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FAPESP and the Sustainable Development Goals

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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Urban transmission of COVID-19 reproduces territorial inequities
SDG 3, SDG 10
Urban transmission of COVID-19 reproduces territorial inequities

The study will analyze how the disease affects different communities in Brazil and the US based on social and demographic characteristics related to drivers of environmental vulnerability.


Discovery of immune mechanism involved in COVID-19 paves way for novel therapy
SDG 3
Discovery of immune mechanism involved in COVID-19 paves way for novel therapy

Study conducted by the FAPESP-funded Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases (CRID) shows that drug currently used to treat cystic fibrosis can help prevent complications from infection by SARS-CoV-2.


Scientists create an online platform to offer Brazilian health workers guidance on the use of PPE
SDG 3, SDG 8
Scientists create an online platform to offer Brazilian health workers guidance on the use of PPE

The website developed by researchers at the University of São Paulo includes videos, illustrations, texts and posters with information on the right way to put on and take off masks, gloves, gowns and other items.


Researchers seek antiviral molecules for the treatment of COVID-19
SDG 3
Researchers seek antiviral molecules for the treatment of COVID-19

Synthetic compounds and molecules derived from natural products belonging to Brazil’s biodiversity are being screened by teams at the Center for Innovation in Biodiversity and Drug Discovery, which is supported by FAPESP.


Protein derived from tick saliva proves effective in the treatment of equine skin cancer
SDG 3
Protein derived from tick saliva proves effective in the treatment of equine skin cancer

Experiments were conducted by scientists affiliated with the Center of Excellence in New Target Discovery, a research center supported by FAPESP, involving five animals with spontaneous skin tumors.


Brazilian startup seeks to develop a wholly indigenous COVID-19 diagnostic test
SDG 3, SDG 9
Brazilian startup seeks to develop a wholly indigenous COVID-19 diagnostic test

The project is supported by FAPESP’s Innovative Research in Small Business Program. The firm plans to produce ELISA kits that will detect antibodies against the novel coronavirus in blood serum.


Researchers will study body fat immune cells to understand obesity-associated inflammation
SDG 3
Researchers will study body fat immune cells to understand obesity-associated inflammation

Brazilian researchers are the only Latin American group to have had a project selected in an international request for applications by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Funding of more USD 175,000 has been awarded to the study, which will be the first in Brazil to use single-cell analysis.


Drug developed to treat cancer accelerates recovery of severe COVID-19 patients
SDG 3
Drug developed to treat cancer accelerates recovery of severe COVID-19 patients

Researchers at the University of Campinas tested the Brazilian immunotherapy drug OncoTherad on five patients who contracted the disease while being treated for bladder cancer. The drug attenuated the inflammation in their lungs and shortened their hospital stay.


Computational tools can select novel coronavirus antigens to create therapeutic vaccines
SDG 3
Computational tools can select novel coronavirus antigens to create therapeutic vaccines

A formulation could be used in patients at risk of respiratory failure to prevent their condition from deteriorating. This methodology has been used to treat HIV/AIDS by an international group of scientists led by Brazilian researchers.


Stay at home but don’t stay still, researchers recommend
SDG 3
Stay at home but don’t stay still, researchers recommend

In a review article published in the American Journal of Physiology, Brazilian researchers present scientific evidence on the impact of short periods of inactivity on the cardiovascular system and recommend exercise to stay fit at home during the pandemic.


Brazilian firm refines mechanical ventilation technology
SDG 3, SDG 9
Brazilian firm refines mechanical ventilation technology

Through a project supported by FAPESP, the São Paulo-based firm Setup is developing two portable ventilators. More robust and easier to operate than standard devices, they are designed for use in ICUs and field hospitals.


Military technologies to be adapted for fever detection in crowded places to combat COVID-19
SDG 3, SDG 9
Military technologies to be adapted for fever detection in crowded places to combat COVID-19

Company supported by FAPESP is developing a smart visible and thermal spectrum imaging system to spot people with fever in schools, malls or offices.


