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

Study helps understand why obesity increases risk of cardiovascular complications in COVID-19
SDG 3
Study helps understand why obesity increases risk of cardiovascular complications in COVID-19

Brazilian researchers conducted a study of 109 hospitalized volunteers in search of the factors that determine endothelial dysfunction, a condition in which the blood vessels become unable to contract and relax adequately, increasing the risk of heart attack, thrombosis and stroke.


Ceramic coating increases hardness and abrasion resistance of injection-molded parts
SDG 9
Ceramic coating increases hardness and abrasion resistance of injection-molded parts

A startup supported by FAPESP has developed a nanotechnological solution for industrial applications that increases the hardness of metal surfaces by 90%.


Asphyxia-associated neonatal mortality found to cluster in poorer parts of São Paulo state (Brazil)
SDG 3
Asphyxia-associated neonatal mortality found to cluster in poorer parts of São Paulo state (Brazil)

The methodology used in the study, which is published in PLOS ONE, can help policymakers plan strategies for preventing deaths of babies under 28 days old.


Photovoltaic panels are home to microorganisms with potential biotech applications
SDG 12
Photovoltaic panels are home to microorganisms with potential biotech applications

Bacteria and yeasts that tolerate solar radiation, water scarcity and temperature fluctuations are found on photovoltaic panels in São Paulo state, Brazil. Researchers say some can be used to develop pigments and biodetergents.


Change in vaccination strategy averted outbreak of urban yellow fever in São Paulo, scientists say
SDG 3
Change in vaccination strategy averted outbreak of urban yellow fever in São Paulo, scientists say

An article in Scientific Reports shows that the virus spread at a speed of 1 km per day in the latest sylvatic outbreaks in the state, between 2016 and 2019, reaching cities never affected before. The authors warn that the situation could recur.


Study extends amphibians’ known reproductive modes from 39 to 74 and creates new classification
SDG 13, SDG 15
Study extends amphibians’ known reproductive modes from 39 to 74 and creates new classification

Carrying eggs on their back, laying them in bromeliads or depositing them on leaves are some of the strategies cataloged by Brazilian researchers in a study that will help scientists understand the evolution of vertebrates and contribute to conservation policy.


Study identifies genes that are altered in Crohn’s disease patients
SDG 3
Study identifies genes that are altered in Crohn’s disease patients

Analysis of tissue samples showed the presence of cells that can trigger the inflammatory process typical of Crohn’s. The study paves the way for the detection of biomarkers that can help predict evolution to the severe form of the disease, and for more precise diagnosis.


Highly abundant virus in humans could be a biomarker for COVID-19
SDG 3
Highly abundant virus in humans could be a biomarker for COVID-19

A study conducted at the University of São Paulo shows that levels of TTV, an apparently inoffensive virus considered an indicator of immunodepression, tend to be higher in people infected by SARS-CoV-2. TTV load declines as the symptoms of COVID-19 disappear, the researchers write in PLOS ONE.


Brazil needs more research that can serve as a basis for educational policies, specialists argue
SDG 4
Brazil needs more research that can serve as a basis for educational policies, specialists argue

Participants in the fifth FAPESP 60 Years Conference discussed the use of evidence and data to improve education.


Winner of Nobel Prize in Chemistry has long collaborated with a laboratory at the University of Campinas
SDG 9, SDG 17
Winner of Nobel Prize in Chemistry has long collaborated with a laboratory at the University of Campinas

Benjamin List, who worked with a Brazilian researcher supported by FAPESP, won the prize for developing a cheap and eco-friendly class of catalysts.


Scientists use artificial intelligence to simulate the effects of warming on the Southern Ocean
SDG 13, SDG 14
Scientists use artificial intelligence to simulate the effects of warming on the Southern Ocean

A study published in Frontiers in Marine Science is the first to predict the impact of long-term changes in sea surface temperature on local microbial diversity. The methodology is also innovative.


Heparin dose capable of preventing COVID-19 deaths is four times higher than the dose recommended by WHO
SDG 3
Heparin dose capable of preventing COVID-19 deaths is four times higher than the dose recommended by WHO

This is one of the main findings of a clinical trial involving 465 patients at 28 hospitals in six countries, including Brazil. The likelihood of dying was 78% lower for the group given a therapeutic dose of the anti-coagulant.


