
Juan Alberto Lecaros Urzúa
Associate professor
Universidad del Desarrollo
Santiago, Chile
Bioética, bioderecho, ética medioambiental
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Philosophy, UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID. España, 2015
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Bioethics, UNIVERSITAT RAMON LLULL. España, 2009
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Law, UNIVERSIDAD DE CHILE. Chile, 1998
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Philosophy, PONTIFICIA UNIVERSITA GREGORIANA. Italia, 2004
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Professor Part Time
UNIVERSITAT RAMON LLULL
Barcelona, España
2007 - 2012
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Director Observatory of Bioethics and Law Full Time
UNIVERSIDAD DEL DESARROLLO
Medicina
Santiago, Chile
2012 - At present
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Profesor asociado Full Time
Universidad del Desarrollo
Santiago, Chile
2012 - At present
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Professor Part Time
UNIVERSITAT RAMON LLULL
Barcelona, España
2007 - 2012
Since 2017, Gonzalo López, a lawyer at the University of Chile, joined the Observatory of Bioethics and Law as a research assistant. He was trained in this research unit in the area of biolaw. Currently, he is an instructor professor and obtained a Master's degree in Bioethics in the program of the Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad del Desarrollo and a Master's degree in Philosophy in the Faculty of Philosophy of the Universidad de Chile, in addition to a Diploma in research ethics. He has published several articles with me in recent years. In 2024 he entered, with our support, the Doctor of Law program at the Faculty of Law of the Universidad del Desarrollo.
Another young researcher who has been trained by us is Pablo Lapostol, a lawyer from the University of Chile. Since 2021 he has participated as a research assistant in practically all the projects that we have developed in the Observatory of Bioethics and Law. In the first research project in which he participated, a diagnostic study and proposal for the management of health data in health emergencies for the Council for Transparency (2021-2022). The result of his work consisted in the production of guidelines and strategies for the governance of health data in the public sector, contributing significantly to the development of crucial policies in that context. In this same line of research, Pablo contributed to the project of proposals for legal and technical regulation of biobanks for a body funded by the National Research Agency in Chile, focused on accelerating technology transfer in Chile, the Center for Translational Biotechnology, during the year 2022. And from that year to date, he has participated in the design and implementation of the governance system of a Trusted Research Environment for the Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad del Desarrollo.
Juan Alberto Lecaros was co-founder of International Network of Biolaw at Santiago, Chile, which has academics from more than 25 universities in the world (https://redinternacionaldebioderecho.org/). His current group focuses its work on legal innovation in the area of biomedicine and biotechnology, with special emphasis on bench-based science and translational studies. In recent years, the lines of research have been the generation of regulatory proposals to improve and develop national regulation on biomedical research (https://medicina.udd.cl/observatorio-bioetica-derecho/informes-con-propuestas-regulatorias-en-biomedicina/). In 2014, his group published a report with regulatory proposals to improve the regulation of the biomedical research law and update the technical standard in research. This report was the product of a collaborative and interdisciplinary work in association with the National Drug Agency (ANAMED, ISP): Lecaros JA & Del Canto R (2014). Informe Investigacion Biomedica. Nuevas propuestas regulatorias. Registro de Propiedad Intelectual N° 246.677. ISBN 978-956-796-170-2. In 2016, his group published a report with regulatory proposals of use of human biological specimens and biobanks of research: Lecaros JA, Del Canto R (2016). Informe Propuesta Regulatoria sobre obtencion, uso y almacenamiento de muestras biologicas con fines diagnosticos y de investigacion, y creacion de biobancos. Registro de Propiedad Intelectual N° A-269256. ISBN 978-956-374-014-1. Currently, his research is focused on proposing regulatory models for regenerative medicine in Chile (Lecaros JA, Toscano D, LópezG (2018). Informe Regulacion de la Medicina Regenerativa: tension entre la Gobernanza internacional y local. Registro de Propiedad Intelectual N° A-290878. ISBN 978-956-374-021-9) and the development of regulation for research in biomedical informatics, bioinformatics and telehealth (Fundamentos para los lineamientos para la telemedicina y telesalud en Chile. Bien Público Estratégico para la Competitividad 2018-2021 https://lineamientostelesalud.cl/).
In 2021, the Observatory signed a collaboration agreement with the Transparency Council to support health data management policies in the context of health emergencies and developed a report with proposals for “access and processing of health data in the context of health emergencies and for research purposes”. https://www.consejotransparencia.cl/cplt-y-udd-colaboran-en-diagnostico-de-brechas-sobre-tratamiento-de-datos-personales-y-de-salud-en-el-marco-de-emergencias-sanitarias-e-investigaciones/
That same year the Observatory was awarded funds from the Center for Translational Biotechnology, Sofofa Hub, ANID center, to develop a proposal for public regulatory policies on biobanks for research purposes, the product of which was the report Propuesta de regulación para el funcionamiento de Biobancos con fines de investigación biomédica en Chile (https://medicina.udd.cl/observatorio-bioetica-derecho/files/2023/07/informe-regulacion-biobancos-chile_cbt_obd_udd.pdf). Currently, the transfer of this regulatory proposal is being done by the Observatory through the National Cancer Commission and the National Center for Cancer Prevention and Control.
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Award for Excellence in Bioethics "Manuel Velasco Sua?rez" 2012 PAHEF / PAHO
ORGANIZACION PANAMERICANA DE LA SALUD
Estados Unidos, 2012
Dr. Urzúa received the 2012 Manuel Velasco Suárez Award for Excellence in Bioethics for his proposal A theoretical framework and a methodology for the application of principles of environmental bioethics. The proposal presents a framework and methodology to be used in the current debate in Chile regarding genetically modified organisms (GMOs), focusing on genetically modified (GM) crops and foods. His project seeks to consider the human health, ecological, and socio-economic risks of GMOs. This analysis is potentially useful to other Latin American countries that have not yet defined their national policies on GM crops and foods.
Landscape of clinically actionable cancer genes: towards precisiononcology in chile |
¿Envejecimiento saludable?: aproximaciones normativas y filosóficas para un enfoque integral sobre el envejecimiento |
Propuesta regulatoria para el funcionamiento de biobancos en Chile |
Estudio diagnóstico y propuesta de gestión de los datos de salud en emergencias sanitarias |
Un enfoque ético de principios de nivel intermedio para la resolución de conflictos socio-ambientales |
Lineamientos para el desarrollo de la Telemedicina y Telesalud en Chile |
Núcleo Milenio para la Investigación Colaborativa en ResistenciaAntimicrobiana |
Propuesta regulatoria sobre terapia génica y celular |
Propuesta regulatoria sobre obtención, almacenamiento y uso de muestras biológicas con fines de investigación, diagnóstico y tratamiento, y creación de biobancos |
Marco teórico y una metodología de aplicación de principios para bioética medio ambiental. Análisis de un caso=> un diagnóstico acerca de debate de los transgénicos en Chile |
Manual introductorio a la ética medio ambiental=> principios éticos y valores para el ciudadano de la sociedad global |
Aspectos médicos, éticos y legales de la criopreservación de embriones humanos |
Propuesta de un glosario para la discusión del aborto |

