sourced research into broader networks. This case shows the importance of international collaborative networks and circulation in the constitution of national scientific elites, and also shows the national and transnational concerns that shaped local practices

Doxazosin in prostate cancer

Vicerrectorado de Investigación UF

Estudios genéticos y fisiopatológicos para la búsqueda de nuevos biomarcadores y terapias en acidemia propiónica

Tesis doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología Molecular. Fecha de lectura: 27-03-2019La acidemia propiónica (AP), una de las acidemias orgánicas más frecuentes, resulta de mutaciones en los genes PCCA y PCCB que provocan la deficiencia en el enzima mitocondrial propionil-CoA carboxilasa (PCC). La AP es una enfermedad heterogénea a nivel genético que se presenta comúnmente de manera neonatal con una sintomatología diversa, siendo frecuentes las complicaciones neurológicas y cardiacas. Este amplio espectro mutacional y clínico refleja la necesidad de caracterizar las variantes causantes de AP, así como de profundizar en los mecanismos moleculares que subyacen la fisiopatología de la enfermedad. El punto de partida de este trabajo ha sido el análisis estructural y funcional de 22 variantes de significado clínico incierto identificadas en pacientes con diagnóstico de AP. El mapeo de los cambios en el modelo de homología de la PCC humana reveló que la mayor parte desestabilizan la estructura de la proteína. Los resultados del estudio funcional en un sistema eucariota permitieron confirmar el efecto patogénico de los cambios, identificándose variantes catalíticas y estructurales. Además, se pudo recuperar ligeramente la actividad de la PCC y los niveles de proteína al crecer a 28°C fibroblastos portadores de alguno de estos cambios. Finalmente, el análisis de los datos clínicos disponibles permitió en algunos casos establecer la correlación entre el genotipo y el fenotipo de los pacientes, fundamental para predecir la progresión de la enfermedad. Con el fin de profundizar en la fisiopatología de la AP dirigimos nuestra investigación hacia el estudio de la función mitocondrial y de la homeostasis redox. Utilizando el modelo murino de la enfermedad hemos detectado niveles alterados de proteínas asociadas al metabolismo mitocondrial, así como defectos en la actividad de los complejos OXPHOS y depleción de mtDNA en tejidos relevantes para la AP. Se ha encontrado también un incremento de ROS y de daño oxidativo, concomitante con variaciones de enzimas antioxidantes. Nuestros estudios indican que la disfunción mitocondrial y el estrés oxidativo juegan un papel importante en la fisiopatología de la AP. El tratamiento del modelo murino de la enfermedad con los compuestos antioxidantes MitoQ y resveratrol resultó en un efecto beneficioso, contrarrestando el daño oxidativo y los niveles del marcador de daño cardiaco BNP. Estos estudios abren la puerta a investigar en profundidad el tratamiento con compuestos antioxidantes como terapia adyuvante en AP. Asimismo, hemos detectado miRNAs específicamente alterados en el cerebro, el corazón y el hígado del modelo murino de AP. El incremento de miR-34a-5p en estos tejidos se pudo correlacionar en algunos casos con la reducción de sus dianas BCL2 y MEK1, observación que se comprobó mediante un análisis funcional en modelos celulares. Además, se han identificado perfiles diferentes de miRNAs circulantes en el plasma de individuos control y de pacientes con AP, varios de los cuales coinciden con los que se encontraron desregulados en el modelo murino de la enfermedad. Estos resultados reflejan la utilidad de los perfiles de miRNAs para caracterizar vías alteradas que puedan contribuir a la fisiopatología de la AP, así como para identificar nuevas dianas terapéuticas y establecer nuevos biomarcadores de enfermedad.Propionic acidemia (PA), one of the most frequent life-threating organic acidemias, results from mutations in either PCCA or PCCB genes, thus leading to the deficiency of the mitochondrial enzyme propionyl-CoA carboxylase (PCC). PA is a heterogenous genetic disorder usually presented as a neonatal form with a diverse symptomatology, with frequent neurological and cardiac complications. The broad mutational and clinical spectrum reflects the need of characterizing variants causing PA and to further investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying PA pathophysiology. As a starting point in this work, we have performed a structural and functional analysis of 22 variants of uncertain clinical significance identified in patients diagnosed with PA. Mapping the changes in the homology model of the human PCC revealed most potentially disease-causing variants disturb protein structure. Functional analysis in a eukaryotic system confirmed the pathogenic effect of the missense changes, identifying catalytic and structural variants. Furthermore, we could detect a slight increase in PCC activity and protein levels in patient-derived fibroblasts carrying some of these mutations. Finally, examination of available clinical data allowed to establish genotype-phenotype correlations in some cases, which is essential for disease prognosis. To gain deeper insight into PA pathophysiology we focused our research in the study of mitochondrial function and redox homeostasis. Using the mouse model of the disease we have detected altered levels of proteins related to mitochondrial metabolism, together with activity defects of OXPHOS complexes and mtDNA depletion in relevant tissues for PA. We have also found an increase of ROS and oxidative damage, concomitant with variations in antioxidant enzymes. Our studies point to the role of mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress as key players in PA pathophysiology. Treatment of the mouse model of the disease with the antioxidant compounds MitoQ and resveratrol resulted in a beneficial effect, mainly by counteracting oxidative damage and BNP levels, a marker of cardiac damage. These studies pave the way to deeply investigate the treatment with antioxidant compounds as an adjuvant therapy for PA. Additionally, we have detected specifically altered miRNAs in brain, heart and liver of the PA mouse model. The increase in miR-34a-5p in these tissues correlated in some cases with the reduction of its targets BCL2 and MEK1, which was further confirmed by functional analysis in different cellular models. Moreover, we have identified different signatures of circulating miRNAs in plasma samples from control and PA patients, some of which were also found deregulated in the murine model of the disease. These results reflect the potential utility of miRNA profiles to characterize altered pathways contributing to PA pathophysiology, as well as to identify new therapeutic targets and to stablish new biomarkers of the disease.Este trabajo ha sido posible gracias a una ayuda para la movilidad predoctoral para la realización de estancias breves en centros I+D 2017 (EEBB-I-18-12870)