By César Bianchi@Chechobianchi
Photos: Javier Nocti / @Javier.Noceti
Already a child, there I take a native Salto, Cristina wanted to be a medical one.As her older brothers serected and emigrated to train abroad, she didn't want to be less of her. She was clear that she would soon be expanding the scientific training of her in the United States.Today Cristina Bertolotto (58) has been in the stem cells for three decades and their impact on the improvement in the quality of life of people.She is one of the world's leading experts on the subject.
“I was interested in working in stem cells, I work in neurodevelopment and neuro-aging and in neurodegenerative diseases, so I lacked what the cell that regenerated the tissue was missing.They were already described in the nervous system, why they existed in the nervous system, but nobody showed them.And I, as I am microscopistalectronics, I started looking for them ("they must be small, they must be in some of thePharmacy of the Vieja City, one day to return to Los Angeles, California, where he lives.
To become a reference in the theme of the stem cells, he took advantage of the opportunities: he was "discovered" by UCLA, and accepted the convait of making his post -documeThey participated in the deciphering of the human genome.And she encloses and sports medicine she worked next to who is her partner today, ElaSpañol Ramón Cugat, the man who treated Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Yluis Suárez.
Being, as it is, one of the neuroscientific principals applied to the benefits of the stem cells, Bertolotto laments because he does not know enough, and because he did not read to pairs that are investigating the same as her, to not allow them to influence her.Reinventated as an entrepreneur, and its own conscloicicas in the United States and Uruguay, Bertolotto says that only science and its women's daughters are important, although every so often it goes out with friends. The same as the sunsets on the waterfront of Salto, although it seems “natural” to see inHis city of residence the take -off of Elon Musk's Space X.
-What time did you decide to devote yourself to neuroscience?What did you live in that branch of medicine and science?
"I wanted to be a doctor and psychiatrist. I was interested in how her head worked.When I started in the Faculty of Medicine I had biophysics, the neurons worked, and fascinating me.I got into the department of biophysics when I had 18 years and began to do research on membrane transport, electrical changes that the cells have, and when I started physiology -specifically neurophysiology -, there I found what I subjugated me: how the neurons worked.I got into the Department of Neurophysiology, in a seminar, and Mequedé, doing research.He was 19 or 20 years old.
-Uruguay is small for scientists with projection, and for e -emigrar?
-Yes.Now we are in another era.The Newsacá arrive much later.I spoke a few days ago with one of my daughters (my three daughters grew up in Los Angeles), that being in California is like the cradle of innovation.I have lived in Los Angeles for 31 years, Yahí is all natural, you hear that Elon Musk is sending his space x alaspace ship and is natural.The other day I was in the freeway driving and I see an avion with a flame of fire, and it was the Space X that was landing.I don't think another place in the world like California.Uruguay has a stop, yes.But Nosolo Uruguay: South America, and Europe too, because I meet Europeans, and they have no possibility that I can have in the United States.
-It did a postdoctorate at UCLA (University of California in Losángels).How did that "pass" happen outside, at 24?
-I always had in my head that Meiba going from Uruguay, because my brothers went to study Afrhancence.Or I already knew that I was going to receive me, and that I was going to go, at least, two years to study abroad.I was finishing the medical career, and I had defined that I liked to do research, rather than exercise licking.
At 24 I went alone to Losángels. It arises from a course that came Peter Narins, from the UCLA, came to give us audition of the Faculty of Medicine, in Neurophysiology. We were 15 students, and I was one of him. Before the end of the course he put three of us to present the research project we were carrying out. I showed mine, and then offered me if I wanted to go from him and make my postdoctorate in neuroscience in his laboratory. And one of the ones who know the most from the entire auditory system and behavior of the wings in the world. He was interested in my specialty, I make microscopy electronics, and I also combine physiology and molecular biology. At that moment I was not received, I lacked about four clinics. He told me: "Well, teespero next year, but you have to have your doctor's title." .Then I started studying and gave an exam per period, I spent all the expansions and clinics in September 90, and in October of that year 90, I was Los Angeles.
-It is an outstanding neuroscientific in the world for the use of cellsmadre for people's recovery.Let's start with the beginning: What are stem cells?What capacities have these "pluripotential" cells?
