[vc_section el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center circle--pattern" css=".vc_custom_1648956589196{padding-top: 3rem !important;}"][vc_row el_class="pb-5"][vc_column][vc_wp_custommenu nav_menu="6"][uoh_breadcrumb_component automatic_breadcrumb="true"][uoh_title_component title_dropdown="big" title_decorator="true"]{{title}}[/uoh_title_component][vc_column_text css=""]Chile is facing one of the steepest increases in Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality in the Southern Cone, with the greatest surge occurring in adults ≤ 50 years. Incidence is lowest in the far north and increases toward the south-central regions, mirroring a gradient in Aymara-Mapuche Native-American ancestry, an axis largely absent from the European reference cohorts that guide modern precision oncology. To fill this gap, we propose a four-year project to create the first Chile-specific, multi-omic and histopathological atlas of CRC and to explore ancestry-aware, AI-assisted diagnostics. Rationale and Hypothesis. We hypothesise that Chilean CRC shows (i) unique, ancestry-driven molecular patterns that differ from European tumors; (ii) AI models can detect these patterns directly on routine whole-slide images, and (iii) they shape distinct evolutionary paths in early- versus late-onset disease. Specific objectives. Molecular landscape & heterogeneity: Produce single-gland long-read WGS, methylome, and transcriptome profiles for 100 tumors (30 early-onset, 70 late-onset; ≥30× coverage, ≥50 % purity). Ancestry impact: Phase somatic alterations by local ancestry and contrast their frequencies with European CRC genomes (TCGA, PCAWG). AI-enhanced histopathology: Train and externally validate multi-instance-learning (MIL) models that predict microsatellite instability, driver mutations, and whole-genome doubling from matched WSIs, targeting AUC ≥ 0.80 (pilot: AUC ≥ 0.85 for whole-genome doubling on TCGA WSIs). Evolutionary trajectories: Multi-region sequence early-onset and late-onset tumors, reconstruct their clonal phylogenies, and contrast the resulting evolutionary patterns between the two age groups. Team capacity & resources. Computational biologist Alex Di Genova (genomics & AI), pathologist Juan Carlos Araya (digital pathology), and gastro-immunologist Tamara Pérez-Jeldres (clinical phenotyping) have prospective access to >220 new CRC resections and >1,800 registry entries each year. A biobank already houses 100 well-annotated tumour specimens from hospitals in Santiago and the O’Higgins Region, ready for immediate sequencing and imaging. As a team we are delivering important results as (i) the generation of the first telomere-to-telomere Chilean genome, establishing a population-specific reference; (ii) sequenced >270 high-coverage whole genomes of chileans individuals (70 healthy donors, 120 hereditary-breast-cancer cases, 80 primary gallbladder tumors); iii) built the first multi-omic atlas of gallbladder cancer by integrating our data with Korean (n = 94) and Indian (n = 64) cohorts, uncovering a Chile-enriched proliferative phenotype; and (iv) developed CRAB-MIL, a weakly supervised deep-learning framework that predicts whole-genome doubling from routine H&E slides with an AUC > 0.85 and provides attention maps for interpretability. These accomplishments demonstrate our ability to generate, integrate, and clinically interpret large-scale genomic and AI datasets—capabilities directly transferable to Chilean CRC. International collaborators Anaïs Baudot (Marseille) and Luis Zapata (Institute of Cancer Research, London) further contribute multi-omic network analysis and evolutionary-genomics expertise, respectively. Interdisciplinary workflow. Clinical phenotyping, computational histopathology, PromethION sequencing, and Nextflow harmonisation feed ancestry-aware genomic analyses; attention-based models are fine-tuned on TCGA and Chilean WSIs; computational, pathology, and gastroenterology teams jointly review outputs to prioritise clinically relevant signals. All variant calls, methylomes, expression matrices, AI prediction, and metadata will be released through an open and intuitive TumorMap portal. Expected Outcomes and Impact. The project will (i) reveal population-specific drivers and mutational processes, (ii) quantify the frequency of clinically actionable biomarkers originally identified in Europeans, (iii) deliver image-based tools that offer low-cost, molecular stratification and heterogeneity scoring, and (iv) provide a high-resolution evolutionary framework for EO versus LO CRC. Collectively, these data will offer the first high-resolution portrait of the Chilean CRC and lay the groundwork for ancestry-aware screening, diagnostic, and treatment strategies.