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 could lead to production of more efficient optoelectronic devices
SDG 9
Study could lead to production of more efficient optoelectronic devices

Resonant-tunneling diodes are used in high-frequency oscillators, wave emitters and detectors, logic gates, photodetectors, and optoelectronic circuits. The study was a collaboration between Brazilian and German researchers.


Brazil’s biodiversity law needs to be adapted to the Nagoya Protocol
SDG 2, SDG 10, SDG 12, SDG 13, SDG 17
Brazil’s biodiversity law needs to be adapted to the Nagoya Protocol

The law disciplines Brazil’s actions as a provider but not as a user of genetic resources from other countries, researcher Bráulio Dias noted during an online seminar held by FAPESP.


Researchers revise indicator of mobility limitation in older adults
SDG 3
Researchers revise indicator of mobility limitation in older adults

The new cutoff values for a metric widely used by geriatricians, physical therapists and nutritionists are more accurate, facilitate early diagnosis and contribute to preventive treatment.


Airborne laser scanning of gaps in Amazon rainforest helps scientists explain tree mortality
SDG 13
Airborne laser scanning of gaps in Amazon rainforest helps scientists explain tree mortality

The researchers concluded that water stress, soil fertility and human-induced forest degradation cause gaps in the world’s largest tropical forest.


Test classifies thyroid nodule with superior sensitivity
SDG 3, SDG 9
Test classifies thyroid nodule with superior sensitivity

By means of specific biomarkers, a diagnostic test developed by the Brazilian startup Onkos shows whether a lump in the gland is benign or malignant, reducing the risk of unnecessary surgery.


Online tool facilitates monitoring of COVID-19 epidemic in Brazil
SDG 3, SDG 9
Online tool facilitates monitoring of COVID-19 epidemic in Brazil

The platform developed by researchers from Brazil and Chile lets users view geolocation of cases, deaths and vaccinations over time.


SARS-CoV-2 inhibits removal of dead cells by the immune system, favoring lung damage
SDG 3
SARS-CoV-2 inhibits removal of dead cells by the immune system, favoring lung damage

A study by the University of São Paulo has discovered that when macrophages engulf cells infected by the novel coronavirus, they begin producing excessive amounts of pro-inflammatory molecules, and their capacity to recognize and phagocytize dead cells is reduced twelvefold.


Novel coronavirus can remain active for more than 14 days in patients with mild symptoms
SDG 3
Novel coronavirus can remain active for more than 14 days in patients with mild symptoms

Brazilian researchers monitoring the population of metropolitan São Paulo have reported atypical cases in which SARS-CoV-2 continues to replicate in the organism for longer than the recommended isolation period.


Researchers develop a technique to produce transplantable livers in the laboratory
SDG 3, SDG 9
Researchers develop a technique to produce transplantable livers in the laboratory

A method created in Brazil by the Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center could be used for large-scale production of livers for transplantation.


Scientists attend the First Meeting of the Brazilian ST&I Diaspora in Germany
SDG 17
Scientists attend the First Meeting of the Brazilian ST&I Diaspora in Germany

Brazilians are working in more than 60 scientific fields in over 50 German cities. An online event hosted by the Brazilian Embassy in Berlin featured researchers and representatives of institutions.


Specialists advocate universal access to the internet and remote learning technologies as public goods
SDG 4, SDG 10
Specialists advocate universal access to the internet and remote learning technologies as public goods

In an online seminar hosted by FAPESP, researchers from Brazil, the United States and France analyzed the impact of the pandemic on educational inequality.


São Paulo-based firm creates “artificial lung” to treat COVID-19
SDG 3, SDG 9
São Paulo-based firm creates “artificial lung” to treat COVID-19

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can keep patients alive until the disease recedes.


High-fiber diet may play a role in controlling the inflammation associated with COVID-19
SDG 3
High-fiber diet may play a role in controlling the inflammation associated with COVID-19

Brazilian researchers treated cells infected by SARS-CoV-2 with compounds produced by gut microbiota from dietary fiber. The intervention did not mitigate viral replication but reduced expression of a gene that plays a key role in viral entry into cells and a receptor involved in the inflammatory process.


