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

Destruction of an Atlantic Rainforest fragment raises the local temperature
SDG 13
Destruction of an Atlantic Rainforest fragment raises the local temperature

Brazilian researchers show that if 25% of a one-hectare forest remnant is cut down, the impact on the local climate will be a temperature increase of 1 °C. The study is published in PLOS ONE.


Novel blood test points to risk of weight gain and diabetes
SDG 3
Novel blood test points to risk of weight gain and diabetes

The blood test method makes use of machine learning and can be used to predict whether patients will put on weight, unless they change their habits. The project was conducted in Brazil with funding from FAPESP.


This study shows how a lack of oxygen during pregnancy can cause schizophrenia
SDG 3
This study shows how a lack of oxygen during pregnancy can cause schizophrenia

Experiments with rats indicate that brain cells submitted to several forms of hypoxia underwent alterations to their energy production mechanism. Such condition may affect the fetus in pregnant women who have developed pre-eclampsia, a high blood pressure disorder.


Study can help enhance the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy
SDG 3, SDG 9
Study can help enhance the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy

A discovery by scientists affiliated with a research center supported by FAPESP could contribute to the development of more powerful photosensitizers. When these molecules are exposed to light, they trigger biochemical processes that lead to the disruption of the cell membranes of tumors or pathogens.


Saliva can be used to predict excess body fat in teenagers
SDG 3
Saliva can be used to predict excess body fat in teenagers

Brazilian researchers found the level of uric acid in saliva to be a good indicator of body fat percentage. Study was designed to identify reliable biomarkers that can be used to develop quick noninvasive tests for early detection of chronic diseases.


International collaboration set to facilitate the measurement of results in psychotherapy
SDG 3, SDG 17
International collaboration set to facilitate the measurement of results in psychotherapy

This topic was discussed by specialists from several countries at the São Paulo School of Advanced Science on Mental Health and Evidence-Based Interventions, an event held with the support of FAPESP.


Novel formulation permits use of toxin extracted from rattlesnake venom to treat chronic pain
SDG 3
Novel formulation permits use of toxin extracted from rattlesnake venom to treat chronic pain

Researchers at Butantan Institute succeeded in reducing the toxicity and potentiating the analgesic effect of crotoxin by encapsulating it in nanostructured silica. The results of tests in an animal model of neuropathic pain, one of the hardest kinds of pain to treat, are promising.


Novel biotechnological route developed to obtain fine chemicals from agricultural waste
SDG 9, SDG 12
Novel biotechnological route developed to obtain fine chemicals from agricultural waste

Researchers are looking for partners to refine process that converts sugarcane bagasse and wheat straw into high-value compounds.


Researchers develop bioink for the 3D printing of nerve tissue
SDG 3, SDG 9
Researchers develop bioink for the 3D printing of nerve tissue

The technique can contribute to a deeper understanding of neurodegenerative diseases and lead to applications in drug testing. In the future, this technique could be used to reconstruct damaged parts of the brain.


Software to help public administrators make cities friendlier to cyclists and pedestrians
SDG 9, SDG 11
Software to help public administrators make cities friendlier to cyclists and pedestrians

An analytical tool available online assessed data from over 1 million walking and cycling trips in Boston (USA) with the aim of strengthening public strategies for the encouragement of non-motorized forms of urban mobility.


Technology developed for Sirius synchrotron light source extends Biotec’s market
SDG 9
Technology developed for Sirius synchrotron light source extends Biotec’s market

The company responsible for supplying radiation protection hutches to Sirius wants to develop similar equipment for the healthcare industry.


Anatomical details of rare electric fish revealed by an advanced imaging technique
SDG 14
Anatomical details of rare electric fish revealed by an advanced imaging technique

Thanks to the use of high-resolution microcomputed tomography, a cross-border research collaboration was able to study the only three known specimens of Tembeassu marauna, held at the University of São Paulo’s Zoology Museum. The results enabled scientists to classify the species more precisely.


