News

Assembled over a five-year period by the University of São Paulo’s Medicinal Chemistry Group, the material will be tested for treating infected cells. The goal of the research is to find a compound that inhibits the key enzyme in the replication of SARS-CoV-2 without affecting human cells.

The study will analyze how the disease affects different communities in Brazil and the US based on social and demographic characteristics related to drivers of environmental vulnerability.

The open-access tool was developed in Brazil by researchers at the Center for Mathematical Sciences Applied to Industry to minimize the risk of shortages and overspending.

The protein, which is involved in the mechanism of the plant’s response to water and thermal stresses and to invasion by fungi, has been named DRIK1. It could help develop drought-resistant plant varieties and products that reduce losses related to climate change.

The platform contains data on 75,000 patients, 6,500 sets of outcome data, and 1.6 million clinical examinations and laboratory tests. The University of São Paulo, Fleury Group, Hospital Sírio-Libanês and Albert Einstein Jewish Hospital are participating.

Synthetic compounds and molecules derived from natural products belonging to Brazil’s biodiversity are being screened by teams at the Center for Innovation in Biodiversity and Drug Discovery, which is supported by FAPESP.

The project is supported by FAPESP’s Innovative Research in Small Business Program. The firm plans to produce ELISA kits that will detect antibodies against the novel coronavirus in blood serum.

The website developed by researchers at the University of São Paulo includes videos, illustrations, texts and posters with information on the right way to put on and take off masks, gloves, gowns and other items.

Experiments were conducted by scientists affiliated with the Center of Excellence in New Target Discovery, a research center supported by FAPESP, involving five animals with spontaneous skin tumors.

Study conducted by the FAPESP-funded Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases (CRID) shows that drug currently used to treat cystic fibrosis can help prevent complications from infection by SARS-CoV-2.

Researchers at the University of Campinas tested the Brazilian immunotherapy drug OncoTherad on five patients who contracted the disease while being treated for bladder cancer. The drug attenuated the inflammation in their lungs and shortened their hospital stay.

In a review article published in the American Journal of Physiology, Brazilian researchers present scientific evidence on the impact of short periods of inactivity on the cardiovascular system and recommend exercise to stay fit at home during the pandemic.

A formulation could be used in patients at risk of respiratory failure to prevent their condition from deteriorating. This methodology has been used to treat HIV/AIDS by an international group of scientists led by Brazilian researchers.

Brazilian researchers are the only Latin American group to have had a project selected in an international request for applications by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Funding of more USD 175,000 has been awarded to the study, which will be the first in Brazil to use single-cell analysis.

Through a project supported by FAPESP, the São Paulo-based firm Setup is developing two portable ventilators. More robust and easier to operate than standard devices, they are designed for use in ICUs and field hospitals.

This was the main scientific position to emerge from the online seminar “Biodiversity, climate crisis, economies and pandemics” organized with FAPESP’s support via its program focused on biodiversity.

Pre-clinical trial will identify the formulation and concentration capable of inducing a rapid and lasting immune response, before further development and testing.

Online application shows in real time whether the disease is spreading faster or slower in over 200 countries and helps evaluate the effectiveness of public policies aimed at containing the pandemic.

Hub cities far from state capitals can accelerate interiorization of the disease, according to a collaboration involving universities and the national disaster surveillance center.

Study shows that São Paulo City has eight distinct urban groups in economic, social and cultural terms, making effective action against the pandemic a challenge.

Company supported by FAPESP is developing a smart visible and thermal spectrum imaging system to spot people with fever in schools, malls or offices.

Based on quantitative MRI, researchers measured cortical volume in 51,665 participants and correlated the data with genetic markers.

Brazilian researchers are developing a strategy to induce mutations in the gene that encodes ACE-2, the protein used by SARS-CoV-2 to invade human cells. The goal is to disrupt the protein’s interaction with the virus without impairing its function in the organism.

A study supported by FAPESP is investigating the possibility that estrogens inhibit the progression of the disease. The goal is to find medications for the treatment of COVID-19.

