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

Urbanization and agriculture are land uses that most affect Brazil’s rivers
SDG 11
Urbanization and agriculture are land uses that most affect Brazil’s rivers

A literature review by researchers affiliated with universities in Brazil and the United States produces the first ever nationwide survey of land use impacts on water quality, showing how a lack of planning may affect the availability of a natural resource that is already becoming scarce.


Technique uses artificial intelligence to diagnose COVID-19 and predict risk of complications
SDG 3, SDG 9
Technique uses artificial intelligence to diagnose COVID-19 and predict risk of complications

The automated system developed by Brazilian researchers is based on an analysis of patterns of molecules in patient blood plasma.


Researchers prepare to screen genes associated with the replication of novel coronavirus
SDG 3
Researchers prepare to screen genes associated with the replication of novel coronavirus

A study conducted at the FAPESP-funded Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases (CRID) will identify key processes triggered by SARS-CoV-2 in human cells.


Action of 50 synthetic compounds will be tested against novel coronavirus
SDG 3
Action of 50 synthetic compounds will be tested against novel coronavirus

In a project supported by FAPESP, researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP) will assess the potential of peptides and other bioactive molecules to inhibit the infection of cultured cells.


The importance of open data and data sharing in fighting COVID-19
SDG 17
The importance of open data and data sharing in fighting COVID-19

In an online seminar held by FAPESP, researchers from France, the US and Brazil discussed how data repositories can be made secure and easily accessible to accelerate the development of responses to the pandemic.


Consortium of Brazilian researchers completes sequencing of native stingless bee’s genome
SDG 15, SDG 17
Consortium of Brazilian researchers completes sequencing of native stingless bee’s genome

Frieseomelitta varia is a docile species of economic interest as a pollinator. Its workers are sterile, and some of its genetic sequences are identical to those found in other eusocial bees, pointing to the conservation of ancestral traits.


Brazilian technology is used in several countries to treat COVID-19 patients
SDG 3, SDG 9
Brazilian technology is used in several countries to treat COVID-19 patients

An electrical impedance tomography system was developed by a São Paulo-based startup to monitor the lungs of patients on mechanical ventilation uninterruptedly and noninvasively.


BIOTA-FAPESP Program celebrates 20 years of contributing to public policy
SDG 12, SDG 13
BIOTA-FAPESP Program celebrates 20 years of contributing to public policy

Webinar discussed prospects for future research on biodiversity. Synthesis centers designed to systematize knowledge in the field and scenario modeling studies are expected to gain importance in the years ahead.


Colchicine, an anti-inflammatory drug, accelerates recovery of hospitalized COVID-19 patients
SDG 3
Colchicine, an anti-inflammatory drug, accelerates recovery of hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Benefits were observed in a clinical trial involving 38 volunteers treated at the teaching hospital of the University of São Paulo’s Ribeirão Preto Medical School. The drug is cheap and can shorten ICU stays but should not be used outside hospitals, the researchers warn.


Researchers develop flat lens a thousand times thinner than a human hair
SDG 9
Researchers develop flat lens a thousand times thinner than a human hair

The lens can be used to produce high-resolution images with a wide field of view. It can serve as a camera lens in smartphones and can be used in other devices that depend on sensors.


Researchers investigate genetic factors behind resistance or susceptibility to COVID-19
SDG 3
Researchers investigate genetic factors behind resistance or susceptibility to COVID-19

A study is being conducted by a research center supported by FAPESP to determine whether people who develop severe forms of the disease have risk genes and whether asymptomatic people or patients with only mild symptoms have protective genes.


COVID-19 numbers for Amazonas reinforce the theory that herd immunity may be reached sooner than expected
SDG 3
COVID-19 numbers for Amazonas reinforce the theory that herd immunity may be reached sooner than expected

Specialists discussed the situation in a webinar held by Agência FAPESP and Canal Butantan. However, they stressed that achieving herd immunity should not be public policy, as clearly shown by the tragic death toll suffered in Manaus, the state capital of Amazonas.


