Hospital Clínica Bíblica and Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (Technological Institute of Costa Rica) will develop together skin tissue expansion projects.

San José, Spetember 2012. Hospital Clínica Bíblica and Tecnológico de Costa Rica have entered into an agreement that provides the opportunity to receive the service of skin tissue expansion, to be used in reconstructive procedures for any patients that need them.

This alliance between the hospital and the university education makes available to patients one of the biomedical services most advanced in the world and present in just a few countries in the continent.

The service shall be performed at the Tissue Engineering Lab (Laintec) of the Center of Research in Biotechnology (Centro de Investigación en Biotecnología - CIB) under this agreement, which will have a term of effectiveness of five years, starting with a contract (between Fundatec and Hospital Clínica Bíblica) for provision of skin tissue expansion (fibroblasts and/or keratinocytes) to be used in reconstructive surgeries.

The involvement of Tecnológico de Costa Rica in this field is based on the establishment of health as one of the Strategic Knowledge Cornerstones, defined as technological support to medicine, combining the principles and tools of science and technology.

In addition, this agreement will permit to design procedures, mechanisms and devices for diagnoses, and to take care of diseases, disabilities and injuries on a daily basis at the hospital and for the benefit of hundreds of patients.

“This collaboration is being implemented thanks to an agreement based on the common ethical principles of both institutions, directed to the search of better living standards for the Costa Rican population”, said Dr. Miguel Rojas Cháves, coordinator of the Centro de Investigación en Biotecnología of the TEC.

For the implementation of the agreement, both parties will promote the development of joint projects of scientific and technological research, formation and training activities, social protection and other areas that are relevant to both organizations.