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section][vc_section css=".vc_custom_1649209804184{background-color: #f6faff !important;}" el_class="p-md-0 pt-md-5"][vc_row el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center p-md-0 pt-5"][vc_column el_class="p-0"][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section][vc_section css=".vc_custom_1649210787516{background-color: #f6faff !important;}" el_class="p-md-0 pt-md-5 pb-md-5"][vc_row el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center"][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section]

[vc_section el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center circle--pattern" css=".vc_custom_1648956589196{padding-top: 3rem !important;}"][vc_row el_class="pb-5"][vc_column][vc_wp_custommenu nav_menu="6"][uoh_breadcrumb_component automatic_breadcrumb="true"][uoh_title_component title_dropdown="big" title_decorator="true"]{{title}}[/uoh_title_component][vc_column_text css=""]Chile is facing one of the steepest increases in Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality in the Southern Cone, with the greatest surge occurring in adults ≤ 50 years. Incidence is lowest in the far north and increases toward the south-central regions, mirroring a gradient in Aymara-Mapuche Native-American ancestry, an axis largely absent from the European reference cohorts that guide modern precision oncology. To fill this gap, we propose a four-year project to create the first Chile-specific, multi-omic and histopathological atlas of CRC and to explore ancestry-aware, AI-assisted diagnostics. Rationale and Hypothesis. We hypothesise that Chilean CRC shows (i) unique, ancestry-driven molecular patterns that differ from European tumors; (ii) AI models can detect these patterns directly on routine whole-slide images, and (iii) they shape distinct evolutionary paths in early- versus late-onset disease. Specific objectives. Molecular landscape & heterogeneity: Produce single-gland long-read WGS, methylome, and transcriptome profiles for 100 tumors (30 early-onset, 70 late-onset; ≥30× coverage, ≥50 % purity). Ancestry impact: Phase somatic alterations by local ancestry and contrast their frequencies with European CRC genomes (TCGA, PCAWG). AI-enhanced histopathology: Train and externally validate multi-instance-learning (MIL) models that predict microsatellite instability, driver mutations, and whole-genome doubling from matched WSIs, targeting AUC ≥ 0.80 (pilot: AUC ≥ 0.85 for whole-genome doubling on TCGA WSIs). Evolutionary trajectories: Multi-region sequence early-onset and late-onset tumors, reconstruct their clonal phylogenies, and contrast the resulting evolutionary patterns between the two age groups. Team capacity & resources. Computational biologist Alex Di Genova (genomics & AI), pathologist Juan Carlos Araya (digital pathology), and gastro-immunologist Tamara Pérez-Jeldres (clinical phenotyping) have prospective access to >220 new CRC resections and >1,800 registry entries each year. A biobank already houses 100 well-annotated tumour specimens from hospitals in Santiago and the O’Higgins Region, ready for immediate sequencing and imaging. As a team we are delivering important results as (i) the generation of the first telomere-to-telomere Chilean genome, establishing a population-specific reference; (ii) sequenced >270 high-coverage whole genomes of chileans individuals (70 healthy donors, 120 hereditary-breast-cancer cases, 80 primary gallbladder tumors); iii) built the first multi-omic atlas of gallbladder cancer by integrating our data with Korean (n = 94) and Indian (n = 64) cohorts, uncovering a Chile-enriched proliferative phenotype; and (iv) developed CRAB-MIL, a weakly supervised deep-learning framework that predicts whole-genome doubling from routine H&E slides with an AUC > 0.85 and provides attention maps for interpretability. These accomplishments demonstrate our ability to generate, integrate, and clinically interpret large-scale genomic and AI datasets—capabilities directly transferable to Chilean CRC. International collaborators Anaïs Baudot (Marseille) and Luis Zapata (Institute of Cancer Research, London) further contribute multi-omic network analysis and evolutionary-genomics expertise, respectively. Interdisciplinary workflow. Clinical phenotyping, computational histopathology, PromethION sequencing, and Nextflow harmonisation feed ancestry-aware genomic analyses; attention-based models