-I have all stem cells, every living being has them in their organism and serves to regenerate tissues.For example, when you are in the growth stage there is a process of cell death that is scheduled to grow the nerves, so that they grow the arms. That programmed cell death has to have a cellular regeneration.For that, we (all) have stem cells circulating in the body.First it was thought that there was only bone marrow, then it was said that the brain did not have stem cells -and it has -today it is known that in the lip of the brain, above the nose, it is where they are concentrated.
I discovered with a student of mine, and Hoycolega, that these stem cells are also in the adipose tissue, in tears, and notice that in every corner of the body there is fat.There in that fat these stem cells that are pluripotential are.What does it mean?That it is possible to transform into any type of tissue, it has the potential to deform into any type of tissue.If you have a muscle lesion, the muscle is established, if you need to transform into a destination cell, Setransforma.It has that potential.Then there is another stage: these levelpotential cells become mesenquimales, which is more maturation of these pluripotential cells.Those can no longer be transformed into any type, but they can be transformed into muscle, bone, cartilage or skin. When you work in stem cells, the ideal is that they are pluripotential, because they are like a wild card: you use it in anything.
-What is the technique you use with stem cells?
-I do two types of treatments. One, they are osteoarticular treatments, when patients have arthritis or osteoarthritis, and the cartilage is needed in the joint.When the cartilage does between the joint, the patient has pain.They have arthrosis, their knees hurt, they can't walk.That is because there is a chriculture, because the cartilage disappeared and under the cartilage is the bone. There is a friction of the bone, and that is what makes the patient hurt.For an ethype of treatment in 90% I use bone marrow stem cells.Extigola bone marrow of the hip bone, what is called the Caracú, and in that hollow part it is where the bone marrow is circulating, which is a little morespex blood, with a large concentration of pluripotential stem cells.Alprincipio was thought to be transformed only into blood tissues, but today it is known that they transform into any tissue.
70 years ago bone marrow transplants are made. It was discovered that doing bone marrow transplants the patients improved blood cancer, lymphomas. What was not known was what improved them, and over the years it was discovered that what improved them were stem cells. Then today in those bone marrow transplants, stem cells take them out, and the patient cells implants, no longer the whole marrow. I do the same technique: I extract the marrow stem cells and put them in the joints. When stem cells arrive at articulation, there is an inflammatory process. The cell that is inflamedch on a protein called cytokines. Now the covid generates unattorous of cytokines. They are proteins that are generated by all cells that are injured, and if they are injured they are inflamed and when they are inferred, they release cytokines. The stem cells have receptors to lascoquins, so if you put them, circulate and find a cell that is found, they will hit the cell that is sick. The stem cell sticks the one that is injured and the injured transfers the information of what typode cell it is. The information passes genetically - let's notice that it is uncharted - and thus stimulates the pluripotential stem cell and transform cartilage cell.
-And the other technique?
-Well, I discovered some cellsmadre in the adipose tissue.They are pluripotential stem cells as well.Not only there is stem cells in the bone marrow, but we discover that there are also fat.
-I heard her say a joke: "Don't feel fat, they feel that they have a stem cell bank."
-Yes!Hahaha ... It is not advisable lagordura, but when I see chubby I remain happy.I think they have a stem cells!
What I do is a patient lipaspiration and I use the patient's cells himself, so it is an autocure.It makes it perfect: I mean that a stem cell is transformed into a neuron, a cartilage or in a bone.There is no maneuver in the laboratory that exceeds nature.Then, since I discovered stem cells in the adipose tissue, I extract them from there and inject them intravenously.These pluripotential stem cells circulate through the blood, and then, they go to the places where there is inflammation, where there is injury.And that way you can cure many diseases.
I think of neuroserrative diseases, improve the patient's quality of life, and also seutilize for rejuvenation.I have many abroad patients who come a year to become treatments.They have no problems, but they know that these treatments are going to do well.
-What ailments can be fought with stem cells?
