Our researchers are a reflection of CISeAL's permanent effort to invest its best resources and human talent
in the pursuit of wellbeing for those who need it the most.
Luciana Armijos, M.D.
Education:
- 2017. Master in Public Health. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. USA. Speciality: Health Systems and Policies.
- 2017. Certificate in Applied Epidemiology. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. USA.
- 2013. Doctor in Medicine. Universidad Complutense de Madrid, España. Integrated Master in Medical Research.
Current position:
- Adjunct Investigator to the group of Dr. Ruth Jimbo-Sotomayor at the Center for Research on Health in Latin America.
- Consultant at Corporación Andina de Fomento – CAF.
- Postgraduate Professor, School of Medicine. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador.
Current research (PUCE): Health and Vulnerable Groups.
Recent publications:
- Armijos, L., Tello, B., Sevilla, C., Cano, I., Fonseca, J., Vivas, L., Rivadeneira, M., Jimbo, R., Sánchez, X., Santillán, N., Espín, I. (2022). Development of a web-based tool –The Score Bebé ®– for enhancing neonatal risk stratification: A nationwide retrospective study. In: Jay Kalra and Nancy Lightner (eds) Healthcare and Medical Devices. AHFE (2022) International Conference. AHFE Open Access, vol 51. AHFE International, USA. http://doi.org/10.54941/ahfe1002102
- Jimbo-Sotomayor, R., Watts, E., Armijos, L., Sriudomporn, S., Sánchez, X., Echeverria, A., Whittembury, A., Patenaude, B. (2022). Return on Investment of 10-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in Ecuador From 2010 to 2030. Value in Health Regional Issues 31, 148-154. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vhri.2022.05.003
- Acosta-Vargas, P., Dueñas-Espín, I., Armijos, L., Fonseca, J., Santillán, N., Jimbo, R., Rivadeneira, M.F., Xánchez, X., Sevilla, C., Tello, B. and Vivas, L. (2021). Challenges of Web Accessibility in a Health Application to Predict Neonatal Mortality – The Score Bebe ®. In: Nunes I.L. (eds) Advances in Human Factors and System Interactions. AHFE 2021. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 265. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79816-1_30
- Dueñas-Espín I, Armijos-Acurio L, Espín E, Espinosa-Herrera F, Jimbo R, León-Cáceres Á, et al. (2021) Is a higher altitude associated with shorter survival among at-risk neonates? PLoS ONE 16(7): e0253413. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253413
- Moreno Roca, A., Armijos Acurio, L., Jimbo Sotomayor, R., Céspedes Rivadeneira, C., Rosero Reyes, C. & López Ayala, C. (2021). Cohort study of the overall survival of patients with pancreatic cancer in a hospital of specialties of Quito-Ecuador in the period 2007–2017. Innovative Surgical Sciences, (). https://doi.org/10.1515/iss-2020-0030
- Sánchez, X., Orrico, M., Morillo, T., Manzano, A., Jimbo, R. and L. Armijos (2021). Reducing unnecessary antibiotic prescription through implementation of a clinical guideline on self-limiting respiratory tract infections. PLOS ONE 16(4): e0249475. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249475
- García, M., Acurio, M. L. A., Sotomayor, R. J., Sanchez, X., & Guijarro, S. (2019). Analysis of births, abortions and maternal mortality in adolescents in Ecuador from 2013 to 2016. International Journal of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpam.2019.07.002
- Choez, X. S., Acurio, M. L. A., & Sotomayor, R. E. J. (2018). Appropriateness and adequacy of antibiotic prescription for upper respiratory tract infections in ambulatory health care centers in Ecuador. BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology, 19(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40360-018-0237-y
- Ortiz-Prado, E., Castillo, T. A., Olmedo-López, M., Armijos, L., Ramírez, D., & Iturralde, A. L. (2018). Cesarean section rates in Ecuador: a 13-year comparative analysis between public and private health systems. Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública, 41, e15. https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2017.15
- Pesántez-Ríos, G., Armijos-Acurio, L., Jimbo-Sotomayor, R., Pascual-Pascual, S. I., & Pesántez-Cuesta, G. (2017). Cannabidiol: uso en epilepsias refractarias. Rev. neurol.(Ed. impr.), 157-160. https://pesquisa.bvsalud.org/portal/resource/pt/ibc-166091
- Armijos, L., Escalante, S., & Villacrés, T. (2017). La evaluación de tecnologías sanitarias en el Ministerio de Salud Pública de Ecuador como herramienta para la compra de medicamentos entre 2012 y 2015. Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública, 41, e50. https://www.scielosp.org/article/rpsp/2017.v41/e50/es/
- Ortiz-Prado, E., Ponce-Zea, J., Ramirez, D., Stewart-Ibarra, A. M., Armijos, L., Yockteng, J., & Cárdenas, W. B. (2016). Rabies epidemiology and control in Ecuador. Global journal of health science, 8(3), 113. doi: 10.5539/gjhs.v8n3p113
Orcid: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8881-1892
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Maria_Armijos
Marco Neira, PhD.