are fine-tuned on TCGA and Chilean WSIs; computational, pathology, and gastroenterology teams jointly review outputs to prioritise clinically relevant signals. All variant calls, methylomes, expression matrices, AI prediction, and metadata will be released through an open and intuitive TumorMap portal. Expected Outcomes and Impact. The project will (i) reveal population-specific drivers and mutational processes, (ii) quantify the frequency of clinically actionable biomarkers originally identified in Europeans, (iii) deliver image-based tools that offer low-cost, molecular stratification and heterogeneity scoring, and (iv) provide a high-resolution evolutionary framework for EO versus LO CRC. Collectively, these data will offer the first high-resolution portrait of the Chilean CRC and lay the groundwork for ancestry-aware screening, diagnostic, and treatment strategies.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section][vc_section css=".vc_custom_1649209804184{background-color: #f6faff !important;}" el_class="p-md-0 pt-md-5"][vc_row el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center p-md-0 pt-5"][vc_column el_class="p-0"][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section][vc_section css=".vc_custom_1649210787516{background-color: #f6faff !important;}" el_class="p-md-0 pt-md-5 pb-md-5"][vc_row el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center"][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section]

[vc_section el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center circle--pattern" css=".vc_custom_1648956589196{padding-top: 3rem !important;}"][vc_row el_class="pb-5"][vc_column][vc_wp_custommenu nav_menu="6"][uoh_breadcrumb_component automatic_breadcrumb="true"][uoh_title_component title_dropdown="big" title_decorator="true"]{{title}}[/uoh_title_component][vc_column_text css=""]La producción de semillas de sandía en Chile es una de las que genera mayores volúmenes (12,5%) y mejores precios (26 MM U$FOB) de exportación respecto del total de semillas exportadas. En los últimos 5 años su exportación ha aumentado considerablemente ocupando el segundo lugar en este mercado. Derivado del procesamiento de los frutos se genera un alto porcentaje de pulpa y cáscara; residuos no aprovechables como subproducto para otras industrias como cuarta gama y/o farmacéutica. El elevado contenido antioxidantes de la sandía representa una oportunidad para su extracción y uso en otras industrias. La solución innovadora permitirá reutilizar grandes volúmenes de la pulpa y cáscara, mitigando su disposición inadecuada y mejorando prácticas agrícolas y biotecnológicas. El objetivo de la propuesta es desarrollar un paquete tecnológico consistente en tres aplicaciones que permiten valorizar los residuos de cáscara y pulpa de sandía para la producción de nutracéuticos, bioenmienda de suelos provenientes de relaves mineros, y sustrato para el crecimiento de microorganismos. El proyecto busca generar innovaciones que promuevan la transformación de los residuos agrícolas, proyectando así nuevos negocios para los productores hortícolas en la industria de los alimentos dando valor agregado a los residuos derivados del procesamiento de semillas. Los resultados esperados de esta iniciativa son: Portafolio de al menos 2 ingredientes funcionales (Licopeno y Citrulina) desarrollados y caracterizados; validación técnica del ingrediente principal (Licopeno o citrulina) con actividad antioxidante; bioenmienda validada en un entorno operacional (campo), alcanzando el nivel de madurez tecnológica TRL7; análisis de mercado robusto que incluye un plan de escalamiento técnico de la bioenmienda; medio de cultivo validado en un entorno operacional (empresas), alcanzando el nivel de madurez tecnológica TRL7; y análisis de mercado robusto que incluye un plan de escalamiento técnico.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section][vc_section css=".vc_custom_1649209804184{background-color: #f6faff !important;}" el_class="p-md-0 pt-md-5"][vc_row el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center p-md-0 pt-5"][vc_column el_class="p-0"][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section][vc_section css=".vc_custom_1649210787516{background-color: #f6faff !important;}" el_class="p-md-0 pt-md-5 pb-md-5"][vc_row el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center"][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section]

