News

Brain4care has won FDA approval for use of its intracranial pressure sensor, developed and refined for 15 years, and plans to its build market share in the United States.

The viral therapy was tested in three elderly animals with spontaneous brain tumors by a group affiliated with the FAPESP-funded Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center.

Made of chitosan, a natural polymer obtained from shellfish exoskeletons, the coating enhances mechanical strength, protects against microorganisms, and prevents mass loss due to evaporation. It can also be used to coat food packaging.

In a survey of 2,702 adolescents enrolled at schools in the city of São Paulo, 23% reported having been victims of violence in the previous year. Alcohol consumption, relationships with parents and friendships were the factors most closely associated with bullying and violence.

Research conducted in Brazil has developed an innovation that carries drugs directly to bacteria, with controlled release of the active component. The study is featured on the cover of Advanced Functional Materials.

An analysis performed with 264 people living in and around Campinas mapped 900,000 genetic markers distributed in their genomes. It aimed to lay the foundations for precision medicine and provide input for public health policy.

Using a novel technological platform, researchers at the University of São Paulo plan to produce a candidate vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 for testing in animals in the next few months.

Samples of the virus will be distributed to public and private clinical laboratories all over Brazil for use as positive controls. The goal is to enhance the labs’ capacity to perform diagnostic tests.

Perovskite, a class of crystalline material with potential applications in photovoltaic technology, is being studied by researchers affiliated with the Center for Innovation in New Energies (CINE), an Engineering Research Center supported by FAPESP.

The organizers will select 72 applicants, who can be undergraduates, graduates or postdoctoral researchers. Applications must be submitted by April 28.

Analysis of Atlantic Rainforest fragments shows how extinction of animal species, habitat loss and forest fragmentation affect networks of ecological interactions.

Brazilian scientific production in mathematics has a high impact and worldwide recognition. The knowledge created in the field must now be leveraged to fuel new businesses, innovations and job creation, according to the participants in a workshop co-organized by the Center for Mathematical Sciences Applied to Industry.

System developed by Brazilian startup with FAPESP’s support is being used in Rio de Janeiro on a pilot scale to detect problems in the operation of bus lines during rainstorms.

With FAPESP’s support, researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil and Oxford University in the UK trained the team at Adolfo Lutz Institute to use the methodology even before the virus arrived in Brazil. The genomic data will be useful for the development of vaccines and diagnostic tests.

Researchers in Brazil analyzed 12 types of tumor and established a gene expression profile associated with cachexia, a potentially fatal syndrome characterized by severe weight loss and muscle wasting.

Hosted by the University of São Paulo in Piracicaba (ESALQ-USP) in Piracicaba, SPARCBio (for short) will develop a new integrated pest management model to foster the sustainability of tropical agriculture. FAPESP and Koppert will invest BRL 40 million.

Researchers-based in São Paulo state and the Netherlands are collaborating on four projects that explore how restored forests function. The findings may be used as public policy inputs.

Experiments conducted in Brazil show that the positions of mouths and fins, among other variables, change according to foraging conditions during development.

Article by Brazilian researchers published in Biology of Reproduction reveals novel mechanisms involved in female gamete maturation.

The blood test method makes use of machine learning and can be used to predict whether patients will put on weight, unless they change their habits. The project was conducted in Brazil with funding from FAPESP.

Experiments with rats indicate that brain cells submitted to several forms of hypoxia underwent alterations to their energy production mechanism. Such condition may affect the fetus in pregnant women who have developed pre-eclampsia, a high blood pressure disorder.

World experts on this field of mathematics will assemble between July 28 and August 8 in Campinas, Brazil. The School is offering places for 100 undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students.

Brazilian researchers show that if 25% of a one-hectare forest remnant is cut down, the impact on the local climate will be a temperature increase of 1 °C. The study is published in PLOS ONE.

The imaging analysis system available at the University of São Paulo enhances the effectiveness of biological control of South American fruit flies based on the sterilization of males. The species mainly damages apple and peach orchards in the South Region of Brazil.

A discovery by scientists affiliated with a research center supported by FAPESP could contribute to the development of more powerful photosensitizers. When these molecules are exposed to light, they trigger biochemical processes that lead to the disruption of the cell membranes of tumors or pathogens.