Juan Lecaros
Associate professor
Institute of Science and Innovation in Medicine
Universidad del Desarrollo
Santiago, Chile

Carla Castillo
Associate Professor
Centro de Epidemiología y Políticas de Salud / Center of Epidemiology and Health Policy
Universidad del Desarrollo
Santiago, Chile

ANDRES KLEIN
Assistant Professor/Director (Head) Center for Genetics and Genomics; Director, PhD Program in Sciences and Innovation in Medicine
Centro de Genética y Genómica
Universidad del Desarrollo-Clínica Alemana
SANTIAGO, Chile

Ximena Aguilera
Full Professor; Director Centro de Epidemiología y Políticas de Salud /Center of Epidemiology and Health Policy
Centro de Epidemiología y Políticas de Salud (CEPS)/ Center of Epidemiology and Health Policy/Centro de Epidemiología y Políticas de Salud (CEPS)
Universidad del Desarrollo
Santiago, Chile

Maria Repetto
Profesora Titular
Center for Genetics and Genomics
FACULTAD DE MEDICINA CLINICA ALEMANA-UNIVERSIDAD DEL DESARROLLO
Santiago, Chile

Gonzalo Encina
Investigador
Instituto de Ciencias e Innovación en Medicina
Universidad del Desarrollo
Santiago, Chile

Catalina Merino
Asistente de la Coordinación de Investigación
Carrera de Kinesiología
Universidad del Desarrollo
Santiago, Chile

KAREN DUBOIS
Postdoctoral fellow Fondef IDeA ID17I10064 IDI17
Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas
Universidad de Chile
Santiago, Chile