[vc_section el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center circle--pattern" css=".vc_custom_1648956589196{padding-top: 3rem !important;}"][vc_row el_class="pb-5"][vc_column][vc_wp_custommenu nav_menu="6"][uoh_breadcrumb_component automatic_breadcrumb="true"][uoh_title_component title_dropdown="big" title_decorator="true"]{{title}}[/uoh_title_component][vc_column_text css=""]La producción de semillas de sandía en Chile es una de las que genera mayores volúmenes (12,5%) y mejores precios (26 MM U$FOB) de exportación respecto del total de semillas exportadas. En los últimos 5 años su exportación ha aumentado considerablemente ocupando el segundo lugar en este mercado. Derivado del procesamiento de los frutos se genera un alto porcentaje de pulpa y cáscara; residuos no aprovechables como subproducto para otras industrias como cuarta gama y/o farmacéutica. El elevado contenido antioxidantes de la sandía representa una oportunidad para su extracción y uso en otras industrias. La solución innovadora permitirá reutilizar grandes volúmenes de la pulpa y cáscara, mitigando su disposición inadecuada y mejorando prácticas agrícolas y biotecnológicas. El objetivo de la propuesta es desarrollar un paquete tecnológico consistente en tres aplicaciones que permiten valorizar los residuos de cáscara y pulpa de sandía para la producción de nutracéuticos, bioenmienda de suelos provenientes de relaves mineros, y sustrato para el crecimiento de microorganismos. El proyecto busca generar innovaciones que promuevan la transformación de los residuos agrícolas, proyectando así nuevos negocios para los productores hortícolas en la industria de los alimentos dando valor agregado a los residuos derivados del procesamiento de semillas. Los resultados esperados de esta iniciativa son: Portafolio de al menos 2 ingredientes funcionales (Licopeno y Citrulina) desarrollados y caracterizados; validación técnica del ingrediente principal (Licopeno o citrulina) con actividad antioxidante; bioenmienda validada en un entorno operacional (campo), alcanzando el nivel de madurez tecnológica TRL7; análisis de mercado robusto que incluye un plan de escalamiento técnico de la bioenmienda; medio de cultivo validado en un entorno operacional (empresas), alcanzando el nivel de madurez tecnológica TRL7; y análisis de mercado robusto que incluye un plan de escalamiento técnico.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section][vc_section css=".vc_custom_1649209804184{background-color: #f6faff !important;}" el_class="p-md-0 pt-md-5"][vc_row el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center p-md-0 pt-5"][vc_column el_class="p-0"][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section][vc_section css=".vc_custom_1649210787516{background-color: #f6faff !important;}" el_class="p-md-0 pt-md-5 pb-md-5"][vc_row el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center"][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section]

[vc_section el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center circle--pattern" css=".vc_custom_1648956589196{padding-top: 3rem !important;}"][vc_row el_class="pb-5"][vc_column][vc_wp_custommenu nav_menu="6"][uoh_breadcrumb_component automatic_breadcrumb="true"][uoh_title_component title_dropdown="big" title_decorator="true"]{{title}}[/uoh_title_component][vc_column_text css=""]The phenomenon of a soft liquid drop eroding a hard stone surface over time, immortalized in the ancient proverb «dripping water wears away the stone,» presents a profound mechanical puzzle. While craters are common imprints of high-energy events, those formed by persistent, low-energy water dripping are exceptional. The impact energy of a single drop is far below the threshold required to plastically deform or fracture the material, yet erosion occurs. This project seeks to answer the fundamental question: How can water erode stone through dripping and create distinctive craters? While recent advancements in drop-impact dynamics have revealed that an impacting drop generates propagating fronts of intense, singular pressure and shear, these theories were developed for ideal, non-porous surfaces and are insufficient to explain the erosion. Our preliminary experimental work—which has successfully reproduced water-dripping craters on gypsum targets while failing to erode non-porous materials—points to a crucial, previously overlooked element: the porous nature of the target material. We discovered that erosion and the formation of a distinct surface microstructure of pores commence only after the substrate becomes fully saturated with water. This key finding suggests that the complex interaction between the impact-induced flow and the internal, liquid-filled pore structure is the primary driver of the erosion