ICB UNAB academic is recognized for her work in dementia research.

The researcher is Dr. Brigitte van Zundert, highlighted among the great Latin American exponents in this field in a publication of the important scientific journal Frontiers in Aging Neurosciences.

Women’s contributions to science have been underrepresented throughout history. Despite many efforts and some advances to reduce gender inequality in science, pursuing an academic career in various disciplines, including Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, remains a challenge for many.

Moreover, in Latin American countries, these particular difficulties are probably intensified by gender gaps and idiosyncrasies.

This was reported in the publication «Latin American Women in dementia research: outstanding contributions, barriers, and Opportunities from Argentinian, Chilean, and Colombian Colleagues» in the prestigious international scientific journal Frontiers in Aging Neurosciences.

The article highlights and celebrates the remarkable contributions made by women scientists from Chile, Argentina, and Colombia in dementia research, while discussing the barriers and opportunities they identified.

Participating Chilean researchers included Andrea Slachevsky, Maria Isabel Behrens, Natalia Salvadores, Rommy von Bernhardi, and, representing the UNAB Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Dr. Brigitte van Zundert, all recognized for their work on the molecular and cellular basis of learning and memory in health and neurodegenerative diseases.

From Chile to the international science radar

Van Zundert’s laboratory has investigated the role of the PSD95 protein in the developing hippocampus, using epigenetic strategies to address Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Moreover, she and her team have studied the impact of urban air pollution on epigenetic gene regulation and AD markers in humans and mice. They have found that young, healthy people with long-term exposure to urban air pollution show changes in epigenetic marks, DNA damage, and AD markers.

These findings highlight the role of epigenetic mechanisms in learning and memory in neurodegenerative diseases. She has published over 50 scientific articles in prestigious journals such as Brain and Neuron.

In the latter journal, van Zundert published results that could open hopes in treating and diagnosing Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, after determining the critical factor that triggers it. Her work has also earned her distinctions at the national level, earning her a place among El Mercurio’s women leaders in 2022.

Despite these acknowledgments, the Frontiers publication also urges systematically exploring the participation, barriers, and opportunities for Latin American women dementia researchers through quantitative measures to develop interventions to reduce the gap.

«We hope this work will inspire others and serve as a starting point for addressing these critical issues. Diversity and gender equity in research are critical to global and local efforts in the fight against dementia,» the text concludes.