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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Falling investment in health promotion policies is one of the obstacles to the prevention of HIV-AIDS.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The FAPESP-funded Center for Cell-Based Therapy explored the action mechanism of a microRNA that reduces tumor size and blocks metastasis when overexpressed.
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.
With FAPESP’s support, the flagship product developed by a Brazilian startup gains scale and is used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