mechanism. This project will establish the first comprehensive experimental and theoretical framework for slow erosion in porous ma- terials by water dripping. We will investigate three potential and non-exclusive micro-mechanisms. The first is low-Reynolds accumulative erosion, where the impact pressure pumps liquid into the matrix, generating high shear stress along pore walls that slowly abrades material, a process whose rate is expected to be proportional to the wall shear stress. The second is the inter-pore propagation of pressure shocks; because the surface pressure front arrives at adjacent pore openings at slightly different times, large pressure gradients are generated within the saturated matrix, inducing mechanical fatigue and failure of inter-pore walls. The third is cavitation bursts, where the negative-pressure front trailing the initial impact shock— akin to an explosion’s blast wave—causes the formation and violent collapse of vapor bubbles. These collapses generate localized but highly destructive shock waves, a process potentially detectable via acoustic emissions. Our methodology integrates a novel, multi-scale experimental approach with robust theoretical modeling. An automated, custom-built setup, featuring a syringe pump for precise drop control and a photo-gate for impact counting and synchroniza- tion, tracks crater evolution over tens of thousands of reproducible impacts. An automated translation stage will move the sample between the impact zone and a characterization chamber for on-the-run 3D shape reconstruction via high-resolution laser profilometry and for mass measurement via an integrated load cell. This will be complemented by a suite of characteriza- tion techniques, including high-speed imaging to capture rare ejecta events, microscopic surface imaging, and advanced bulk imaging (X-ray Micro-Tomography, Scanning Electron Microscopy or Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) to visualize the internal 3D pore network and wear propagation. Experiments will mainly utilize natural materials like gypsum and selenite, as well as custom-fabricated synthetic porous samples (e.g., PDMS). These transparent, engineered samples will allow for direct flow visualization via Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) to isolate and study specific mechanisms in a controlled environment. The theoretical work will couple established models for drop-impact pressure distributions with frameworks for flow in porous media, wall-shear erosion, and wave propagation. The goal is to develop predictive formulae for crater growth rates and their scaling with fluid and material properties, which can be validated against our extensive experimental data. By leveraging the research team’s expertise in drop-impact forces and tackling this 2,500-year-old question, this project will provide novel insights into fluid-solid interactions, wear on porous materials, and landscape evolution. It moves beyond prior studies, which used simplified substrates, to address the central role of porosity in this long-unsolved problem in continuum physics.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section][vc_section css=".vc_custom_1649209804184{background-color: #f6faff !important;}" el_class="p-md-0 pt-md-5"][vc_row el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center p-md-0 pt-5"][vc_column el_class="p-0"][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section][vc_section css=".vc_custom_1649210787516{background-color: #f6faff !important;}" el_class="p-md-0 pt-md-5 pb-md-5"][vc_row el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center"][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section]

[vc_section el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center circle--pattern" css=".vc_custom_1648956589196{padding-top: 3rem !important;}"][vc_row el_class="pb-5"][vc_column][vc_wp_custommenu nav_menu="6"][uoh_breadcrumb_component automatic_breadcrumb="true"][uoh_title_component title_dropdown="big" title_decorator="true"]{{title}}[/uoh_title_component][vc_column_text css=""]The phenomenon of a soft liquid drop eroding a hard stone surface over time, immortalized in the ancient proverb «dripping water wears away the stone,» presents a profound mechanical puzzle. While craters are common imprints of high-energy events, those formed by persistent, low-energy water dripping are exceptional. The impact energy of a single drop is far below the threshold required to plastically deform or fracture the material, yet erosion occurs. This project seeks to answer the fundamental question: How