Pesa, who worked on studies to treat cancer in the US, now directs operations at a vaccine company in Antioquia.

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With discipline, hard work and knowledge, women have won a place in science. This is the case of Madeline Gutierrez, a psychologist at the University of Antioquia. An example of the Colombian woman’s tenacity and today she finds herself in a position of great responsibility Director of Clinical Operations at Vexthera -Surani Company.

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Madeline Gutierrez is one of those women who is currently Contribute to research and science for the development of Colombian vaccines, An ambitious project that is proceeding with the construction of a plant for this purpose in Rionegro, eastern Antioquia.

“I started very early in my career in clinical research Because of the ability I have with English, I previously worked in the neuroscience group and from there I went to the United States and learned about the magical world, which is the creation of products, vaccines and biology to save people,” he told EL. Colombia.

This is how things get specialized in clinical research. This includes the stages of research performed before a vaccine or biologic reaches the market. Gutierrez tiesHe holds a master’s degree in project management from Universidad del Mar and has conducted clinical studies at various research centers and pharmaceutical companies. National and international such as Antioquia Neuroscience Group, Stanford University Cancer Institute’s Clinical Trials Center and Genentech-Roche.

At Stanford University, Gutierrez worked on clinical trials in women’s oncology, that is, studies of drugs to treat breast and gynecological cancers, while at Genentech he conducted studies in oncology, ophthalmology, rheumatology, and neurology.

After 8 years in America worked in various pharmaceutical companies He returned to Colombia to be part of the Vexthera project. “They certainly invited me to join them in the field of clinical research development,” he assured.

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“I come into the role of director of clinical operations with the company to build capabilities to be able to grow. The human phases of the research we are developing. It is a process that has many stages and I have come to contribute to Vexthera, Colombia and the region. Generate that capacity in Colombia so that we can develop research with the best quality standards, With the strict guidelines that exist in the Union, so that we also have the technical capacity to be able to deal with future health crises in Colombia and the region,” explained Madeleine.

In this science and biotechnology company, 51% of its associates are women. “We have roles that straddle different locations and knowledge of the research and science processes that we have at VaxTher.Research processes, scientific development, women working in operations, Communication with National and International Organizations”.

There are also women working in the production processes.which will soon be available with the launch of the plant we are building in Rio Negro, So here the concept of women in science extends from all places of knowledge, we are Colombian women who are contributing to the growth and development of this science,” she said.

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Although it was not easy to get the place, Madeline believes that it is possible for women to do science and contribute to research development, technology and doing it with very high quality standards. “Because we are in Colombia, we have to think that it is not possible, that we as Latin women contribute a lot to the development of science.”

He assured that Colombia is a country that has contributed a lot to clinical research, Because it is one of the few in the world that has a process for certifying the quality of research procedures in humans. “InVima works very judiciously with the research centers that are the Colombian IPS, we have about 126 research centers of quality that I tell you compete with anyone in the world,” he emphasized.

For that, the country’s competitiveness must be improved in terms of how science and research are perceived in the world and in Colombia. “We here at VaxThera are also putting significant effort into creating those possibilities, But Columbia has 20, 30 years of experience in clinical research And it’s recognized as one of the best countries to do research in the world.”

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Regarding vaccine development in Colombia He explained that it is a process that takes time and requires considerable effort. The company in question is committed to increasing independence in biological products and health protection in Latin America.

“We are doing all the necessary procedures and I believe we will have good information soon. One of the first steps before getting to research is the exact product and what we are going to do in the plant, Where we will have the capacity to produce up to 100 million doses of vaccine per year in the first phase, “This would be a way to start contributing very quickly to this health protection objective,” he said.