Fapesp

FAPESP and the Sustainable Development Goals

News

Research funded by FAPESP aligned with the SDGs

News

Research funded by FAPESP aligned with the SDGs

Brazilian scientists reveal method of converting methane gas into liquid methanol
SDG 7
Brazilian scientists reveal method of converting methane gas into liquid methanol

The strategy was tested at the Federal University of São Carlos. The conversion took place under ambient temperature and pressure conditions, which could enable methane, a potent greenhouse gas, to be used to produce fuel. The process currently used by the chemical industry consumes large amounts of energy.


Born in a physics revolution, quantum materials are also revolutionizing everyday life
SDG 4, SDG 9
Born in a physics revolution, quantum materials are also revolutionizing everyday life

Quantum materials were the focus for the 12th FAPESP 60 Years Conference, which featured leading experts in the field.


Hunger increases risk of contracting COVID-19 by 76% for children in a city in the Amazon
SDG 1, SDG 3
Hunger increases risk of contracting COVID-19 by 76% for children in a city in the Amazon

In a longitudinal survey of children born in 2015 and 2016 in a city in Acre State, North Brazil, over half of the participants reported experiencing hunger in the previous month. The occurrence of symptoms also correlated with social vulnerability, and with the mother’s schooling and skin color.


Overhead road crossings avoid deaths of primate threatened with extinction, study confirms
SDG 15
Overhead road crossings avoid deaths of primate threatened with extinction, study confirms

A project supported by environmental agencies, local government and private enterprise, as well as FAPESP, compared the use of a wooden pole bridge and a rope ladder bridge between tree canopies over a local road for three years in a municipality with an Atlantic Rainforest conservation unit. Monitoring focused on the Black lion tamarin, an environmental heritage species symbolizing wildlife conservation in the state of São Paulo.


Study shows for the first time that phonons can be manipulated by means of a magnetic field
SDG 9
Study shows for the first time that phonons can be manipulated by means of a magnetic field

Results published in Physical Review Letters by scientists at the University of São Paulo and Rice University can be used to improve thermoelectric devices.


Degradation of remaining Amazon forest could emit as much carbon as deforestation, if not more
SDG 13
Degradation of remaining Amazon forest could emit as much carbon as deforestation, if not more

The world’s largest tropical forest has already lost 30% of its carbon storage capacity owing to human activity. This and other topics were discussed at a webinar held to honor FAPESP’s 60th anniversary by the São Paulo State Academy of Sciences.


Technique based on artificial intelligence detects Chagas disease using images taken with smartphone
SDG 3
Technique based on artificial intelligence detects Chagas disease using images taken with smartphone

Brazilian researchers have developed an algorithm to identify the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi in photographs of blood samples taken with a mobile phone camera. The low-cost method is described in the journal PeerJ and can be reproduced.


Study reveals set of deregulated genes in pancreatic cancer and points to potential therapeutic targets
SDG 3
Study reveals set of deregulated genes in pancreatic cancer and points to potential therapeutic targets

Researchers at the University of São Paulo analyzed the expression of long non-coding RNAs, the type that does not give rise to proteins, in samples from patients and tumor cell lines, identifying a group of genes with augmented expression in pancreatic cancer.


Agreement will permit installation of Pasteur Institute unit in the state of São Paulo
SDG 3, SDG 17
Agreement will permit installation of Pasteur Institute unit in the state of São Paulo

The agreement was signed between the University of São Paulo, the state government and Pasteur Institute at an event held to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Louis Pasteur’s birth and FAPESP’s 60th anniversary. FAPESP renewed and expanded its support for the Scientific Platform Pasteur-USP, which will host the new research unit.


Study shows that amino acid taurine could be used in anti-aging therapy
SDG 3
Study shows that amino acid taurine could be used in anti-aging therapy

A clinical trial involving women aged 55-70 suggests that supplementing diet with this nutrient can reinforce the organism’s antioxidant defenses and possibly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Studies with more volunteers are needed to confirm the effect.


North Atlantic temperature helps forecast extreme events in Northeast Brazil up to 3 months in advance
SDG 13
North Atlantic temperature helps forecast extreme events in Northeast Brazil up to 3 months in advance

The finding comes from a study reported by scientists from Brazil, China, Australia and Germany in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. The group used a novel methodology focusing on low rainfall and severe drought.


Study opens up new possibilities for treatment of Pitt-Hopkins syndrome
SDG 3
Study opens up new possibilities for treatment of Pitt-Hopkins syndrome

Researchers at the State University of Campinas and the University of California San Diego have discovered the mechanism that causes this rare but severe autism spectrum disorder. They reversed progression of the syndrome in laboratory models, opening up new possibilities for treatment using drugs and gene therapy.