Biology, Physiology, and Control of Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of medical interest
Education:
- 2013 - 2015. Postdoctoral fellow Fogarty International Center (National Institutes of Health), D43 Training Grant.
- 2009 - 2010. Postdoctoral fellow. Vector Group. Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
- 2005 - 2009. Postdoctoral fellow.The Whitney Laboratory. University of Florida, St. Augustine, Florida.
- 2005. PhD. in Biological Sciences. Ohio University, OH, USA.
- 2001. Master in Arts. International Development Affairs – Health Concentration. Ohio University, OH, USA.
- 1999. Bachelor in Biology. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador.
Current position:
- Adjunct researcher to the group of Dr. Anita Villacís.
Recent publications:
- Sippy, R., Rivera, G.E., Sanchez, V., ... and Neira, M. (2020). Ingested insecticide to control Aedes aegypti: developing a novel dried attractive toxic sugar bait device for intra-domiciliary control. Parasites Vectors 13, 78. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-020-3930-9
- Pilaquinga, F., Morejón, B., Ganchala, D., Morey, J., Piña, N., Debut, A. & Neira M. (2019). Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Solanum mammosum L. (Solanaceae) fruit extract and their larvicidal activity against Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera: Culicidae). PLOS ONE 14(10): e0224109. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0224109
Libros
- Anita G. Villacís, Fabián E. Sáenz, Marco V. Neira, Mario J. Grijalva. 2018. Ecosalud en las enfermedades transmitidas por vectores: Chagas, Dengue y Malaria. Tercer tomo (Ciencia de la Salud). La Medicina Ecuatoriana en el siglo XXI. Academia Ecuatoriana de Medicina Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Corporación Editora Nacional, editor Jaime Breilh.
Orcid: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8068-5772
ReseachGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marco_Neira
Our researchers are a reflection of CISeAL's permanent effort to invest its best resources and human talent in the pursuit of wellbeing for those who need it the most.
Ana María Gómez, M.D.
Evidence-Based Medicine applied to Infectious Diseases / HIV virus resistance.
Education:
- 2019 - currently. Ph.D. in Health Sciences, European University of Madrid. Madrid Spain.
- 2019. Fellowship in Infectious Diseases and HIV. Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Foundation for the Fight Against AIDS. Barcelona, Spain.
- 2019. Master in Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Treatment. Cardenal Herrera University. Valencia, Spain.
- 2019. Master in University Education. European University of Madrid, Spain.
- 2018. Training - Internship hands-on Infectious Diseases / HIV / Transplant. University of Illinois Hospital. USA.
- 2018. Diploma in Scientific Research Methodology. Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador.
- 2017. Master in HIV infection. Rey University Juan Carlos. Madrid, Spain.
- 2016. Speciality in Internal Medicine. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador.
- 2010. Medicine. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador.
Current position:
- Associate Investigator to the group of Dr. Ruth Jimbo-Sotomayor at the Center for Research on Health in Latin America.
- Assistant Professor School of Medicine. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador.
- Associate Researcher, One Health-Research Group. Universidad de las Américas, Quito Ecuador.
- Member of the scientific committee of the Municipality of Quito, for decision-making during the health emergency due to COVID-19. Quito Ecuador.
- Attending Physician of Internal Medicine. Novaclinica and Atlas Clinic. Quito Ecuador.
Current research (PUCE): Health and Vulnerable Groups.