-In patients who do not control ladiabetes, stem cell treatment stabilizes diabetes.In the end, they use less insulin, they are stable.The first thing that the stem cell does generate microvascularization, small blood vessels, capillaries, then be able to oxygenate, bring nutrients and regenerate tissues.What does it in many diseases?There is an injury to the blood vessels and then, if you put stem cells, you will improve the quality of the medium where they are.Ladiabetes is a disease that the first thing that injures is the lazicrovascularization.Some attack their eyes and lose their eyes, (they have) diabetic retinopathies, others attack the microvascularization of lower women and make diabetic ulcers.Then, when making stem cells to a diabetic patient, you are improving all microcirculation.
-Can memory with stem cells be improved?Improve - not digocate - Alzheimer's in the elderly, for example?Blindness, Parkinson, strokes, cardiac insufficiencies?
-That is: Memory can be improved, you can improve Alzheimer's, vision problems, and insufficiency.If you start thinking about what I told you before: why do we lose smell?We lose our memory because we are getting years and every time we question we have memory.Aging generates the loss of that vascularization, of those capillaries, of those microvasos.And when a microvaso closes, blood does not circulate and cells, neurons, die.Then we are microinfarotos.With those microinfarts we lose our memory.If stem cells is generated a revascularization at the level of the brain and you will recover cells, then you recover memory.
-In these examples that I mentioned, how is it proven that mother's drawings give results, and which are still under study?
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I do not have many patients with heart disease, because I do not do much propaganda in that, but years ago, stem cells are used for patients with coronary heart disease, for example. And patients improve a lot. For the same reason: the corner is because the arteries are covered, if you put stem cells they will improve them blood vessels, and will improve heart circulation. The insufficiency is because the arteries are covered, the renal tissue dies, and makes renal insufficiency. Then, you put stem cells, and improve the insufficient. And with low equal vision. It occurs because there is cell death in sensory the eyelets of the eye. Parkinson's is the cell death of neurons of the base ganglia and at the level of the nigra substance, a nucleus that is at the base of the brain. It is not known why there is cell death, Perosí is known that there is disappearance of blood vessels. Again: you put stem cells, generate blood vessels in that area, and there is a recovery of the patient's quality of life.
-Re spite of the experience that accumulates, does not stop investigating, and depublicar papers in preset magazines ...
-I every time I realize that you are ... it gives me anxiety because it does not give me the time for everything, to do researcher and work.To understand how the cells worked and not let myself be influenced by other scientists, I made the decision that Novoy to read anything and I will try to generate my creativity, my knowledge and my experience, to see if I conclude with something new and not influenced by people whoHe is doing the same as me.Keep in mind that I work as a team, I work with Dr. Anabel Fernández del Clemente stable here, and with Dr. Juan Carlos Rosillo.And I also work with Saleh Heneidi, who was my student and now my colleague, in the United States.I was commissioned to continue reading and told me only the interesting things.
-What do you think can give Uruguayan professionals in Suárea?
-All that I know about stem cells and all my experience in this work area is not many people who have it.We wanted to publish a job about 20 years ago - which would publish it in two seconds - and they rejected us in all the magazines. And that work is still in force and what we wanted to publish is in force.Peronunca was published, due to ignorance of those who read traffic work such as Nature or Science, and had the authority to deposit it or not.
-Can you be that elite soccer players can prolong their career in Elexterior thanks to stem cell treatments?
-Yes, they are prolonging their races, not only outside.Three weeks ago I did the treatment of two professional soccer players (I cannot say their names, one plays in Elexterior and the other in Uruguay), but what I like most is that they are young people of 20, 21 years old, and they are already very awareWhat it means to take care of yourself.I explained the important thing about prevention -they are boys who already have problems of knees, they took out the meniscos years ago -and they have to take care of themselves, because whenever the meniscos take them out, a year they do osteoarthritis.There is one that goes a year and puts stem cells on the knees.
-He treated Diego Lugano and had a lot to do with the attention to LuisSuárez, among other players who suffered injuries, and after a mother -made treatment, they played without pain again ...
-To Lugano had told him that they could never play again and at four months, after treatment, he bought it from Europe and continued playing four more years.I recommended that it be treatment once a year, because once you already have the injury and the knee demanding (if applicable), you have to follow the treatment, one year a year, because it was demanding a knee that was not in good cares, becauseHe lacks a meniscus, the joint between the two bones.
I also attended the Pablocuevas tennis player.The other days he wrote to me and put me: "It's amazing, I don't remember it anymore, it was to play painless."When the athlete understands the important thing to decide and comes with us, at least once every six months, we are finding them.