Scientists affiliated with a research center supported by FAPESP set out to understand the strategies used by immune cells to combat the most severe phase of the disease.

Only 13.8% of the workforce has jobs in sectors not badly hit by social isolation according to a research network set up to propose ways of improving the quality of government policies for dealing with the crisis.

Companies and research groups can use the infrastructure at the University of São Paulo to obtain measurements and develop equipment, circuits and devices that operate at frequencies up to 110 gigahertz.

Scientists at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Bath in the UK, aim to find ways of inhibiting gene exchange between fungi in order to reduce resistance to fungicide.

Higher blood glucose levels captured by defense cells provide energy for augmented viral replication, triggering overwhelming immune response that kills lung cells.

Strategy would maintain economic activity and protect healthcare services, according to system developed by a research center supported by FAPESP.

The device will identify parts of the virus’s RNA in the saliva of infected subjects. Other initiatives by the research group at the Federal University of São Carlos include developing sensors to look for the pathogen in the air and in sewerage systems.

Some 300,000 older people live alone in São Paulo City, and more than 8,000 say they have no one to turn to for help. A study supported by FAPESP describe their vulnerability in the ongoing public health crisis.

The international trade in timber, tobacco, cocoa, coffee and cotton accounts for a high proportion of malaria risk in exporter countries, according to a collaborative study by scientists in Brazil and Australia published in Nature Communications.

Doped with carbon and magnesium, the material becomes thermoluminescent in response to UV radiation.

Dr. Elnara Negri, who works in São Paulo City at the largest hospital complex in Latin America, advocates the use of the anti-coagulant drug heparin to treat complications caused by novel coronavirus.

This study analyzes the prevalence of factors that increase the risk of severe manifestations of COVID-19, such as old age, chronic disease, obesity and smoking, among others. The proportion of the most susceptible people is 80% among those with less schooling

A group of scientists in the state of São Paulo plan to determine whether a sudden loss of smell is an early indication of COVID-19.

Estimate is based on testing of 700 inhabitants of Ribeirão Preto in early May. Another round of testing will be conducted in June. The study is carried out by the University of São Paulo in partnership with the city’s health department.

Created at the University of São Paulo’s Engineering School (POLI-USP), the machine costs approximately 7% as much as a conventional ventilator and can be freely manufactured by companies that obtain approval from the national health surveillance authority.

On average, more than 4% of the studied forest fragments have regenerated naturally in the past 50 years. In certain forests near the Serra do Mar ridge, regeneration has reached 50%. The study used artificial intelligence to compare satellite images and aerial photographs taken in 1962.

Laboratory tests conducted by collaborating Brazilian and European researchers showed that heparin alters the shape of the protein used by SARS-CoV-2 to penetrate host cells.

Study shows that the 20-39 age group accounted for almost half the cases confirmed in the first month, possibly explaining why a smaller proportion of the total number infected were hospitalized in the period.

Researchers at the University of Campinas partner with biotech startups to promote local production of hitherto imported reagents. The goal is to increase Brazil’s capacity to perform RT-PCR tests, considered the gold standard for COVID-19 diagnosis.

Digital tool developed at the University of São Paulo’s Mathematics and Computer Sciences Institute (ICMC-USP) in São Carlos refines projections for the spread of the pandemic.

3D printed face shields are worn by frontline health workers over a conventional surgical mask.

Brazilian researchers show that the virus can infect different placental regions and that collection and storage methods should be taken into consideration to ensure that the results are trustworthy and representative.

Scientists in Butantan Institute’s Special Vaccine Development Laboratory will couple SARS-CoV-2 antigen to bacterial membrane in order to trigger defense against coronavirus.

Based on the Internet of Things, the system was developed in a project supported by FAPESP. Patients can be advised to seek hospital care if they detect a deterioration in clinical signs.

Brazilian researchers are conducting tests with cultured cells to find out how COVID-19 changes patterns of proteins and other metabolites present in samples.

A drop of 33% in levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) is associated with a reduction in diesel vehicle traffic and industrial production due to isolation measures taken to slow the spread of novel coronavirus.