Recent publications:
- López-Cortés, A., Guevara-Ramírez, P., Kyriakidis, N. C., Barba-Ostria, C., León Cáceres, Á., Guerrero, S., Ortiz-Prado, E., Munteanu, C. R., Tejera, E., Cevallos-Robalino, D., Gómez-Jaramillo, A. M., Simbaña-Rivera, K., Granizo-Martínez, A., Pérez-M, G., Moreno, S., García-Cárdenas, J. M., Zambrano, A. K., Pérez-Castillo, Y., Cabrera-Andrade, A., … Paz-y-Miño, C. (2021). In silico Analyses of Immune System Protein Interactome Network, Single-Cell RNA Sequencing of Human Tissues, and Artificial Neural Networks Reveal Potential Therapeutic Targets for Drug Repurposing Against COVID-19. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 12, 598925. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.598925
- Ortiz-Prado, E., Simbaña-Rivera, K., Gómez-Barreno, L., Rubio-Neira, M., Guaman, L. P., Kyriakidis, N. C., ... & López-Cortés, A. (2020). Clinical, molecular and epidemiological characterization of the SARS-CoV2 virus and the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a comprehensive literature review. Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease, 115094. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2020.115094
- López-Cortés, A., Guevara-Ramírez, P., Kyriakidis, N. C., Barba-Ostria, C., Cáceres, Á. L., Guerrero, S., ... & Paz-y-Miño, C. (2020). In Silico Analyses of Immune System Protein Interactome Network, Single-Cell RNA Sequencing of Human Tissues, and Artificial Neural Networks Reveal Potential Therapeutic Targets for Drug Repurposing Against COVID-19. ChemRxiv. Preprint. https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv.12408074.v1
- Houck, K. M., Terán, E., Ochoa, J., Zapata, G. N., Gomez, A. M., Parra, R., ... & Thompson, A. L. (2019). Drinking water improvements and rates of urinary and gastrointestinal infections in Galápagos, Ecuador: Assessing household and community factors. American Journal of Human Biology, 32(1), e23358. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.23358
Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2180-7316
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ana_Maria_Gomez_Jaramillo
At CISeAL, we believe scientific research plays a vital role in improving people’s health and living standards. This principle leads us to pursue scientific and technical excellence, and to encourage our young researchers to strive for a level of expertise and commitment to society that allows them to become leaders in their field. Thus, through scientific research, they will lead and assess public health policies implemented in the country and the region. For this purpose, we foster the development of collaborative spaces for scientific research.
CISeAL and Ohio University
The summer program on Research on Tropical Diseases is the result of over 18 years of joint efforts from Ohio University’s Infectious and Tropical Disease Institute (ITDI) and Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCE). Both institutions jointly operate CISeAL in Nayón campus.Following their research principles, ITDI and CISeAL aim at reaching impoverished populations at risk of contracting Chagas and other health conditions pertaining to their context, through first-class technology and training. Since 2000, our group of biologists, entomologists, and experts in public health and development has conducted research on Chagas disease transmission cycle in almost every province in Ecuador.
From 2009, we broadened our scope to include not only other health conditions, but also new research perspectives and disciplines that would help us understand the context of the populations we intend to aid. The new version of our summer research program constituted another step towards bridging the theory-practice gap by using CISeAL’s new facilities to improve the training of both students and professors. To this effect, we included a workshop on interdisciplinary research, field work in communities exposed to Chagas disease in Loja, community work and clinical services in Manabí, and lab work with CISeAL’s main researchers.
Community Engagement Activities
As part of CISeAL’s research activities, the Healthy Living Initiative was created in 2009 with a 10-year perspective to promote the socioeconomic development of communities in provinces of Loja and Manabí.In 2010, the first interdisciplinary project came together under the name of “Service Learning Program for the control and prevention of infectious diseases, social development, and health assessment in communities of Loja province.” This program aimed at fostering the growth of local communities through the creation of a sustainable environment that allowed for the prevention of Chagas disease, and the assessment of nutrition and health issues experienced by people in the canton of Calvas.
The project, designed by CISeAL’s Research Coordination Team, enabled 25 PUCE students and professors from different fields (architecture, biological sciences, nursing, among others) to participate in community service activities in several towns from Loja province, so as to provide a holistic approach to the actions against Chagas disease and serious health conditions that impact these towns: malnutrition, cardiovascular conditions, and diabetes. Since then, hundreds of students from PUCE, Ohio University and other institutions have participated in our community outreach and engagement initiatives.
The Healthy Living Initiative (HLI) was born in 2009 to respond to the question: “how can long-term sustainable elimination of Chagas disease in southern Ecuador be achieved?” To seek answers to this question the Infectious and Tropical Disease Institute (ITDI) formed an alliance with the Center for International Studies (CIS) at Ohio University and the Center for Research on Health in Latin America (CISeAL), at Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCE).
Starting with a blank whiteboard, graduate students and faculty investigated how similar efforts had been conducted worldwide and, in 2010, carried out the first field research to understand the problem of Chagas elimination from the perspective of local stakeholders and the inhabitants of three rural communities in Loja province, who are directly caught up in this intractable problem.
The data collected led to three action lines: Infrastructure, Income Generation and Health. After a conscious research, we discovered that all efforts to eradicate Chagas Disease in Southern Ecuador might be inefficient if we do not face the structural issues that have an impact on the matter.
In a pursuit of fair health conditions for everybody, the idea of modifying the architecture of the homes of those who are at risk of infection came up. The solution is not only ideal, but also targets the three action lines that move this project. By building new Chagas resistant houses, we are changing the structural conditions for infection in southern Ecuador and also setting a foundation for social development and human wellbeing in Loja.
