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

AIDS increases among young people amid health spending cuts, researcher warns
SDG 3
AIDS increases among young people amid health spending cuts, researcher warns

Falling investment in health promotion policies is one of the obstacles to the prevention of HIV-AIDS.


Zika inhibits the proliferation of prostate cancer cells
SDG 3
Zika inhibits the proliferation of prostate cancer cells

Experiments performed by Brazilian scientists showed that Zika virus inhibits tumor cell proliferation even when inactivated by high temperature. The study was supported by FAPESP and published in Scientific Reports.


Study refines computer simulation of crystal solids
SDG 9
Study refines computer simulation of crystal solids

Research led by a Brazilian scientist facilitates the analysis of materials comprising a large number of three-dimensionally structured atoms, such as barium molybdate, with potential applications in luminescence and organic compound degradation.


Nanoparticles are modified to selectively combat cancer, viruses and bacteria
SDG 3
Nanoparticles are modified to selectively combat cancer, viruses and bacteria

A Brazilian research group tested the effects of different chemical groups added to the surface of nanoparticles with the aim of making them ‘invisible’ to the immune system, safe for human cells, and effective against pathogens and tumors.


International collaboration expands Brazilian biodiversity’s natural product database
SDG 15, SDG 17
International collaboration expands Brazilian biodiversity’s natural product database

Agreement between São Paulo State University and American Chemical Society facilitates the compilation of information dispersed across more than 30,000 scientific articles.


Big data in health and life sciences discussed by researchers from São Paulo and the Netherlands
SDG 3, SDG 17
Big data in health and life sciences discussed by researchers from São Paulo and the Netherlands

The meeting was organized by the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in São Paulo and FAPESP with the aim of fostering collaborative research.


Study contests use of smoked cannabis in treatment of cocaine addiction
SDG 3
Study contests use of smoked cannabis in treatment of cocaine addiction

Researchers in Brazil evaluated cocaine and crack addicts undergoing rehabilitation for six months and observed a higher relapse rate and worse cognitive impairment among patients who smoked cannabis to try to mitigate their craving for cocaine.


Science-based public policies are important to tackle an Amazon in transition
SDG 13
Science-based public policies are important to tackle an Amazon in transition

Paulo Artaxo, a professor at the University of São Paulo’s Physics Institute in Brazil, stresses the vital role played by research conducted in Amazonia for a deeper understanding of the global impacts of deforestation and the effects of climate change on the forest.


Refugee admission policy should consider psychological factors, researcher says
SDG 16
Refugee admission policy should consider psychological factors, researcher says

Making a fresh start in a new country requires mental reorganization and finding new meaning in life, says Miriam Debieux Rosa, coordinator of Veredas, a group of psychoanalysts and psychologists who specialize in immigration, in a presentation to FAPESP Week France.


Study explains why bacteria that contaminate food do not always cause serious disease in Brazil
SDG 3
Study explains why bacteria that contaminate food do not always cause serious disease in Brazil

Researchers have revealed the molecular mechanisms that make the Brazilian strain of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli less virulent and pathogenic than strains of the bacterium found in other countries. Their findings can be used to formulate epidemiological surveillance strategies.


Researchers report discoveries regarding a molecule with the potential to treat ovarian cancer
SDG 3
Researchers report discoveries regarding a molecule with the potential to treat ovarian cancer

The FAPESP-funded Center for Cell-Based Therapy explored the action mechanism of a microRNA that reduces tumor size and blocks metastasis when overexpressed.


Consortium vows to find new drugs against Chagas disease, leishmaniosis and malaria
SDG 3, SDG 17
Consortium vows to find new drugs against Chagas disease, leishmaniosis and malaria

Initiative supported by FAPESP, USP, UNICAMP and global partners sets out to discover new molecules against tropical parasitic diseases. Its aim is to develop effective and affordable drugs.


Magnetic materials to help clean up oil spills
SDG 9
Magnetic materials to help clean up oil spills

Collaborative research between Brazilian universities combined magnetic materials and biomass residues to create nanoparticles that remove heavy and light oil from surface water with great efficacy.


