Mice that did not produce interleukin 22 binding protein (IL-22BP) had stronger defenses, according to an article published in PNAS. Understanding the protein’s role in intestinal health can pave the way to novel therapeutic strategies.
The novel compound was developed in the lab but can be produced with technology already used by the industry, facilitating scale-up. It fixes phosphorus in the soil for future crop cycles and requires fewer applications. The researchers are seeking partners to mass-produce it for use in large-scale experiments.
State coordination will be essential to overcome the problems in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, as Acre’s experience with floods shows.
Researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo determined for the first time the vertical limits of the subtropical ocean region off the South American coast. They found that the upper limit of the mesotrophic zone, previously assumed to be 30 meters below the surface, was in fact in much shallower waters.
The group uses advanced technology to map sites where vestiges of the activities of ancient populations have been preserved but risk being destroyed by the advance of deforestation, wildcat mining and climate change.
Brazilian researchers innovated by stimulating tumor cells so much that they became stressed and could survive only by behaving like healthy cells. The results of the study were so promising that the researchers plan to hold clinical trials with patients, to be conducted in the Netherlands before the end of 2024.
Lack of a method to classify forest succession stages in the applicable legislation allows for destruction of forest areas that provide important ecosystem services. The authors propose changes to make measurements more accurate and eliminate a step in permit applications that is ineffective and costly for landowners.
A study involving 302 volunteers showed that although the damage caused by SARS-CoV-2 was most intense among those who had severe COVID-19, some exhibited memory loss and attention deficit more than 18 months after being infected, even though they had not needed to be hospitalized.
Work carried out at the Genomics for Climate Change Research Center, with the support of FAPESP, revealed soil bacteria that act as natural fertilizers and have applications in agriculture.
Scheduled to start operating in 2028 at the Brazilian Center for Research on Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas (São Paulo state), the lab will enable researchers for the first time in Latin America to study viruses classified as class 4, the highest category of biological risk.
The fifth 2024 FAPESP Lecture asking “How much is mathematics worth to Brazil?” was delivered by Marcelo Viana, Director General of Brazil’s National Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA).
Discovery of a new viral evasion mechanism, and of a monoclonal antibody that subverts it, is an advance in immunotherapy offering the prospect of effective host-directed treatment to combat infections.
Researchers at the University of São Paulo conducted in vitro experiments with bone cells to confirm the properties of the novel biomaterial. Their findings suggest it can replace natural bone in grafting procedures to remedy defects or injuries.
Researchers from the Butantan Institute and collaborators reveal why recombinant BCG induces a stronger and longer-lasting response than the conventional vaccine.
A Brazilian study assessed 237 patients treated at the University of São Paulo’s general and teaching hospital. The researchers found that 92% still had lung damage two years after discharge, with fibrosis (33% of cases) arousing most concern.
According to the authors of the study, infection by one virus was expected to afford protection against the other, preventing co-circulation. They warn of the risk of transmission of Mayaro in urban areas owing to deforestation and advocate more effective epidemiological surveillance.
Brazil is considered “one of 12 countries that produce the most science” by the French government. The purpose of the event was to explore opportunities for funding joint research projects.
In an article published in Nature Medicine, a group at the State University of Campinas stresses that Yanomami children are suffering the most severe nutritional deficit of any Indigenous community in the Americas and warns of long-term consequences for health.
A study shows that ritual dances and other displays in which workers select future queens with optimal reproductive capacity are found among all representatives of this group of wasps.
By analyzing samples from obese non-diabetics, researchers from the State University of Campinas found that high blood levels of saturated fatty acids cause pre-activation of innate immune cells that, when infected with SARS-CoV-2, produce elevated levels of inflammatory molecules. Results were presented during FAPESP Week China.
Participants emphasized their desire to strengthen scientific and technological cooperation between Brazil and China and celebrated the friendly relations between the two countries.
Companies are currently involved in 15% of the collaborative research projects conducted by scientists in São Paulo state and Italy, according to data presented at an event hosted by FAPESP.
At the meeting, leaders of the two institutions shared experiences on removing red tape and discussed the use of AI to assess project proposals, as well as preparations for FAPESP Week Berlin in 2025.
Located in Botucatu, the plant will perform outsourced medical drug development and production services for pharmaceutical companies, biotechs and other research institutions, complying with best manufacturing practices.
Startups were selected to participate in FAPESP Week through a call for proposals from the Innovative Research in Small Businesses Program, launched in April; the focus on innovation should be maintained in future editions of the event.
In a study conducted by Brazilian researchers, blood levels of an amino acid called homocysteine correlated with the development of a disease that affects a third of the inhabitants of São Paulo city.