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FAPESP and the Sustainable Development Goals

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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

News

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Fungal infections increase mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients worldwide
SDG 3
Fungal infections increase mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients worldwide

An international group of scientists presents this conclusion in an article in Nature Microbiology, warning that novel antifungal medications are urgently.


Modern techniques optimize search for natural products and development of treatment for AIDS and COVID-19
SDG 3
Modern techniques optimize search for natural products and development of treatment for AIDS and COVID-19

The topic was discussed on August 9 by Barry O’Keefe of the US National Cancer Institute during the FAPESP 60 Years School on Exact, Natural and Life Sciences. The other speakers on the second day of the event were José Nelson Onuchic of Rice University and Virgilio Almeida of the Federal University of Minas Gerais.


Older people with anemia and weak muscles face higher risk of dying
SDG 3
Older people with anemia and weak muscles face higher risk of dying

The combination is particularly dangerous for women, according to a study by researchers in Brazil and the UK who analyzed data for 5,310 people aged 50+ followed in a ten-year health survey.


Study reveals mechanism involved in rare pediatric brain cancer and points to possible treatment
SDG 3
Study reveals mechanism involved in rare pediatric brain cancer and points to possible treatment

The type of ependymoma studied mainly affects children, has a low survival rate and has no specific chemotherapeutic treatment. A combination of two experimental drugs inhibited tumor growth in vitro.


Mathematical model identifies bats as most probable hosts for SARS-CoV-2
SDG 3
Mathematical model identifies bats as most probable hosts for SARS-CoV-2

Researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil fed data for different coronaviruses into a machine learning model. The results reinforced the role of flying mammals as the first reservoirs of the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic. The tool can be used in future emergencies.


Study reveals immune mechanism responsible for some fatal COVID-19 cases
SDG 3
Study reveals immune mechanism responsible for some fatal COVID-19 cases

While some patients die with a high viral load and little inflammation, others succumb to inflammatory complications that arise after the virus is eliminated from the organism. According to scientists at the University of São Paulo, lasting inflammasome activation is key in such cases. The findings can be used to develop personalized therapeutic approaches.


Biodiversity conservation is linked to poverty reduction, scientists say
SDG 1, SDG 3, SDG 10, SDG 12, SDG 14, SDG 15
Biodiversity conservation is linked to poverty reduction, scientists say

In a webinar held to present the third chapter of the book published by the São Paulo State Academy of Sciences to commemorate FAPESP’s sixtieth anniversary, specialists showed that protection of terrestrial and marine environments contributes to food production and job creation, among other benefits.


Researchers map incidence of malaria in pregnancy in Brazil
SDG 3
Researchers map incidence of malaria in pregnancy in Brazil

A study published in Lancet Regional Health – Americas will help improve actions to combat this public health problem in the North of Brazil.


Study finds link between post-COVID loss of smell or taste and memory problems
SDG 3
Study finds link between post-COVID loss of smell or taste and memory problems

Researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil followed up hundreds of COVID patients after discharge from hospital in São Paulo City. Tests conducted six months later showed that those with the most severe sensory disorders also performed worse in tests of cognitive functions, especially memorization.


Study reveals mechanism that leads to malaria-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome
SDG 3
Study reveals mechanism that leads to malaria-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome

Researchers at the University of São Paulo tested a therapeutic intervention that proved capable of reducing the mortality rate from MA-ARDS in experiments on mice. The findings point to an avenue for the development of novel treatments for human patients.


Protein that detects light may play a role in the origin and progression of melanoma, study suggests
SDG 3
Protein that detects light may play a role in the origin and progression of melanoma, study suggests

Researchers at the University of São Paulo showed, through experiments on animals and genetically modified cells, that this type of cancer advances more slowly when the light-sensitive molecule known as melanopsin is deactivated. The discovery could point to novel therapeutic strategies.


Phenomenon that normally leads to human cell death appears vital for parasites, study shows
SDG 3
Phenomenon that normally leads to human cell death appears vital for parasites, study shows

Double-strand DNA breaks cause cell damage in several organisms, but apparently play a key role in the lifecycles of species that cause Chagas disease, sleeping sickness and leishmaniasis. The results of the study pave the way to the development of more effective treatment.


Hunger increases risk of contracting COVID-19 by 76% for children in a city in the Amazon
SDG 1, SDG 3
Hunger increases risk of contracting COVID-19 by 76% for children in a city in the Amazon

In a longitudinal survey of children born in 2015 and 2016 in a city in Acre State, North Brazil, over half of the participants reported experiencing hunger in the previous month. The occurrence of symptoms also correlated with social vulnerability, and with the mother’s schooling and skin color.


