This 2024, the 21st edition of Polar Foundation’s “Lorenzo Mendoza Fleury” Award recognized the work of scientists in the field of biology. One of the winners was Dr. Juan Luis Concepción, professor at the Universidad de Los Andes (ULA) in Mérida.
By: Jesús Quintero | Correspondent lapatilla.1eye.us
This scientist with a long career is an alum of this school with great social sensitivity who has dedicated his life to supporting the most humble through his research.
His extensive resume contrasts with his simplicity, in addition to his resilience to overcome adversity and continue with greater momentum.
Recently, the “Fundación Empresas Polar” announced the names of the winners of the Fundación Empresas Polar “Lorenzo Mendoza Fleury” Award, in recognition of the Venezuelan scientific community, which this year reached its twenty-first edition with the aim of applauding the work of outstanding researchers in biology, physics, mathematics and chemistry.
The official announcement was made by the President of Fundación Empresas Polar, Leonor Giménez de Mendoza, who directly called the biologists: Juan Concepción Curbelo (ULA); Nelson Ramírez Rodríguez (UCV); Margarita Lampo and Reinaldo Marín, from (IVIC); to recognize them as the winners of the XXI edition of the Lorenzo Mendoza Fleury Award.
Juan Luis Concepción Curbelo has more than three decades dedicated to finding mechanisms to easily and readily identify Chagas disease, until with a great team he managed to create a kit to detect the disease, being able to produce 30,000 a year, with unique characteristics to be distributed throughout Latin America.
In addition, the researcher has designed a diagnostic kit for leishmaniasis, joining the team that treats the disease from the academic and research departments of the ULA.