Healthcare and Environmental Technology

Healthcare & environmental technology

Several of the institutions forming the coalition working in the field of environmental technology are currently focused on the development of waste-processing bacteria, the characterisation of the degradation routes of organic pollutants and the optimisation of the genetic expressions involved in said processes. The researchers attached to the Estación Experimental del Zaidín and the Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas have coordinated several projects, such as those included within the programme Consolider, and have developed their own technologies in the field of metagenomic analysis in order to identify these properties in bacteria.

The work of the Instituto Andaluz de Biotecnología (IAB) dattached to the Junta de Andalucía, should also be emphasised. CamBio’s member universities and CSIC belong to this institution, which promotes the investment of public funds in multidisciplinary research in the field of biotechnology.

Regarding environmental engineering, CamBio accumulates a long experience in water and solid waste management, and in the production of lignocellulosic materials from agricultural waste. A work avenue on the valorisation of waste in paper pulp, and on the evaluation of the commercial possibilities of this in cooperation with companies working in the agro-alimentary sector, has also been opened. Similarly, other projects on environmental impact management are also being conducted in collaboration with engineering firms. With regards to ecological chemistry, the work carried out by the Centro de Investigación en Química Sostenible (CIQSO), must also be highlighted. The centre focuses on the optimisation of environmentally friendly industrial processes.

In the area of healthcare, CEI CamBio cooperates with the Networked Bio-medic Centre for the Research of Rare Diseases (CIBER) attached to the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación). Within this framework of cooperation with CIBER, we must highlight the creation of a spin-off company within the coalition, SELTEN DIAGNOSIS, to contribute to the biochemical and molecular diagnosis of these illnesses at the national level. Additionally, the coalition also employs experts in the evaluation of the toxic hazards of chemical products and in the investigation of environmental offences, while participating in the Spanish Network for the Development of Alternative Techniques to Animal Experimentation (REMA).

From the point of view of public education, the members of the coalition are actively involved in the development of the Research Centre on Physical Activity, Healthcare and Sport Sciences promoted by the Consejería de Salud, Junta de Andalucía, for the coordination of research groups of excellence in the field of physical activity and for the promotion of a healthy lifestyle for the elderly and children. Similarly, CEI CamBio is also following the priorities set forth by the Consejería de Salud in the field of health hazards prevention, through the analysis of the impact of environmental conditions on metabolic illnesses caused by malnutrition, and also of the benefits of certain diets, with special regards to the use of olive oil.

CEI CamBio member universities also hold a leading position in healthcare teaching at the international level. This is reflected in the joint Master’s Programme in Current Knowledge of Rare Diseases, carried out in cooperation with the Consejería de Salud, Junta de Andalucía and the Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Raras, and in the Master’s Programme in Healthcare Bio-Technology. Along with the Consejería de Salud, the coalition also participates in the education of experts in clinical laboratory management, towards the creation of a regional network for better and more efficient management of samples and a full guarantee of confidentiality.

See Healthcare & Environ. Technology Thematic Aggregation