Protein restriction can be effective in combating obesity and diabetes, study suggests

Obesity and Comorbidities Research Center

Twenty-one patients with metabolic syndrome were given a calorie or protein restriction diet in a randomized clinical trial by Brazilian and Danish researchers. Weight loss, controlled blood pressure and improved blood sugar and lipid levels were observed in all participants.

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

Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases

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.

Study obtains superconductivity at higher temperature than usual

Center for Research and Development of Functional Materials

Discovery by Brazilian researchers featured on cover of the journal Nanoscale is noteworthy because of possible applications in next-generation electronic devices.

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

Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases

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.

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

Center for Cell-Based Therapy

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.

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

Center for Research and Innovation in Biodiversity and Drug Discovery

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.

New Science for Development Centers will seek solutions to society’s problems

Human Genome and Stem-Cell Research Center

Universities, research institutions and agencies of the São Paulo State Government will join forces in 15 new centers announced during a ceremony held to celebrate FAPESP’s 60th anniversary. The centers will address problems in areas ranging from human and animal health to the energy transition and climate change.

Study reinforces importance of high-quality face coverings in schools

Center for Research in Mathematical Sciences Applied to Industry

Mathematic simulations showed that well-executed non-pharmacological measures reduce the spread of COVID-19 even in places with low vaccination coverage. According to the authors, however, up to 80% of the population could catch the disease if preventive protocols are abandoned.

Light-based therapies achieve good results in rehabilitation of patients with post-COVID complications

Optics and Photonics Research Center

Devices that combine laser irradiation, ultrasound and suction help regenerate tissue and treat muscle, joint, skin, neurological and lung damage. Protocols created via business-university partnerships are being tested and can be applied by treatment centers across Brazil.

Non-lethal component of anthrax kills pain by acting directly on pain-sensing neurons

Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases

The discovery is reported by researchers at Harvard University and the University of São Paulo in Nature Neuroscience, and could serve as a basis for the development of treatments for different diseases.

Chiral gold nanoparticles increase vaccine efficacy by more than 25%, study suggests

Center for Research and Development of Functional Materials

The material is not an active ingredient but an adjuvant, and was successfully tested on an influenza virus in research conducted by an international team of scientists with Brazilian participation and reported in an article in Nature.

Bioactive compounds in orange juice help control blood sugar, study suggests

Food Research Center

This was the main finding of a study by scientists affiliated with a FAPESP-supported research center. The effect may be associated with a mechanism whereby the fruit increases expression of an insulin-related microRNA.

Whole-genome database will help refine diagnosis of genetic diseases in Brazil

Human Genome and Stem-Cell Research Center

Whole-genome sequences of 1,171 elderly people living in São Paulo City were analyzed to detect mutations responsible for disease or that play a key role in healthy aging.

A model that mimics malformation associated with severe epilepsy paves way to novel therapies

Brazilian Research Institute for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology

Scientists at a FAPESP-funded research center reprogrammed skin cells from patients with epilepsy to differentiate into cortical organoids with hallmarks of the malformation known as focal cortical dysplasia.

Scientists discover possible biomarker for vascular disease

Center for Research on Redox Processes in Biomedicine

First-ever study to show correlation between inhibition of protein HSP70 and dysfunction of cells in inner lining of blood vessels, one of the factors involved in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Edible, biodegradable, anti-microbial plastic boasts higher tensile strength than petroleum-based plastic

Center for Research and Development of Functional Materials

Designed for use as food packaging, the material is produced by scientists at São Paulo State University from gelatin, clay and a nanoemulsion of black pepper essential oil.

Study details benefits of stem cell transplant for systemic sclerosis patients

Center for Cell-Based Therapy

Patients submitted to a procedure that “resets” the immune system were tracked for a year by scientists at a FAPESP-supported research center. Their clinical improvement correlated with renewal of a group of defense cells known as B lymphocytes.

Substance analogous to cannabidiol can enhance chemotherapy by preventing neuropathic pain

Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases

In a study conducted by researchers at the University of São Paulo involving experiments on mice, the synthetic substance not only prevented the neuropathic pain typically induced by chemo drugs but was also beneficial against cancer.

Computational algorithm associated with electroencephalography proves effective to diagnose Alzheimer’s

Center for Research in Mathematical Sciences Applied to Industry

Using two low-cost techniques, researchers in Brazil differentiate patients with the disease from healthy subjects. Next steps include refining the approach to diagnose the disease in its early stages.

Study presents novel therapeutic target for treatment of sepsis

Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases

Researchers affiliated with a FAPESP-funded research center showed that a protein called gasdermin D is involved in septic patients’ organ lesions. The study also proved that a drug originally indicated to treat alcohol dependence can inhibit the molecule’s action and prevent complications.

Treatment with injections of zika virus destroys brain tumors in mice without causing neurological damage

Human Genome and Stem-Cell Research Center

Experiments conducted at a FAPESP-supported research center showed that besides directly combating tumor cells, zika alerted the immune system to the presence of cancer. The study opens up prospects for the use of virotherapy for central nervous system tumors.

Experimental treatment prevents Alzheimer’s-associated weight gain in mice

Obesity and Comorbidities Research Center

In a study conducted at a FAPESP-funded research center, a bile acid derivative known by the acronym TUDCA reduced food intake and increased energy expenditure in mice, improving quality of life. The results are promising for humans.

Molecules isolated from natural products are strategic to combat neglected diseases

Center for Research and Innovation in Biodiversity and Drug Discovery

The point was stressed by participants in the 6th FAPESP 60 Years Conference, featuring experts from Brazil, the UK and the US who discussed the search for drugs to treat diseases that affect some 2 billion people worldwide.

SARS-CoV-2 increases brain cell energy expenditure in order to replicate

Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases

Experiments with hamsters and cultured astrocytes point to possible causes of neurological complications in COVID-19 survivors.

Only one in four Western Roman emperors died of natural causes

Center for Research in Mathematical Sciences Applied to Industry

In a study of the underlying mathematical pattern associated with the reign of the Caesars, researchers at a FAPESP-supported center concluded that the chances of survival obeyed the 80/20 rule seen in many phenomena, from earthquake magnitudes to numbers of followers on social media.