-DiGigo a telemedicine and biotechnology company.Is it considered a company, in addition to scientist?
-I think all scientists on entrepreneurs.Getting to look for things that do not exist is important.And opening a company, leaving the negotiation part, it was when I started working technology, everything related to patents.There I understood that things arrive at society, it must be structured in a private one.The academy works perfect, but never a product that you discuss, if you do not market it, it will never be efficient ... if you do not, you are alone, it is like having a drug for five patients.
To expose (sic) that result and that expands in the world and that your research is efficient, you necessarily have to put a company.I learned that doing technology.I make technology too.I have my products and believe the companies.The idea of Telemedicine was before the pandemic, during the pandemic millions of enterhemedicin companies were created.In the company that I have (my partner is Ramón Cugat) we are all specialists in treatment of regenerative medicine and in sports.We are the most important in the world.The idea is that any athlete in the world, through a website or an app can reach us, and have an accurate co -one.Do not go to any doctor and take a desired decision, which can then cost you the career's career.
Physically I am in California and Cugat in Barcelona, but it does not matter where, we can attend it at a personalized way.With a magnetic resonance, we are left over.The patient sends us the resonance for the application or porn our platform, we read it, we know what happens to it and then we have a medical network worldwide, which can treat it.In Mexico we work with Tailenical, in Spain you can operate with Ramón Cugat, in Brazil (Porto Alegre) Colega Luis Felipe Carvalho, which is excellent, in San Pablo with another, enestados united with another, and so on.We work as a team.
-During the administration of Barack Obama, the then president of United States, he chose her to accompany him with a team of doctors and scientists on a trip to Africa.It was a trip to its ancestral roots, Enkenia, and you accompanied him.How do you remember that experience?
-It was an incredible experience. First of receiving a letter with the firm of Obama! It seemed to me it was a lie.He agreed that I was in an plane that arrived five minutes before his plane to Nairobi.I was unique that had a stem cell biotechnology company.There were entrepreneurs from all over the world and several specialties.
-Is it feminist?
-(Think) I don't know, I want it to be ... I am a feminist, but I am not anti-men.We are all the same, and all different others.But I guarantee you that to get where I got to have to try many more obstacles than men.Always.But I never renegated, I always fought a lot against that.Everywhere there is machismo, it is part of the society, but I have moved on and achieve what I want.
-Choly 30 years dedicated to stem cells.Are there many or opportunity chantas working with stem cell treatments?
-Yes, it's yes.There are many (chantas), and the saddest thing is that they are playing with the health of a human being. They are chantas working with mice does not bother me, but that they are working with humans yes.You have to be humble with knowledge.And yet, I meet colleagues to whom I have a lot to do.I think if you go to a course for a week or a year, you will not be the best and you will not have the right to criticize others ... a patient told me: "Mimédico told me that you clone cells."I told him that I am very enclosed in Malaborratory, I do not let anyone enter, and there are people who have no knowledge that badly interprep what I do.How can someone say cells, when he was even in my laboratory?There are many unscrupulous, as in all activities, but what bothers me is that they play with the health of Lagente.
-What are your main achievements in regenerative medicine?SINFALSA MODESTIA, PLEASE ...
-The most important thing I achieved, together with my colleagues, was to discover these pluripotential stem cells in adipose tile.Because that, definitely, opened a new area in the world to work, from the point of view of research and as a treatment.
-He has an office here in Montevideo.What pathologies usually present the Uruguayans?
-The majority comes due to arthrosis, osteoarthritis problems, but I also have many patients with neurodegenerative diseases, and it is my passion, because I am neuroscientific and I endneurodevelopment.Doing treatment is where stem cells work more, but I also have patients with respiratory consoles, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases). It is incredible how they improve with stem cells!
-How is your daily life in Los Angeles?
-I love angels ... my life nocambia a lot anywhere: my head is always in what the cells are, and in my daughters.I work a lot.I am divorced, but I have friends with the time I take the time to leave and see them.From Uruguay strange the sunsets of Salto, on the waterfront, and the hot springs.But I am very adapted to live there.
-Is happy?
-I am very happy.
By César Bianchi@Chechobianchi
Montevideo Portal