Novel, rapid tests to detect dengue, Zika, yellow fever and other viruses are validated
SDG 3
Novel, rapid tests to detect dengue, Zika, yellow fever and other viruses are validated

The method identifies and distinguishes between flaviviruses that cause many diseases in humans and animals in Brazil.


Study will monitor the impact of the pandemic and social isolation on the mental health of 4,000 people
SDG 3
Study will monitor the impact of the pandemic and social isolation on the mental health of 4,000 people

Participants are members of the São Paulo arm of a study conducted in six Brazilian states beginning in 2008. The goal is to compare mental health before the pandemic to that during the pandemic in both healthy individuals and subjects suffering from anxiety and depression.


Researchers record real-time live images of blood clotting in COVID-19 patients
SDG 3
Researchers record real-time live images of blood clotting in COVID-19 patients

A study involving 13 patients requiring intubation for mechanical ventilation reinforces the theory that coagulation disorders resulting from an exacerbated inflammatory response to SARS-CoV-2 may explain some of the most severe symptoms of the disease.


COVID-19: A need to go out to work explains why some areas have more cases than others
SDG 3, SDG 10
COVID-19: A need to go out to work explains why some areas have more cases than others

A study of São Paulo city shows that neighborhoods with more hospitalizations and deaths from coronavirus coincide with areas whose inhabitants have been unable to shelter at home.


Wearable sensors printed on natural materials analyze substances present in sweat
SDG 3, SDG 9
Wearable sensors printed on natural materials analyze substances present in sweat

Applied to skin as a piece of sticking plaster, the device developed by Brazilian researchers can be used to monitor human metabolism and administer drugs.


Startup helps cut the cost of molecular testing to diagnose COVID-19
SDG 3, SDG 9
Startup helps cut the cost of molecular testing to diagnose COVID-19

Through a project supported by FAPESP, the São Paulo-based firm is developing an RT-qPCR diagnostic kit in which all reactions take place in a single tube.


Enzyme cocktail developed in Brazil powers production of second-generation ethanol
SDG 7, SDG 9
Enzyme cocktail developed in Brazil powers production of second-generation ethanol

Brazilian researchers used genetic engineering to develop a low-cost platform for the production of enzymes that break down sugarcane trash and bagasse for conversion into biofuel. The novel molecules have many potential industrial applications.


FAPESP joins UN global committee to support postpandemic recovery
SDG 8, SDG 10, SDG 16, SDG 17
FAPESP joins UN global committee to support postpandemic recovery

Scientific Director Luiz Eugênio Mello is taking part in a group charged with providing scientific support to the United Nations Research Roadmap for the COVID-19 Recovery.


Researchers explore pollen fertilization mechanisms
SDG 15
Researchers explore pollen fertilization mechanisms

A study showing how pollen tubes grow into flowers to reach the ovule paves the way for the improvement of food crop varieties as well as a deeper understanding of the growth of fungi and neurons.


Oxytocin can help prevent osteoporosis
SDG 3
Oxytocin can help prevent osteoporosis

In a laboratory experiment with rats, Brazilian researchers succeeded in reversing natural processes associated with aging that lead to loss of bone density and strength.


University of São Paulo-bred mechanical ventilator already in use at the institution’s general hospital
SDG 3, SDG 9
University of São Paulo-bred mechanical ventilator already in use at the institution’s general hospital

Ten units of the device developed at the university’s Engineering School (POLI-USP) began operating at Hospital das Clínicas in July.


Group produces materials via self-organization in chemical systems
SDG 9
Group produces materials via self-organization in chemical systems

Possible applications range from sensors to fuel cells. The researchers are affiliated with the University of Campinas, and their work is featured on the cover of the current issue of ChemElectroChem.


Herd immunity to novel coronavirus can be reached when up 20% are infected, study suggests
SDG 3
Herd immunity to novel coronavirus can be reached when up 20% are infected, study suggests

Researchers from Portugal, the UK and Brazil produced the estimate using a mathematical model that takes into account variations in the risk of catching the disease within different population groups. Despite being good news, the finding does not diminish the importance of non-pharmaceutical interventions to contain transmission, the authors stress.


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