can water erode stone through dripping and create distinctive craters? While recent advancements in drop-impact dynamics have revealed that an impacting drop generates propagating fronts of intense, singular pressure and shear, these theories were developed for ideal, non-porous surfaces and are insufficient to explain the erosion. Our preliminary experimental work—which has successfully reproduced water-dripping craters on gypsum targets while failing to erode non-porous materials—points to a crucial, previously overlooked element: the porous nature of the target material. We discovered that erosion and the formation of a distinct surface microstructure of pores commence only after the substrate becomes fully saturated with water. This key finding suggests that the complex interaction between the impact-induced flow and the internal, liquid-filled pore structure is the primary driver of the erosion mechanism. This project will establish the first comprehensive experimental and theoretical framework for slow erosion in porous ma- terials by water dripping. We will investigate three potential and non-exclusive micro-mechanisms. The first is low-Reynolds accumulative erosion, where the impact pressure pumps liquid into the matrix, generating high shear stress along pore walls that slowly abrades material, a process whose rate is expected to be proportional to the wall shear stress. The second is the inter-pore propagation of pressure shocks; because the surface pressure front arrives at adjacent pore openings at slightly different times, large pressure gradients are generated within the saturated matrix, inducing mechanical fatigue and failure of inter-pore walls. The third is cavitation bursts, where the negative-pressure front trailing the initial impact shock— akin to an explosion’s blast wave—causes the formation and violent collapse of vapor bubbles. These collapses generate localized but highly destructive shock waves, a process potentially detectable via acoustic emissions. Our methodology integrates a novel, multi-scale experimental approach with robust theoretical modeling. An automated, custom-built setup, featuring a syringe pump for precise drop control and a photo-gate for impact counting and synchroniza- tion, tracks crater evolution over tens of thousands of reproducible impacts. An automated translation stage will move the sample between the impact zone and a characterization chamber for on-the-run 3D shape reconstruction via high-resolution laser profilometry and for mass measurement via an integrated load cell. This will be complemented by a suite of characteriza- tion techniques, including high-speed imaging to capture rare ejecta events, microscopic surface imaging, and advanced bulk imaging (X-ray Micro-Tomography, Scanning Electron Microscopy or Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) to visualize the internal 3D pore network and wear propagation. Experiments will mainly utilize natural materials like gypsum and selenite, as well as custom-fabricated synthetic porous samples (e.g., PDMS). These transparent, engineered samples will allow for direct flow visualization via Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) to isolate and study specific mechanisms in a controlled environment. The theoretical work will couple established models for drop-impact pressure distributions with frameworks for flow in porous media, wall-shear erosion, and wave propagation. The goal is to develop predictive formulae for crater growth rates and their scaling with fluid and material properties, which can be validated against our extensive experimental data. By leveraging the research team’s expertise in drop-impact forces and tackling this 2,500-year-old question, this project will provide novel insights into fluid-solid interactions, wear on porous materials, and landscape evolution. It moves beyond prior studies, which used simplified substrates, to address the central role of porosity in this long-unsolved problem in continuum physics.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section][vc_section css=".vc_custom_1649209804184{background-color: #f6faff !important;}" el_class="p-md-0 pt-md-5"][vc_row el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center p-md-0 pt-5"][vc_column el_class="p-0"][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section][vc_section css=".vc_custom_1649210787516{background-color: #f6faff !important;}" el_class="p-md-0 pt-md-5 pb-md-5"][vc_row el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center"][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section]