Would you like to be part of the solution? Contact us: cisealpuce@puce.edu.ec
Related links: Combating Chagas in Ecuador
Research conducted at CISeAL aims at advancing the health and standards of living of people at risk of contracting chronic and infectious diseases, such as Chagas Disease, dengue, and malaria.
Our efforts to understand and fight infectious and chronicles diseases give better results through the joint work between our researchers and international partners. Our social and scientific commitment goes further the laboratory, which is why we look up to a holistic comprehension of the context in which these diseases thrive.
If you would like to know more about our job and how our research has a positive impact in society, visit: Healthy Living Iniciative
Chagas Disease
Chagas is a parasitic, systemic, and chronic vector-transmitted disease, caused by protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. It is closely related to cultural, economic, and social factors, and it is considered a neglected disease. Chagas is an endemic disease in 21 American countries, although the migration of infected people can spread it to non-endemic countries in America and the rest of the world.
The disease is transmitted through vectors, particularly Hemiptera (kissing bugs) from subfamily Triatominae (hematophagous). They infect people by biting them and depositing their infected feces on skin wounds or mucosa. The disease can also be transmitted via transfusion or organ transplant, congenitally, and orally. It is believed that around 100 million people in the region are at risk of contracting Chagas disease and around 8 million people are infected. Furthermore, 56,000 new cases are reported every year resulting from all transmission methods, which cause 12,000 deaths every year.
Dengue
According to the World Health Organization, dengue fever is considered the most important vector-transmitted human viral disease, with an incidence rate of over 50 million new cases every year. The causal agent of the disease is dengue virus, which is transmitted to human beings after they are bitten by mosquitoes of the Aedes genus. The main vector is the mosquito Aedes aegypti, an African species most commonly known as “yellow fever mosquito,” as it is also the most prominent vector of that disease.
Thus far there is no specific vaccine or treatment against dengue fever, the major prevention and control mechanism is vector monitoring. Considering the great genetic plasticity that is characteristic of insect populations in general (and mosquitoes, particularly), control efforts benefit greatly from information that enables the identification of local populations of mosquito vectors. But available research reports about Ecuadorian Aedes aegypti populations are extremely limited, which is why it is essential to fill the knowledge gap as regards one of the main infectious disease vectors in Ecuador.
For this purpose, CISeAL has developed the infrastructure and protocols necessary to maintain Aedes aegypti colonies in our insectary that allows us to obtain the biologic material we need to conduct a detailed examination of this species. Currently, and in collaboration with foreign and national researchers, we work on projects focused on monitoring pesticide resistance in Ecuadorian populations of Aedes aegypti and assessing new control mechanisms, as well as research on this species molecular biology and physiology.
Malaria
Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite of the Plasmodium genus, and it is transmitted through the female Anopheles mosquito. The main species that cause malaria in human beings are P. falciparum and P. vivax. Malaria is one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world, especially in Africa, where over 500,000 people die every year.
In Ecuador, the incidence rate of malaria has decreased significantly over the past years (over 99% decrease since 2001). Nowadays, the country is in the pre-elimination phase. However, outbreaks still occur on both sides of the Andes. Therefore, the development of research that contributes to malaria eradication policies is vital.
Research projects in CISeAL center on developing a solid team of highly qualified researchers with experience and knowledge to conduct sustainable and independent research. The goal behind the Center’s activities is the creation of infrastructure and training of staff to strengthen our capacity to carry out research on infectious and chronic diseases in Ecuador, according to international bio safety and bioethics standards.Explore CISeAL's Research Lines related to medical entomology, molecular biology of parasites and vectors, blood supply safety, health and development, population genetics, epidemiology, microbiology, among others.
Learn about the diseases we study, such as Chagas disease, dengue fever and malaria, chikungunya, zika, syphilis, HIV, hepatitis C and hepatitis B, tuberculosis and influenza.
Subcategories
Principal investigators
CISeAL has 14 principal investigators on staff, belonging to the Faculties of Exact and Natural Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Architecture of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador.
Learn more about each of our researchers, their research groups and their lines of research below:
Associate Investigators
Actually, CISeAL has 4 associated researchers.
Learn more about each of our researchers, their research groups and their lines of research below:
Adjunct Investigators
CISeAL has 15 attached researchers, belonging to the Faculties of Medicine, Nursing, Architecture, Economics, Engineering and Business Administration of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador.
Learn more about each of our researchers, their research groups and their lines of research below:
Research groups
CISeAL has 14 research groups that approach health from a range of perspectives and that specialize in the diagnosis, understanding, treatment and public policy of different diseases.
Learn more about the lines of research of each group and its members here:
