The Sevillian molecular biologist based in Miami, whose laboratory is a pointer in world research against type 1 diabetes, is convinced that this disease will be cured.
Juan Domínguez Bendala (Seville, 1970) directs the Diabetes Research Institute stem cell laboratory in Miami, one of the worldwide reference centers in the development of cell therapies for diabetes in which scientists from all over the world work.
Raised in the remedies and student of the White Fathers, he graduated in Biology from the Hispanic and made his doctorate at the Roslin Institute Scottish under the supervision of one of the creators of the "Dolly" sheep, the first cloned animal in history.Dr. Domínguez Bendala works in the US since 2001 and simultaneously, endorsed by dozens of scientific publications, with an active disseminator that has led him to grant interviews to CNN, NBC and other international media.
Recognized since 2008 in successive editions of Marquis Who´s Who In America, in 2010 he was selected by the Sabrina Cohen Foundation for the international campaign «Cellebrity Doctors», for the benefit of research in regenerative therapies.Now he has just published his first fiction novel "The deer of Robson" (Samarcanda), which was a finalist of the XII edition of the Fernando Lara novel award.
If you manage to cure diabetes 1, they will give you the Nobel.The last one who received a Spaniard was in 1959: Severo Ochoa.
Diabetes 1 is the most serious and usually attacks children.I've been investigating in her for 17 years.I do not like to give deadlines because five years ago we trusted that we would achieve it and for the moment we have overcome the tests with mice, but I think that within a reasonable period we will get it.Clinical trials require a lot of bureaucracy and regulation but I trust yes.The awards are less important than the benefit of investigations for the population.I have a friend with a son suffering from diabetes 1 and the two suffer a lot.
Type 2 diabetes is very associated with sedentary lifestyle and obesity.
Yes. It is the most common and affects almost six million Spaniards and ten percent of the world's population.The first thing we do when a patient with this diabetes arrives at our clinic is to put an exercise plan and a diet.
Has obesity become a serious health problem in the United States?
Yes. The obesity rate is very high, especially in children.In the Christmas show of my daughter's school, fifteen children left and there were none thin.They were all chubby and talk about children 5 or 6 years.In the US, everyone is accustomed to going everywhere, and my children, when they come to Seville, they complain if they have to walk the street Asunción down.They cost them a lot because the concept of walking from one place to another does not understand it.In the US, he goes to the pharmacy by car and you don't even have to get off the vehicle because they give you medicines through the window.People do not move.
Does obesity have to do much to do with the economic level?
Yes. At lower training and lower economic level, more obesity.Vegetables and fruits are very expensive in the United States: what costs a euro there costs four.
The Junta de Andalucía has just approved a law that prohibits sweets in schools and residences of seniors, among other measures against obesity.According to a study of the College of Pharmacists of Cádiz, child obesity in Andalusia is one of the highest in Spain and attacks families with the lowest level of income.
I didn't know, but I assure you that there are fewer chubby children than in the US.
cloning
Is it possible to clone a person?
Technically that is possible today.When the "Dolly" sheep was created, the idea was that they could cloneindividuals but not to develop people but in embryonic phase so that from there they could extract genetically the same stem cells than donors and become tissues or organs that did not produce rejection.But today that has already been outdated by the cell reprogramming system that consists in getting a patient's cell back in time and becoming embryonic, without clone.To the inventor of this technique, which is much faster and more efficient and does not raise any ethical problems, they have given the Nobel Prize.
And could new organs and tissues be created?
Yes, even in a 3D printer.Ears and vexigas and other simple organs have already been made, but it will be achieved with more complex organs.Sometimes it is not necessary to change the organ but repair the tissue.In the case of the pancreas, for example, we have been pioneers in the islet transplant, which are the cells where insulin is made and that suppose only 1 percent of the organ.We have patients who have not injected insulin ten years.Other teams are working in cells to avoid some types of blindness, Parkinson or Alzheimer's.
-With the spectacular advances in genetic and cellular therapies, can all diseases be cured one day?
I don't know if all diseases but many will be cured.And I am convinced that one will be diabetes.
Can you think scientifically of immortality or is that science fiction?
I do not think it is possible but tissues and organs are being created and some types of blindness can already be cured.This seemed like a science fiction a few years ago but it is here but I believe that human beings are scheduled to die, although we can cure all diseases one day.The human being has not evolved as much as technology or science
Do you think we can reach 120 years in good condition?
Yes, and the 150, thanks to the genetic advances and with the stem cells.
This would raise other problems such as overpopulation of the planet or the payment of pensions ...
That is the first thing I've thought about when he told me.Sometimes the advance of science can pose new problems.It is noted that the increase in the cranial capacity of the human being has greatly hindered deliveries and has made babies have to be born long before they are autonomous and to be able to survive without help.Another curious thing is that now all children need braces in their mouths when in the primitive villages their teeth is perfect.This is because they are given hard things since children and develop their jaw.We give them porridge and soft things and the jaw takes longer to develop and there are not all the teeth.
In some things we are quite behind.
Yes, more than we think.
the crisis and research
Did the crisis affected your research on diabetes?
In the US, much was noticed.40 percent of our institute's budget is private and we stayed in a third of what we had.Then we have traced.
Does American philanthropy envy as Spanish?
-Yeah.There is nothing similar in the world in philanthropic motion.A Miami lady died at age 92 and decided to read her fortune, about 20 million dollars, to the best diabetes research center.He had a very close relative with that disease and was his tribute.His lawyers investigated and chose ours.That woman has her name on a huge plaque at the entrance of our center.There are a lot of stars in the hall with recorded names based on donated money.This is the greatest of all.
In Spain some people and leaders of Podemos have criticized the donation to the hospitals made by Amancio Ortega.There were 300 million euros ...It's amazing.I don't understand.It is looking for three feet to the cat and getting carried away again for that Spanish self -destructive mentality.Above, when philanthropy is very small and there is hardly any culture or that tradition of donations.In the United States there are thousands of foundations and of course one, at least, for each disease that exists.Even the army has donated money because they have diabetic soldiers and want to contribute to heal.
In the US, do you hate the rich as much as here?
No, on the contrary.They are admired and wants to be like them.Although they do not donate part of their money to causes that improve the whole society would be badly seen, but that does not happen because everyone does.The rich Americans want to leave their legacy after dying, something for what they are reminded.