“The Government of Mexico can spend money on cars but not in health or education”

• Tessy Lopez Goerne is a Mexican scientist specializing in the field of nanomedicine.
• The researcher at the Autonomous Metropolitan University was recently awarded by the World Academy of Sciences.

We received a room in your house. On the other side of the screen, Tessy Lopez Goerne continues to work despite the cerebral stroke he suffered in 2010. “When I left the hospital I could only move his eyes. When I started to move two fingers of his left hand, I thought I wanted to write a book about nanomedicine,” he told Hypertext through Skype. The Mexican scientist does not lose the good humor. “I’m walker circus, half the time is spent in the hospital,” he laughs. The stroke did not stop him conducting his research group, although let paralyzed and hemiplegic on the right side. As I had not gotten cancer before. In the bedroom of his house his sons set up a screen to talk to the students of the laboratory. “I am very sick, but my house is like an extension of the university. Since I suffered the stroke work three times,” he says. “Nanotechnology is the medicine of the century”, says Lopez Goerne

Lopez Goerne teaches at the Metropolitan Autonomous University of Mexico. There leads a research group focused on the nanotechnology applied to health. “It is the medicine of the century” he says. Scientific began his career in the petrochemical, manufacturing Nanocatalyst by Sol-Gel process. A “simple” method, in his words, that is to prepare a suspension in water “as if fabricaras gelatin at home.” The resulting nanoparticles of up to ten nanometers in size. Impossible to display to the human eye. “They can be seen only with electron microscopy because they are smaller than a millimeter million times.” Just imagine the size causes vertigo. But nanotechnology, as anticipated Richard Feynman, you can write the future. For this look Invisible

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“I’ve always been blood science. Science makes me live,” says Tessy Lopez Goerne. His words are not random. Daughter of a researcher Guanajuato, she suddenly decided to enter the field of chemistry. The jump to medicine come later. “Working in petrochemical I used to develop selective catalysts, as if they were bullets that were direct to the chemical bond,” he told Hypertext . The disease, however, crossed his path. Several tumors on the ovary and head slowed the race of Mexican researcher, who also faced a divorce from her then husband, a professor of chemical kinetics. “I did not want to follow in petrochemicals because he was part of the network of scientists in this area,” he explains.

The Mexican has been recognized by the World Academy of Sciences, who rewarded his progress against diabetic foot One day accidentally crossed his path. He started working in the area of ​​neurology at the hospital, in particular studying epilepsy. “They let me go up to the operations. I first saw how the brain is operating,” he says. Subsequently the laboratory director pointed to the need to investigate the cancer. “It developed cytotoxic nanomaterials that improved the quality and length of life,” says Tessy Lopez Goerne. But one day he thought he could replicate his work in petrochemical taking it to the field of biomedicine. As explained Hypertext , “oil, even if the bottom, they are chains of carbon and hydrogen with phosphorus and sulfur as well. And the same bonds that DNA”. Then he had an idea. ? Why not make a functionalized, biocompatible and non-toxic nanocatalyst him to attack malignant cells only

That’s how started developing these nanocatalizadores, which so far have been tested in animal models to treat brain tumors, bladder, colon or lung cancer. Although this therapy has not proven to be effective in patients still Tessy Lopez Goerne bet because nanomedicine will the future. Nanoparticles created in the laboratory and used to treat diabetic foot, a complication in patients with diabetes that can be cured by applying this therapy. The treatment regenerates skin tissue and muscles avoiding the affected persons must be amputees, an achievement recently recognized with the TWAS Prize of the World Academy of Sciences. The researcher says, “is in talks with investors from the pharmaceutical industry that wants the production plant is in Mexico.” So keep the formulation under trade secret, although dispensed free of charge to people in need.

“He suffered cancer seven times and have always had money to pay for hospitals and treatments. But some people not even have any idea who is ill, “he laments scientific, who says flatly that ” health is both the rich and the poor “. Therefore it distributed free ointment in his laboratory while harshly criticizes Mexican authorities. “The government is a stupid point. They can spend money on cars or roads for the next elections, but not in health or education. I have not seen any progress on this in my 54 years of life,” says Tessy Lopez Goerne. “There is an appalling sexism in science,” says Tessy Lopez Goerne, very critical of Mexican politics

scientific also accuses education authorities. “I think it’s a matter of machismo that we block the investigations. In my university did an institute of nanotechnology but gave it to a Polish” he said during the interview. Tessy Lopez Goerne notes that there is “an appalling sexism” in science. And to explain it gives an example: a man can publish an article, and that is enough to be recognized, while a woman needs fifteen to do the same. Despite this and his health problems, the professor also Tulane University (United States ) said “very quarrelsome.” Only then will to live and to work for and research are discussed. “Even asleep I keep thinking about science,” he concludes with a smile.

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