Brazilian researchers found the level of uric acid in saliva to be a good indicator of body fat percentage. Study was designed to identify reliable biomarkers that can be used to develop quick noninvasive tests for early detection of chronic diseases.

Researchers are looking for partners to refine process that converts sugarcane bagasse and wheat straw into high-value compounds.

Pregnant women in situations of vulnerability will be assessed to study how alterations in gene expression caused by adverse childhood experiences influence brain development in their descendants. The ultimate goal is early prevention of mental health problems.

Researchers at Butantan Institute succeeded in reducing the toxicity and potentiating the analgesic effect of crotoxin by encapsulating it in nanostructured silica. The results of tests in an animal model of neuropathic pain, one of the hardest kinds of pain to treat, are promising.

This topic was discussed by specialists from several countries at the São Paulo School of Advanced Science on Mental Health and Evidence-Based Interventions, an event held with the support of FAPESP.

A collaboration involving researchers in Brazil and France studied the origins of the unique shape of this cluster of stars, gas and dust. Their findings showed that the nebula is part of a shell structure produced by three supernova explosions.

The technique can contribute to a deeper understanding of neurodegenerative diseases and lead to applications in drug testing. In the future, this technique could be used to reconstruct damaged parts of the brain.

Undergraduate, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from all countries can apply by February 22. One hundred vacancies are offered, half of which are for international students.

An analytical tool available online assessed data from over 1 million walking and cycling trips in Boston (USA) with the aim of strengthening public strategies for the encouragement of non-motorized forms of urban mobility.

Thanks to the use of high-resolution microcomputed tomography, a cross-border research collaboration was able to study the only three known specimens of Tembeassu marauna, held at the University of São Paulo’s Zoology Museum. The results enabled scientists to classify the species more precisely.

Researchers at the University of São Paulo find that a rise of 1.1 °C in the average temperature in Southeast Brazil between 1955 and 2004 correlates mainly with a rise in greenhouse gas levels due to human activities.

The company responsible for supplying radiation protection hutches to Sirius wants to develop similar equipment for the healthcare industry.

The device was developed by Brazilian scientists using nontoxic, biodegradable, low-cost materials. It can be used by people with diabetes to monitor blood sugar.

A study conducted at the National Synchrotron Light Laboratory in Campinas, Brazil, shows that it is possible to enhance the ductility of additively manufactured maraging steel, an ultrahigh strength material used in the aerospace industry.

Using advanced molecular biology techniques, researchers discover that two frog species widely distributed in Brazil may actually be as many as seven, some exclusive to the Amazon. The change in classification could require new conservation actions.

Studies of food crops such as corn, sugarcane, rice, wheat, soybeans and cocoa, as well as rubber trees, were presented at an event organized by FAPESP and the Japanese agency JST to foster collaboration between researchers from São Paulo State and Japan.

Technology developed by Brazilian startup Bioware uses the pyrolysis of eucalyptus, urban garbage and other types of biomass to make fuel for boilers and furnaces.

Facilities installed in the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil and in an English temperate forest will simulate a 50% rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide to assess the impact on ecosystems.

Compounds based on palladium, a metal belonging to the same group as platinum, have been developed by researchers from Brazil, the UK and Italy. In vitro tests show action against tumor cells that are resistant to treatment currently used in clinical practice.

Eindhoven University of Technology focuses on innovation. Scientific and technological cooperation will be fostered by joint project funding.

A Brazilian research group tested the effects of different chemical groups added to the surface of nanoparticles with the aim of making them ‘invisible’ to the immune system, safe for human cells, and effective against pathogens and tumors.

Brazilian startup develops software to optimize the budgets of small and medium cities. The project was selected in a call for proposals issued by FAPESP to support innovation in public administration.

Researchers describe two pre-programmed strategies used by the human organism to combat infection: resistance to pathogens by means of fever; and temporary tolerance promoted by controlled hypothermia. A combination of these two mechanisms could afford an alternative approach to studying and treating severe conditions such as sepsis.

Researchers at Paris Diderot University in France propose the use of vesicles secreted by adipose stem cells as a biological therapeutic system. The methodology has been successfully tested in pigs.

Partnering with scientists at Harvard, a group of Brazilians affiliated with the Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases (CRID), supported by FAPESP, described the mechanisms that cause hair color loss in extreme situations.