The present study, developed with the participation of Dr. Anita Villacís, critically analyzes the limited ethical oversight structures for animal research in Ecuador, within a context in which scientific productivity is high but institutional control mechanisms remain insufficient. In response to this issue, the research proposes a bioethical framework for the creation of an Animal Research Ethics Committee (CEIA) at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE), particularly oriented toward areas such as Biomedicine and related disciplines. The analysis is based on a qualitative review of policies and guidelines from 20 leading universities worldwide, selected through stratified sampling of the QS 2020 ranking in Life Sciences and Medicine, whose documents were coded and analyzed using Atlas.ti software. The results show that the principle of Refinement is the most developed internationally, followed by Reduction and, to a lesser extent, Replacement, reflecting a strong concern for minimizing animal suffering through proper handling, pain control, humane criteria, and comprehensive welfare.
The study reaffirms that the use of animals in research is ethically justifiable only when no scientifically valid alternatives exist and when the potential benefits outweigh the harm caused, in accordance with the principle of the 3Rs. In the Ecuadorian context, although the regulatory framework recognizes these principles and the country stands out for the constitutional recognition of the Rights of Nature, a significant gap persists in the implementation of institutional ethics committees, a situation that limits the autonomy, efficiency, and scientific competitiveness of institutions such as PUCE. In light of this scenario, the research concludes that the creation of an institutional CEIA is not only a regulatory and ethical requirement, but also a key strategy to strengthen a culture of responsible research, ensure animal welfare, optimize ethical review processes, and position the university within international standards of scientific excellence, also becoming a replicable model for other institutions in Ecuador and Latin America.
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This study, with the participation of the principal investigator of CISeAL, Dr. Fabián Sáenz, analyzes the presence of asymptomatic malaria infections in communities of the Putumayo canton in the Ecuadorian Amazon, a border area characterized by high human mobility and persistent transmission despite national advances in disease control. The research reveals a critical gap in epidemiological surveillance: while rapid diagnostic tests detected no cases and microscopy identified only high-density infections, the use of qPCR uncovered a hidden reservoir of asymptomatic malaria that remains invisible to routine methods. The results confirm a low but epidemiologically relevant prevalence, dominated by submicroscopic infections, consistent with the regional pattern of Plasmodium vivax predominance and with cross-border transmission dynamics sustained by river corridors and extractive activities.
The article, led by Katherine Simbaña-Rivera and developed with the support of Damary S. Jaramillo-Aguilar, Ruth Jimbo-Sotomayor, Jhon Paul Guerrero-Gonzalez, and Xavier Sánchez, researchers from CISeAL, together with other experts, analyzes the preparedness and response of Ecuador’s health system to volcanic activity occurring between 2000 and 2024, in a country characterized by high exposure to this type of natural hazard. Based on an exhaustive documentary review of institutional, regulatory, scientific, and grey literature sources, the study examines the main eruptive events recorded at the Tungurahua, Cotopaxi, Sangay, and Reventador volcanoes, as well as the health impacts and the actions implemented by the institutions responsible for risk management and public health.
The diagnosis of syphilis continues to rely on two types of serological tests: non-treponemal (NT), used as an initial screening, and treponemal (T), used as confirmatory tests. However, the relationship between both types and their ability to accurately detect the infection remains under analysis, especially in contexts where transfusion safety is critical. With this purpose, Verónica Aguaiza, Bq, and Rosa Chiriboga, MPH, from the Reference Unit for Blood Banks (URBS), evaluated 384 initially reactive samples using VDRL, and subsequently subjected them to VDRL, ELISA, CLIA, and FTA-ABS as the confirmatory reference. The study showed that concordance between NT and T tests was moderate, reaching percentages between 76% and 83%, and that this concordance decreased even further when compared to FTA-ABS, with values ranging from 44.2% to 61.9%. Although all tests demonstrated high sensitivities, significant differences emerged in their predictive value: VDRL presented the highest rate of false positives (up to 94.52%), while the automated treponemal CLIA test achieved the best positive predictive value (95.27%) and the strongest overall performance.
Our Principal Investigator, Dr. Ana Lucía Moncayo, together with Dr. Julia M. Pescarini from the Center for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (Cidacs) – Brazil, took part in a collaborative study in which they share both first and corresponding authorship. The article, published in PLOS Global Public Health, is titled “Implementation and effects of social protection programs for children, older adults, and people with disabilities in Brazil and Ecuador: A scoping review.”
This work is part of the SEDHI project (Social and Environmental Determinants of Health Inequalities) and examines how social protection programs targeting children, older adults, and people with disabilities living in poverty have been implemented and what their effects have been in Brazil and Ecuador. The review explores the link between poverty and health in Latin America, where long-standing inequality has driven the creation of policies such as Bolsa Família in Brazil and the Bono de Desarrollo Humano in Ecuador. These programs have helped reduce poverty and improve indicators of education, economic inclusion, and health, although coverage and sustainability gaps persist.
The study represents the first report on the intestinal bacterial microbiota of Panstrongylus chinai, a secondary vector of Chagas disease in southern Ecuador. This research was conducted by the CISeAL team under the direction of Dr. Anita Villacís, with the objective of characterizing the microbial diversity present in the gut of this species and exploring its possible relationship with the transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi.
Samples were collected from three rural communities in the Calvas canton, Loja province (Guara, Chaquizhca, and Bellamaría), in both domestic and peridomestic environments. The insects were subsequently processed and analyzed using molecular techniques at CISeAL (PUCE) to identify the presence of T. cruzi as well as the composition of the intestinal bacterial community through amplification and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene.
The research led by Dr. Denis Sereno, researcher at the IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement), in collaboration with Dr. Mario Grijalva and Dr. Anita Villacís, principal investigators at CISeAL, addresses an emerging challenge in global public health: the diversity and behavior of non-conventional Leishmania species that cause infections in both humans and animals.
Traditionally, leishmaniases have been attributed to a limited group of species (such as L. donovani, L. infantum, L. major, or L. tropica), each associated with a well-defined clinical presentation. However, advances in molecular diagnostics have revealed a more complex scenario. Recent cases have identified atypical or emerging species, such as those belonging to the subgenus Mundinia (L. martiniquensis, L. orientalis), as well as unusual clinical manifestations in classical species—challenging traditional models of diagnosis and surveillance.
