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 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.


Most complete commercial sugarcane genome sequence has been assembled
SDG 2, SDG 7
Most complete commercial sugarcane genome sequence has been assembled

With FAPESP’s support, researchers have succeeded in mapping 99.1% of the plant’s genes, providing knowledge that will help improve its resistance to disease and increase its biomass yield for fuel or sugar production.


An international research group is developing computer system for early detection of Alzheimer’s
SDG 3, SDG 9
An international research group is developing computer system for early detection of Alzheimer’s

In a lecture given at FAPESP Week France, Brazilian scientist Francisco Fraga da Silva spoke about developing a low-cost diagnostic alternative based on electroencephalography data.


Scientists combine nanotechnology and natural products to fight agricultural pests
SDG 2, SDG 9
Scientists combine nanotechnology and natural products to fight agricultural pests

In a search for more sustainable alternatives for agriculture, researchers at UNESP are developing systems to encapsulate synthetic pesticides as well as compounds of botanical, fungal, and bacterial origin; results were presented at FAPESP Week France.


Mechanism that triggers the inflammatory process during infection by Mayaro virus is discovered
SDG 3
Mechanism that triggers the inflammatory process during infection by Mayaro virus is discovered

A Brazilian team at FAPESP-supported Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases identified the strategy used by immune cells to combat the pathogen Mayaro virus, which causes symptoms similar to those of chikungunya fever. These results pave the way for the development of drugs.


An international panel will collect and disseminate scientific knowledge on migrations
SDG 16
An international panel will collect and disseminate scientific knowledge on migrations

The initiative, inspired in the same lines as IPCC’s, was presented on FAPESP Week France; its goals are to provide support for the formulation of public policies and to promote a less ideological discussion about the European migration crisis.


New strategy for treating the most aggressive type of brain cancer is tested at USP
SDG 3
New strategy for treating the most aggressive type of brain cancer is tested at USP

Therapy used against grade four glioblastoma multiforme combines a photoactive molecule and a chemotherapeutic agent – both encapsulated in protein-lipid nanoparticles; work was presented by Antônio Claudio Tedesco during FAPESP Week France.


Schools and universities stifle student creativity, says researcher
SDG 4
Schools and universities stifle student creativity, says researcher

Scientists from Brazil and France argue for the need to train teachers to stimulate this ability in the classroom, which is considered to be essential in the context of the 21st century; the topic was debated at FAPESP Week France.


Financialization of housing policies is a reflection of old practices, says researcher
SDG 11, SDG 16
Financialization of housing policies is a reflection of old practices, says researcher

Fabrice Bardet, of Université de Lyon, highlights during FAPESP Week France that the real estate sector has gained relevance in the structural transformation of contemporary capitalism; Bardet carries out collaborative research that aims to understand the historical perspective on this process in France and Brazil.


Study of intestinal bacteria of insects may reveal strategies for combatting them
SDG 3
Study of intestinal bacteria of insects may reveal strategies for combatting them

Intestinal microbiota of mosquito that transmits dengue and of bugs resistant to insecticides is the focus of studies developed at the Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 and presented at FAPESP Week France.


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