Warming in Southeast Brazil due primarily to rising levels of greenhouse gases, study shows
SDG 13
Warming in Southeast Brazil due primarily to rising levels of greenhouse gases, study shows

Researchers at the University of São Paulo find that a rise of 1.1 °C in the average temperature in Southeast Brazil between 1955 and 2004 correlates mainly with a rise in greenhouse gas levels due to human activities.


Experiments to discover how forests respond to rising levels of atmospheric CO2
SDG 13
Experiments to discover how forests respond to rising levels of atmospheric CO2

Facilities installed in the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil and in an English temperate forest will simulate a 50% rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide to assess the impact on ecosystems.


Biotechnology could make agriculture climate-resilient
SDG 2
Biotechnology could make agriculture climate-resilient

Studies of food crops such as corn, sugarcane, rice, wheat, soybeans and cocoa, as well as rubber trees, were presented at an event organized by FAPESP and the Japanese agency JST to foster collaboration between researchers from São Paulo State and Japan.


Group of amphibians comprises more species than previously thought
SDG 15
Group of amphibians comprises more species than previously thought

Using advanced molecular biology techniques, researchers discover that two frog species widely distributed in Brazil may actually be as many as seven, some exclusive to the Amazon. The change in classification could require new conservation actions.


Heat treatment can improve the properties of steel produced by 3D printing
SDG 9
Heat treatment can improve the properties of steel produced by 3D printing

A study conducted at the National Synchrotron Light Laboratory in Campinas, Brazil, shows that it is possible to enhance the ductility of additively manufactured maraging steel, an ultrahigh strength material used in the aerospace industry.


Brazilian researchers create an optical sensor to detect glucose
SDG 3, SDG 9
Brazilian researchers create an optical sensor to detect glucose

The device was developed by Brazilian scientists using nontoxic, biodegradable, low-cost materials. It can be used by people with diabetes to monitor blood sugar.


New treatment for digestive fistulas proves effective
SDG 3
New treatment for digestive fistulas proves effective

Researchers at Paris Diderot University in France propose the use of vesicles secreted by adipose stem cells as a biological therapeutic system. The methodology has been successfully tested in pigs.


Technological platform increases cities’ fiscal efficiency
SDG 9
Technological platform increases cities’ fiscal efficiency

Brazilian startup develops software to optimize the budgets of small and medium cities. The project was selected in a call for proposals issued by FAPESP to support innovation in public administration.


Novel molecules display potent and selective action against ovarian tumor cells
SDG 3
Novel molecules display potent and selective action against ovarian tumor cells

Compounds based on palladium, a metal belonging to the same group as platinum, have been developed by researchers from Brazil, the UK and Italy. In vitro tests show action against tumor cells that are resistant to treatment currently used in clinical practice.


Novel approach to understanding of immune system could lead to personalized therapy against sepsis
SDG 3
Novel approach to understanding of immune system could lead to personalized therapy against sepsis

Researchers describe two pre-programmed strategies used by the human organism to combat infection: resistance to pathogens by means of fever; and temporary tolerance promoted by controlled hypothermia. A combination of these two mechanisms could afford an alternative approach to studying and treating severe conditions such as sepsis.


FAPESP signs collaboration agreement with Dutch university
SDG 17
FAPESP signs collaboration agreement with Dutch university

Eindhoven University of Technology focuses on innovation. Scientific and technological cooperation will be fostered by joint project funding.


Entanglement detects a transition that transforms superconductors into insulators
SDG 9
Entanglement detects a transition that transforms superconductors into insulators

Brazilian researchers used a computer simulation to investigate the phenomenon. The study, published in Scientific Reports, could have technological applications in the future.


Scientific evidence found for role of stress in hair whitening
SDG 3
Scientific evidence found for role of stress in hair whitening

Partnering with scientists at Harvard, a group of Brazilians affiliated with the Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases (CRID), supported by FAPESP, described the mechanisms that cause hair color loss in extreme situations.


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