Animal testing of potential Brazilian vaccine for COVID-19 begins
SDG 3
Animal testing of potential Brazilian vaccine for COVID-19 begins

Pre-clinical trial will identify the formulation and concentration capable of inducing a rapid and lasting immune response, before further development and testing.


Study identifies 306 genetic variants linked to brain structure and predisposition to certain diseases
SDG 3
Study identifies 306 genetic variants linked to brain structure and predisposition to certain diseases

Based on quantitative MRI, researchers measured cortical volume in 51,665 participants and correlated the data with genetic markers.


Researchers in Brazil investigate mechanisms that trigger the inflammatory phase of COVID-19
SDG 3
Researchers in Brazil investigate mechanisms that trigger the inflammatory phase of COVID-19

Scientists affiliated with a research center supported by FAPESP set out to understand the strategies used by immune cells to combat the most severe phase of the disease.


Estrogens may protect women from COVID-19
SDG 3
Estrogens may protect women from COVID-19

A study supported by FAPESP is investigating the possibility that estrogens inhibit the progression of the disease. The goal is to find medications for the treatment of COVID-19.


Vulnerability of Brazilian workers evaluated in crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic
SDG 3, SDG 10
Vulnerability of Brazilian workers evaluated in crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic

Only 13.8% of the workforce has jobs in sectors not badly hit by social isolation according to a research network set up to propose ways of improving the quality of government policies for dealing with the crisis.


Gene editing tool can help block infection by novel coronavirus
SDG 3
Gene editing tool can help block infection by novel coronavirus

Brazilian researchers are developing a strategy to induce mutations in the gene that encodes ACE-2, the protein used by SARS-CoV-2 to invade human cells. The goal is to disrupt the protein’s interaction with the virus without impairing its function in the organism.


Research group studies the sexual habits of fungi in search of strategies to combat harmful species
SDG 3
Research group studies the sexual habits of fungi in search of strategies to combat harmful species

Scientists at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Bath in the UK, aim to find ways of inhibiting gene exchange between fungi in order to reduce resistance to fungicide.


The COVID-19 pandemic requires society to provide more care for the elderly
SDG 3, SDG 10
The COVID-19 pandemic requires society to provide more care for the elderly

Some 300,000 older people live alone in São Paulo City, and more than 8,000 say they have no one to turn to for help. A study supported by FAPESP describe their vulnerability in the ongoing public health crisis.


Study links malaria risk in deforestation hotspots to demand for agricultural commodities
SDG 3, SDG 13
Study links malaria risk in deforestation hotspots to demand for agricultural commodities

The international trade in timber, tobacco, cocoa, coffee and cotton accounts for a high proportion of malaria risk in exporter countries, according to a collaborative study by scientists in Brazil and Australia published in Nature Communications.


Brazilian researchers develop rapid test to detect novel coronavirus
SDG 3, SDG 9
Brazilian researchers develop rapid test to detect novel coronavirus

The device will identify parts of the virus’s RNA in the saliva of infected subjects. Other initiatives by the research group at the Federal University of São Carlos include developing sensors to look for the pathogen in the air and in sewerage systems.


Study shows advantage of alternating quarantines in cities across the state of São Paulo
SDG 3, SDG 17
Study shows advantage of alternating quarantines in cities across the state of São Paulo

Strategy would maintain economic activity and protect healthcare services, according to system developed by a research center supported by FAPESP.


Researchers discover mechanism that makes COVID-19 more severe in diabetics
SDG 3
Researchers discover mechanism that makes COVID-19 more severe in diabetics

Higher blood glucose levels captured by defense cells provide energy for augmented viral replication, triggering overwhelming immune response that kills lung cells.


Over 50% of adults in Brazil can be considered at risk for COVID-19
SDG 3
Over 50% of adults in Brazil can be considered at risk for COVID-19

This study analyzes the prevalence of factors that increase the risk of severe manifestations of COVID-19, such as old age, chronic disease, obesity and smoking, among others. The proportion of the most susceptible people is 80% among those with less schooling


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