Researchers agree to conduct an international survey of scientific culture
SDG 17
Researchers agree to conduct an international survey of scientific culture

The project was launched in November 2019 in Beijing at an event hosted by China’s National Academy for Innovation Strategy.


3D bioprinting is used to produce cellular structures
SDG 3, SDG 9
3D bioprinting is used to produce cellular structures

With FAPESP’s support, the flagship product developed by a Brazilian startup gains scale and is used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.


Big data analytics tools provide clinical decision support
SDG 3, SDG 9
Big data analytics tools provide clinical decision support

Researchers at the University of São Paulo are developing computer systems to process and extract information from large datasets provided by public hospitals. Their goal is to create a database that can be queried by physicians and clinical specialists to help diagnose and treat patients.


Novel genetic signature that can predict some kinds of breast cancer is identified
SDG 3
Novel genetic signature that can predict some kinds of breast cancer is identified

Brazilian researchers, in collaboration with Canadian scientists, have identified genes associated with angiogenesis and breast cancer. The discovery can help predict the severity of the disease


Researchers create functional mini-liver by 3D bioprinting
SDG 3, SDG 9
Researchers create functional mini-liver by 3D bioprinting

Technique developed at Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center, funded by FAPESP and hosted by the University of São Paulo, produced hepatic tissue in the laboratory in only 90 days and could become an alternative to organ transplantation in future.


Leafcutter ants accelerate the cutting and transport of leaves when threatened by stormy weather
SDG 15
Leafcutter ants accelerate the cutting and transport of leaves when threatened by stormy weather

Leafcutter ants speed up foraging to collect as much food as possible when they sense a decrease in atmospheric pressure according to a study by researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil


The sympathetic nervous system can inhibit the action of defense cells in autoimmune disease
SDG 3
The sympathetic nervous system can inhibit the action of defense cells in autoimmune disease

Scientists in Brazil showed that the part of the autonomous nervous system that controls responses to danger or stress can reduce the activity of the cells that attack potential threats to the organism. This discovery opens up an opportunity for the development of novel therapeutic approaches to disorders such as multiple sclerosis


Entrepreneurs from São Paulo and Mexico exchange information on technology to combat arboviral diseases
SDG 3, SDG 17
Entrepreneurs from São Paulo and Mexico exchange information on technology to combat arboviral diseases

Projects funded jointly by FAPESP and Canada’s IDRC are developing solutions to combat Aedes aegypti. Researchers and entrepreneurs from Brazil and Mexico discussed these innovations at a workshop.


Group from Unicamp is evaluating the impact of forest burning on mercury emissions into the atmosphere
SDG 13
Group from Unicamp is evaluating the impact of forest burning on mercury emissions into the atmosphere

Researchers are trying to trace the destination of the particles emitted by the burning of biomass and measure the effects of deforestation on the mercury cycle of the Amazon rainforest.


Study is investigating factors that influence the transmission of Chagas disease in Northeast Brazil
SDG 3
Study is investigating factors that influence the transmission of Chagas disease in Northeast Brazil

Brazilian and French researchers have studied specimens of the vector insect captured in Brazil that recorded an outbreak of the disease and have observed a high prevalence of infection by T. cruzi; two species of rodents were identified as potential reservoirs of the parasite


Researchers show how opportunistic bacterium defeats competitors
SDG 3
Researchers show how opportunistic bacterium defeats competitors

A study conducted in Brazil shows that Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, a common drug-resistant pathogen in hospitals, kills rival bacteria with a cocktail of toxins. This discovery could lead to the development of new antibiotics.


Contamination by metals can increase metabolic stress in mussels
SDG 14
Contamination by metals can increase metabolic stress in mussels

The animals' response may be a sign of ecosystem imbalance. Experiments performed on six beaches of Brazil’s Southeast Region showed that the mussels' activity intensifies when they are exposed to metallic contaminants in seawater.


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