UC Veterinary Students Awarded Funds to Study the Impact of Cancer in Dogs
The students will seek to generate a web platform that captures information about dogs that have had cancer and guides people, taking into account that today there is no such registry.
photo_camera This initiative was promoted by Purina, in association with the Veterinary Medical College (Colmevet), with the aim of financing research projects aimed at improving the quality of life of dogs and cats.
In 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, the UC Veterinary Medicine career received its first generation of students. In a year full of challenges, the strong commitment of academics and students has been reflected in various advances.
Indeed, a group of this first generation postulated the project “Epidemiological indicators of cancer in dogs in the Metropolitan Region” and was awarded the maximum amount for a project of the 2020 Scientific Competitive Funds , an initiative promoted by Purina , in association with the College Veterinary Doctor (Colmevet), whose objective is to finance research projects aimed at improving the quality of life of dogs and cats .
According to the academic account and responsible tutor, Fernando Mardones, this is a project led by a team of the first students of the degree, those who this 2021 are going to their second year, and that will allow them to work for a year in an extensive study. “We will promote the creation of a web platform that captures information from pet owners who have had cancer and that also provides guidance on this issue. This, since today we do not know what the real impact of cancer on pets is and that is what we want to address “ , explained the academic.
“This is also a very important milestone, because it is the first time that Veterinary students have been awarded a fund of this type,” added Mardones.
In addition, Mardones explained that this information will be complemented thanks to an agreement with the Undersecretariat of Regional and Administrative Development, Subdere, which will allow a national survey to be carried out to consult on the presentation of cancer in Chile , which will culminate in an epidemiological study that will be developed during the year.
How much does the contest finance?
The 2020 Purina – Colmevet Scientific Competitive Funds are an initiative aimed at veterinary medicine students who have a veterinary medical teaching tutor, veterinary doctors and academics from schools of veterinary medicine in the country.
The fund amounted to a total of $ 8,000,000 to be distributed among the winning projects, with a maximum contribution of $ 4,000,000 for a single project, the maximum amount that UC students were awarded with their project.
For the selection of the winners, five criteria were considered , among which are the technical quality of the project; innovation, that the project provides an innovative solution to an existing problem; realism, that the amount requested is adjusted to the size of the project; durability, that the project generates a sustainable benefit over time; and benefit, that its materialization constitutes a tangible benefit for pets.
Indeed, as Eric Zeller, executive of Nestlé Purina Chile, points out, the idea of this contest is “to promote innovation in research, helping to finance projects that aim to enrich the lives of animals and the people who love them” .
Five students
The team of UC Veterinary students that will work on this project is made up of Lucia Peters, Gabriel Morales, Gabriel Gárate, Gabriela Carrasco and Aylin Pizarro , who explained that due to the absence of epidemiological studies of cancer in dogs in the metropolitan region, they decided to dedicate the project to the study of this matter.