Brazilian researchers obtain more efficient red bioluminescence
SDG 3, SDG 9
Brazilian researchers obtain more efficient red bioluminescence

Luciferin-luciferase system developed in collaboration with Japanese researchers produces brighter and longer-lasting far red light. The innovation can be used to image cells and tissues for diagnosis and biomedical research.


Preliminary study suggests CoronaVac neutralizes novel variants of SARS-CoV-2
SDG 3
Preliminary study suggests CoronaVac neutralizes novel variants of SARS-CoV-2

Laboratory trial by Butantan Institute in partnership with the University of São Paulo involved inoculation of variants P.1 and P.2 into cultured cells containing blood serum from vaccinated subjects. The results were satisfactory, according to the researchers.


Brazilian startup develops remotely operated room sterilization device
SDG 3, SDG 9
Brazilian startup develops remotely operated room sterilization device

The technology uses ultraviolet-C, which can inactivate the novel coronavirus. Startup BioLambda was supported by FAPESP and partnered with the Albert Einstein Jewish-Brazilian Hospital in São Paulo.


Study could help develop biosensors for non-invasive diagnosis of diseases
SDG 3, SDG 9
Study could help develop biosensors for non-invasive diagnosis of diseases

Brazilian researchers tested the capacity of different materials to produce sensors for the detection of PCA3, a gene that is overexpressed in prostate cancer. The technique can also be used to diagnose infectious diseases, including COVID-19.


Researchers discover inflammatory mechanism responsible for bone erosion in rheumatoid arthritis
SDG 3
Researchers discover inflammatory mechanism responsible for bone erosion in rheumatoid arthritis

In a study of the effects of cigarette smoking on exacerbation of the disease, scientists at a FAPESP-supported research center identified a novel pathway in the inflammatory process relating to bone damage.


Amazon strain of coronavirus already predominates in cases of COVID-19 in a city 2,500 km from Manaus
SDG 3
Amazon strain of coronavirus already predominates in cases of COVID-19 in a city 2,500 km from Manaus

In Araraquara, state of São Paulo, researchers detected the P.1 variant in 93% of samples from patients diagnosed at a primary healthcare facility in the first two months of the year.


Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 induced by prior infection are six times less effective against P.1 variant
SDG 3
Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 induced by prior infection are six times less effective against P.1 variant

Blood plasma from COVID-19 convalescents was tested against Brazilian variant isolates obtained from patients diagnosed in Manaus. The study also assessed the effectiveness of plasma from volunteers immunized with CoronaVac.


Study suggests the Brazilian variant emerged in November, is more transmissible and can cause reinfection
SDG 3
Study suggests the Brazilian variant emerged in November, is more transmissible and can cause reinfection

Published by an Anglo-Brazilian epidemiological research center, the study revealed that in only seven weeks SARS-CoV-2 lineage P.1 became the most prevalent strain of the virus in Manaus. Analysis of more than 900 samples from patients diagnosed in the period pointed to a higher viral load.


Project investigates remote control of enzymes using light
SDG 3
Project investigates remote control of enzymes using light

In a study conducted at the University of São Paulo, researchers used infrared laser irradiation to accelerate the activity of enzymes immobilized on gold nanoparticles. The technique could have biomedical and industrial applications.


Technique based on artificial intelligence permits automation of crop seed analysis
SDG 2
Technique based on artificial intelligence permits automation of crop seed analysis

Developed by researchers at the University of São Paulo, the non-invasive methodology facilitates identification of immature or poor-quality seeds without destroying them or creating residues.


Use of perovskite will be a key feature of the next generation of electronic appliances
SDG 9
Use of perovskite will be a key feature of the next generation of electronic appliances

Study conducted at University of Campinas in collaboration with University of Michigan explains nanoscale physics of this manmade material in article published in Science Advances.


Expanding the use of waste to generate bioenergy can neutralize greenhouse gas emissions in São Paulo
SDG 7, SDG 9, SDG 13
Expanding the use of waste to generate bioenergy can neutralize greenhouse gas emissions in São Paulo

Agricultural residues already produce 25% of the electricity used by households in the state. The proportion could jump to 70%, according to researchers who took part in an online seminar on the topic.


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