Opportunistic bacterium increases its virulence by ‘poaching’ zinc and iron from hosts
SDG 3
Opportunistic bacterium increases its virulence by ‘poaching’ zinc and iron from hosts

Researchers at the University of São Paulo have unraveled the strategy used by Chromobacterium violaceum, a pathogen found in water and soil in tropical and subtropical regions, to increase its capacity to replicate and infect host organisms. The discovery offers a route for the development of novel therapies.


Scientists discover how forest fires influence rain cloud formation in the Amazon
SDG 13
Scientists discover how forest fires influence rain cloud formation in the Amazon

Particles released into the atmosphere by fire modify the water droplet freezing process and can affect precipitation, according to a paper in Communications Earth & Environment.


Climate change caused the devastating floods of 2020 in Minas Gerais, Brazil, study concludes
SDG 13
Climate change caused the devastating floods of 2020 in Minas Gerais, Brazil, study concludes

Torrential rain resulted in losses estimated at BRL 1.3 billion and made over 90,000 people homeless in the state, where the probability of far higher volumes of rain than expected has increased 70% owing to industrialization and global warming.


Novel rapid test detects SARS-CoV-2 in saliva and indicates viral load
SDG 3
Novel rapid test detects SARS-CoV-2 in saliva and indicates viral load

The portable device developed at the Federal University of São Carlos is as accurate as RT-PCR, the gold standard for diagnosing COVID-19, and can analyze up to 20 samples at the same time.


Citizen scientists help assure quality of coastal biodiversity monitoring
SDG 14
Citizen scientists help assure quality of coastal biodiversity monitoring

A study conducted in the port city of Santos (Brazil) by researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo shows collaboration between civil society and academia achieving progress toward the goals of the UN Ocean Decade.


Exercise training reverses muscular atrophy caused by cancer and can extend patient lifespan
SDG 3
Exercise training reverses muscular atrophy caused by cancer and can extend patient lifespan

A study in rats by researchers at institutions in Brazil, the US and Norway investigated the effects of physical exercise on cancer cachexia. The analysis suggested that exercise training can be an ancillary treatment for cancer patients.


Climate change will alter functioning of marine microbial communities, study shows
SDG 13, SDG 14
Climate change will alter functioning of marine microbial communities, study shows

Plankton are the foundation of life in the oceans and produce half the world’s oxygen. These marine microorganisms will suffer from rising temperatures at the poles, rising salinity in the tropics, and a reduction in the flow of nutrients in the temperate zone, according to simulations based on data collected from all oceans around the globe.


Startup launches cosmetic made from passion fruit bagasse
SDG 3, SDG 9
Startup launches cosmetic made from passion fruit bagasse

Researchers recombined extracts from this fruit industry waste to produce a mini-emulsion that can be used as the basis for an anti-aging skin complex.


Large infrastructure projects in the Amazon have bequeathed a harmful social and environmental legacy
SDG 1, SDG 3, SDG 8, SDG 13
Large infrastructure projects in the Amazon have bequeathed a harmful social and environmental legacy

For scientists gathered at this FAPESP-hosted webinar, projects like the Belo Monte dam and the Transamazon highway have had few local benefits and led to a rise in poverty, violence, deforestation and disease.


Children repeatedly exposed to malaria from birth are more likely to be anemic by the age of two
SDG 3
Children repeatedly exposed to malaria from birth are more likely to be anemic by the age of two

The conclusion was published by Brazilian researchers in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. They followed 1,539 children in a part of Amazonia that accounts for 18% of infections by Plasmodium vivax in Brazil.


FAPESP issues call for innovations from young entrepreneurs under Centelha program
SDG 9
FAPESP issues call for innovations from young entrepreneurs under Centelha program

Proposals must be submitted by October 25. Around 1,000 innovative ideas are expected in Phase 1 of the program.


Research describes two distinct patterns of lung injury in victims of COVID-19
SDG 3
Research describes two distinct patterns of lung injury in victims of COVID-19

Lung tissue samples from 47 people who died as a result of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by the novel coronavirus were analyzed by Brazilian researchers. The findings can be used to improve treatment of the disease.


Riverine barriers influenced but were not decisive for the evolution of the Amazon’s huge plant diversity
SDG 15
Riverine barriers influenced but were not decisive for the evolution of the Amazon’s huge plant diversity

A study by the University of São Paulo shows that where the Negro River is very wide certain plants found on one bank are not found on the other. Overall, however, the extraordinary variety of species is due more to ecology than geography.


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