Algorithm adapted to Brazilian agriculture can facilitate use of precision irrigation
SDG 2, SDG 9
Algorithm adapted to Brazilian agriculture can facilitate use of precision irrigation

A study conducted at the University of São Paulo showed that management of irrigation with the aid of the algorithm, adjusted on the basis of field data, reduced water and power consumption by 31%. The researchers are now pursuing market validation of the technology.


Study advocates strategies to halt rapid degradation of grasslands
SDG 13
Study advocates strategies to halt rapid degradation of grasslands

Grasslands are endangered everywhere on Earth, warns a group of researchers from several countries in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment. The solution involves restoration and the pursuit of sustainable economic development alternatives.


Study reveals how novel coronavirus manipulates cells to replicate
SDG 3
Study reveals how novel coronavirus manipulates cells to replicate

Brazilian researchers have discovered that PCNA, a protein present in the nuclei of human cells, interacts with the SARS-CoV-2 membrane matrix protein M. In laboratory tests, inhibition of this mechanism using a drug reduced viral replication by 15%-20%.


Computational solution automatically identifies alterations in mammograms
SDG 3, SDG 9
Computational solution automatically identifies alterations in mammograms

A startup supported by FAPESP has developed a technology based on artificial intelligence that can reduce the time to produce a diagnosis by 40%.


Technology optimizes renewable energy generation from malting barley bagasse by the beer industry
SDG 12, SDG 13
Technology optimizes renewable energy generation from malting barley bagasse by the beer industry

A research group at the State University of Campinas proposes treating the solid waste produced by breweries with ultrasound before submitting it to the process of digestion by microorganisms. The strategy obtains larger amounts of methane, which can be used by the brewery itself to generate electricity and heat. The final waste can be used as crop fertilizer.


Novel compounds discovered in marine sponge can kill drug-resistant bacteria
SDG 3, SDG 14
Novel compounds discovered in marine sponge can kill drug-resistant bacteria

Several substances that killed antibiotic-resistant bacteria were found by Brazilian researchers in a marine sponge native to Fernando de Noronha, an archipelago off the coast of the Northeast.


Studies on carbon storage supported by FAPESP contributed to legislative proposal
SDG 12, SDG 13
Studies on carbon storage supported by FAPESP contributed to legislative proposal

Results of studies conducted at the Research Center for Greenhouse Gas Innovation (RCGI) have fed into a bill before the Senate to set up a legal framework on carbon capture and storage as an economic activity.


Collaborative research increases social and economic impact of science produced in Brazil
SDG 9
Collaborative research increases social and economic impact of science produced in Brazil

The São Paulo State Academy of Sciences presented the first chapter of a book on FAPESP’s 60 years of contributing to science for national development at the first in a series of online events that will continue until December and can be watched on Agência FAPESP’s YouTube channel.


Poverty and acute social inequality are causes of indifference to democracy, says political scientist
SDG 16
Poverty and acute social inequality are causes of indifference to democracy, says political scientist

The latest in the FAPESP 60 Years lecture series featured an assessment of the current social and political conditions in Brazil by Maria Hermínia Tavares de Almeida, a professor at the University of São Paulo. The event focused on the erosion of liberal democracy. Oscar Vilhena, Dean of Getúlio Vargas Foundation’s São Paulo Law School, also took part.


Study shows that 8% of athletes have persistent symptoms after contracting COVID-19
SDG 3
Study shows that 8% of athletes have persistent symptoms after contracting COVID-19

Researchers at the University of São Paulo analyzed 43 scientific articles with data for some 11,500 athletes. The findings point to the need for carefully personalized assessment of athletes and sports players before a resumption of training is allowed, they warn.


Experts warn about the need for seeking novel treatments for parasitic worm diseases
SDG 3
Experts warn about the need for seeking novel treatments for parasitic worm diseases

Advanced drug discovery methods have led to advances in the search for treatments for some neglected tropical diseases, including leishmaniasis and Chagas, but research on schistosomiasis and other diseases caused by worms remains at an early stage, according to an article in Drug Discovery Today by Brazilian researchers.


Cancer: FAPESP-supported center extends mastery of technique involving genetically modified defense cells
SDG 3
Cancer: FAPESP-supported center extends mastery of technique involving genetically modified defense cells

Research that can increase Brazil’s access to CAR T-cell therapy, an increasingly important strategy for treating cancer, is under way at the University of São Paulo’s Center for Cell-Based Therapy (CTC) in Ribeirão Preto, and the Butantan Institute.


Peptide with anti-obesity action is successfully tested in animal trial
SDG 3
Peptide with anti-obesity action is successfully tested in animal trial

In mice fed a high-fat diet, the molecule mitigated weight gain while reducing insulin resistance and liver fattiness. An article describing the results of the study by researchers at the University of São Paulo and collaborators is published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.


News about research projects funded by FAPESP and articulated with the SDGs: