News

Researchers at a FAPESP-supported research center have managed to reduce Candida albicans’ resistance to fungicides by incorporating photodynamic inactivation techniques into the treatment. The results of the study indicate that the technology can be used in both human healthcare and the prevention of food contamination.

The study accessed ancestral knowledge and cataloged 175 medicinal plants used to treat diseases such as parasitic worms, diabetes, and hypertension. Community participation was central to all stages of the study.

Publicly available algorithm facilitates lesion identification and surgical planning for patients with focal cortical dysplasia, a malformation associated with a drug-refractory form of the disease.

On its first expedition, a project funded by the Amazon+10 Initiative reveals clues about the Amazon millions of years ago.

This is the conclusion of a study that evaluated data from 4,500 people who were followed for 14 years. The results are helpful in clinical practice and for screening patients at risk, eliminating the need for complicated tests.

A single species found in the Alcatrazes Archipelago, brain coral, produces around 170 tons of calcium carbonate annually. This represents the retention of approximately 20 tons of carbon in mineral form, which can last for centuries or millennia. A study by the Federal University of São Paulo highlights the potential ecosystem services provided by subtropical corals.

International team of researchers issues global warning about the need to include frugivores in conservation, forest restoration, and climate change mitigation strategies.

In mice, researchers observed increased intestinal stem cell proliferation and organ regeneration in the post-fasting period. However, depending on the diet and genetic profile, this can increase the risk of tumors.

In a study of 141 patients, researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo and collaborators evaluated different models to predict which patients would benefit from risperidone treatment.

A study conducted at São Paulo State University characterized the properties of a formulation containing chemically modified flaxseed and Brazil nut oils.

Discovery at the Center for Redox Processes in Biomedicine showed positive results in hypertensive rats and therapeutic potential.

Insper is holding an event supported by FAPESP that will explore key areas for sustainable transformation. Register by August 15.

Model considers two DM particles, one stable and one unstable, as well as a vector mediator similar to the photon but with mass, which would promote interaction with ordinary matter particles.

Brazilian researchers develop precision tool that can predict immunotherapy treatment failure, with the potential to personalize therapies and reduce healthcare costs.

The technique uses laser equipment to scan and create three-dimensional images; the algorithm optimizes the cut, seeking to maintain the balance and health of the tree.

The method is part of a series of international studies on the Canephora species published by Brazilians and can be adapted to identify “fake coffees”.

The assessment was made by British researcher James Wilsdon, executive director of the Research on Research Institute, in an interview with Agência FAPESP.

Researchers reanalyzed the skull musculature of coelacanths, a group of fish that has existed for 400 million years, and concluded that many structures had been incorrectly described. The study was published in Science Advances by researchers from the University of São Paulo and the Smithsonian Institution.

During the pandemic, a preference for domestic vaccines or those from countries such as the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom was observed for the first time. This phenomenon, known in marketing as the country of origin effect, is usually associated with products that require consumer research before purchase or that have a long tradition in certain countries, such as Swiss chocolates. However, it had never been linked to free vaccines.

The platform, developed at the State University of Campinas, uses the small crustacean Parhyale hawaiensis to determine if a substance can damage sperm DNA and affect fertility.

Some of the results of research in areas such as agriculture, health, technological entrepreneurship, and public policy were presented during a seminar at the Foundation.

Film based on algae and nanocellulose created at the Federal University of São Carlos is safe for the environment, reduces nutrient loss, and could replace microplastics in agriculture.

An analysis of data collected over 20 years in the upper stretch of the river shows a 50% loss in economic gains from fishing. Native fish have become smaller and smaller. Conversely, invasive species, which have a lower market value, are becoming more abundant. The phenomenon has been accompanied by a loss of vegetation cover on the riverbanks.

Three promising brain stimulation methods used in medical practice and academic research.

“Negative balance” of biome protection recorded between 2022 and 2024 could jeopardize Brazil’s international goals, warn Brazilian researchers and their international collaborators in the journal Global Change Biology.

Economic activities that depend directly on marine resources account for 2.91% of gross domestic product and 1.07% of employment. However, when the indirect effects of their linkages with other sectors are considered, the impact increases to 4.45% of employment and 6.39% of the country’s GDP.

Eurídice Monteiro, the former Secretary of Higher Education in Cape Verde, delivered the 5th FAPESP 2025 Conference. She argued that science is a tool for liberation, grounded in African contributions, cognitive justice, and South-South integration.

The solution is produced using chalcone, a chemical substance from the flavonoid family, and has the potential to be used in agriculture and forest restoration.

Researchers at the University of São Paulo and Sapienza Università di Roma obtained the material without the need for high temperatures. The product has many potential applications, ranging from electronics to cosmetics.

Researchers at the University of São Paulo extracted genetic material from animals kept in museums for a hundred years and from others living in the wild and concluded that they are a new genus with at least a dozen species. The group is working quickly to identify them all and direct conservation efforts in the Atlantic Forest, where they live.

Organoids were developed from the blood cells of centenarians who are part of a project conducted at the Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center to discover genes that protect the brain from the effects of aging.

Developed at the University of São Paulo, the model uses protein expression to create a stemness index that analyzes the similarity of tumors to pluripotent stem cells. The article was published in Cell Genomics.

Cross-referencing climate data and fossils from around 15 million years ago shows that the decline in prey availability may have played a role in the extinction of these felines. Another study cites competition with elephants and an increase in predators as factors that reduced the once diverse antilocaprids to a single species today.

In pre-clinical tests conducted at the University of São Paulo, compounds called batzelladins were effective even against strains of Plasmodium that are resistant to conventional antimalarial drugs.

Called BR4, the microorganism breaks down PET and produces PHB, a high-quality biopolymer that can be used to manufacture sustainable packaging and for biomedical applications.

In a review article, researchers highlight the challenges that must be overcome to increase the performance and lifetime of MS-SOFC fuel cells while reducing the cost and environmental impact.

The study compared theoretical predictions with data from particle collisions carried out at the LHC and RHIC. Maldacena’s conjecture showed strong convergence with the experimental results.

According to a study conducted by researchers in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, more deforested areas have fewer species that are more similar to each other and perform the same ecological functions. The authors say this phenomenon compromises the resilience of the ecosystem.

Based on the analysis of the genotypes of 500 volunteers, the research project aims to develop a panel of prognostic biomarkers and differentiate Alzheimer’s disease from other types of dementia using blood tests.

A study by Brazilian scientists shows that a by-product of industrial sunflower oil extraction can be used to produce functional breads with high nutritional value.

In tests with rodents, researchers from the State University of Campinas and their collaborators found that hyperactivation of the PARP1 protein after exhaustive training was associated with decreased performance, fatigue, and behavioral symptoms of overtraining. Animals treated with a drug that inhibits the molecule’s activity did not exhibit the condition.

A pilot intervention project involving playful activities that engaged motor skills and cognition showed promising results in improving eye movements and reading speed in eleven children with dyslexia.

FAPESP will begin supporting the Latin American Center for Medical Mycology, a global network of laboratories led by the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, which also has a unit in South Africa and will soon open another in Asia. Over five years, the foundation will contribute approximately £ 750,000, while the British institution will invest an additional £ 1 million.

A project in the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve shows that rubber provides adequate income to sustain livelihoods and conserve the forest. However, nut collection yields low pay, which contributes to the adoption of unsustainable practices such as extensive cattle ranching.

Acetic acid, a component of vinegar, was used by researchers in the state of São Paulo to fractionate kraft lignin. The method produces nanoparticles with different properties, including UV protection.

Unprecedented experiment reproduces phase transition in system with short-range interactions, challenging traditional predictions of physics.

Researchers at a FAPESP-supported research center have combined innovative techniques to determine the chromosome number of species of the genus Vellozia, typical of this montane savannah ecoregion. The result provides support for conservation programs and biotechnological applications.

A yeast experiment conducted at a FAPESP-supported research center shows how deficiencies in the proteasome, which is responsible for eliminating damaged and non-functional proteins, affect the metabolism of mitochondria, the organelles that generate energy for cells.

An experiment conducted at the State University of Campinas showed that FGF19, produced in the intestine, acts on specific regions of the brain, causing the body to burn energy to produce heat; the discovery paves the way for new drugs.

By analyzing patient samples, Brazilian researchers identified the species Fusobacterium nucleatum in nearly 60% of cases, with a higher prevalence in oropharyngeal tumors. This microorganism has also been associated with the development of colorectal cancer.