Technique based on artificial intelligence detects Chagas disease using images taken with smartphone
SDG 3
Technique based on artificial intelligence detects Chagas disease using images taken with smartphone

Brazilian researchers have developed an algorithm to identify the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi in photographs of blood samples taken with a mobile phone camera. The low-cost method is described in the journal PeerJ and can be reproduced.


Study reveals set of deregulated genes in pancreatic cancer and points to potential therapeutic targets
SDG 3
Study reveals set of deregulated genes in pancreatic cancer and points to potential therapeutic targets

Researchers at the University of São Paulo analyzed the expression of long non-coding RNAs, the type that does not give rise to proteins, in samples from patients and tumor cell lines, identifying a group of genes with augmented expression in pancreatic cancer.


Agreement will permit installation of Pasteur Institute unit in the state of São Paulo
SDG 3, SDG 17
Agreement will permit installation of Pasteur Institute unit in the state of São Paulo

The agreement was signed between the University of São Paulo, the state government and Pasteur Institute at an event held to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Louis Pasteur’s birth and FAPESP’s 60th anniversary. FAPESP renewed and expanded its support for the Scientific Platform Pasteur-USP, which will host the new research unit.


Study shows that amino acid taurine could be used in anti-aging therapy
SDG 3
Study shows that amino acid taurine could be used in anti-aging therapy

A clinical trial involving women aged 55-70 suggests that supplementing diet with this nutrient can reinforce the organism’s antioxidant defenses and possibly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Studies with more volunteers are needed to confirm the effect.


Study opens up new possibilities for treatment of Pitt-Hopkins syndrome
SDG 3
Study opens up new possibilities for treatment of Pitt-Hopkins syndrome

Researchers at the State University of Campinas and the University of California San Diego have discovered the mechanism that causes this rare but severe autism spectrum disorder. They reversed progression of the syndrome in laboratory models, opening up new possibilities for treatment using drugs and gene therapy.


Study reveals how novel coronavirus manipulates cells to replicate
SDG 3
Study reveals how novel coronavirus manipulates cells to replicate

Brazilian researchers have discovered that PCNA, a protein present in the nuclei of human cells, interacts with the SARS-CoV-2 membrane matrix protein M. In laboratory tests, inhibition of this mechanism using a drug reduced viral replication by 15%-20%.


Computational solution automatically identifies alterations in mammograms
SDG 3, SDG 9
Computational solution automatically identifies alterations in mammograms

A startup supported by FAPESP has developed a technology based on artificial intelligence that can reduce the time to produce a diagnosis by 40%.


Novel compounds discovered in marine sponge can kill drug-resistant bacteria
SDG 3, SDG 14
Novel compounds discovered in marine sponge can kill drug-resistant bacteria

Several substances that killed antibiotic-resistant bacteria were found by Brazilian researchers in a marine sponge native to Fernando de Noronha, an archipelago off the coast of the Northeast.


Study shows that 8% of athletes have persistent symptoms after contracting COVID-19
SDG 3
Study shows that 8% of athletes have persistent symptoms after contracting COVID-19

Researchers at the University of São Paulo analyzed 43 scientific articles with data for some 11,500 athletes. The findings point to the need for carefully personalized assessment of athletes and sports players before a resumption of training is allowed, they warn.


Experts warn about the need for seeking novel treatments for parasitic worm diseases
SDG 3
Experts warn about the need for seeking novel treatments for parasitic worm diseases

Advanced drug discovery methods have led to advances in the search for treatments for some neglected tropical diseases, including leishmaniasis and Chagas, but research on schistosomiasis and other diseases caused by worms remains at an early stage, according to an article in Drug Discovery Today by Brazilian researchers.


Cancer: FAPESP-supported center extends mastery of technique involving genetically modified defense cells
SDG 3
Cancer: FAPESP-supported center extends mastery of technique involving genetically modified defense cells

Research that can increase Brazil’s access to CAR T-cell therapy, an increasingly important strategy for treating cancer, is under way at the University of São Paulo’s Center for Cell-Based Therapy (CTC) in Ribeirão Preto, and the Butantan Institute.


Peptide with anti-obesity action is successfully tested in animal trial
SDG 3
Peptide with anti-obesity action is successfully tested in animal trial

In mice fed a high-fat diet, the molecule mitigated weight gain while reducing insulin resistance and liver fattiness. An article describing the results of the study by researchers at the University of São Paulo and collaborators is published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.


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