Brazilian Research Institute for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology
Brazilian researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess 86 volunteers who had moderate COVID-19 and compared the results with those of uninfected volunteers. Preliminary findings have not yet been published but were presented during a conference held at the University of Campinas.
Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases
Pro-Vaccine Union, an initiative of the University of São Paulo in partnership with other organizations including Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers funded by FAPESP, is monitoring anti-vaccine groups on Facebook in an effort to understand the workings of the social media ecosystem that spreads disinformation.
Center for Research and Development of Functional Materials
Developed at an Engineering Research Center supported by FAPESP, the novel spectroelectrochemical cell can be used to study the behavior of electrolytes and catalysts by means of X-rays and infrared or even visible light.
Center for Research and Development of Functional Materials
Researchers at São Paulo State University reused bacterial cellulose scraps usually thrown away by manufacturers of wound dressings to make strong biodegradable film for food packaging.
Brazilian Research Institute for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology
A study performed at one of the Research Centers supported by FAPESP resulted in development of a novel rehabilitation device. The article was recognized as outstanding by the 20th International Conference on Computational Science and its Applications.
Center for Research on Redox Processes in Biomedicine
An article in Cell by researchers affiliated with Harvard and the University of São Paulo shows that the metabolite succinate is released by muscle cells during physical exercise and triggers a process of tissue remodeling that makes muscles stronger and enhances metabolic efficiency.
Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases
In defense cells from patients hospitalized with the disease, Brazilian researchers found signs of activation of a protein complex called the inflammasome, responsible for initiating the inflammatory response that can damage organs and lead to death. The findings could help identify drugs capable of interrupting the process.
Center for Cell-Based Therapy
Scientists at a research center supported by FAPESP identified a non-inherited mutation in blood cells from a patient with GATA2 deficiency that may have prevented bone marrow failure and other clinical manifestations.
Human Genome and Stem-Cell Research Center
Analysis of DNA from 1,171 over-sixties living in São Paulo will enable scientists to identify genetic mutations responsible for diseases or important to healthy aging, according to the authors of the study.
Center for Cell-Based Therapy
Monoclonal antibody tested by researchers at University of São Paulo and experimental drug given to patients in Italy by University of Pennsylvania research group promoted rapid improvement of respiratory function in patients hospitalized in severe condition.
Center for Research and Innovation in Biodiversity and Drug Discovery
Sirius’s protein crystallography beamline analyzed more than 200 protein crystals from the novel coronavirus as they were exposed to tiny fragments of widely used drugs. If a compound fits perfectly into a target protein, its action can be blocked in the virus.
Human Genome and Stem-Cell Research Center
Findings reported by Brazilian researchers in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases help explain why only some babies whose mothers are infected during pregnancy are born with microcephaly and other anomalies.
Center for Research on Redox Processes in Biomedicine
Adaptation of muscle tissue to aerobic exercise alters the metabolism of muscle stem cells, helping them recover from injury. Findings may contribute to treatment of cachexia, sarcopenia and other conditions associated with lean mass loss.
Center for Computational Engineering and Sciences
Experiments conducted by Brazilian researchers with lymphocytes isolated from COVID-19 patients showed the virus using the protein CD4 to invade cells that play a key role in coordinating the immune response.
Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases
In an article published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, a group affiliated with a FAPESP-supported research center reports that an enzyme associated with energy production in cells also participates in the differentiation of immune cells involved in exacerbated inflammation. The discovery could lead to more effective treatment.
Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center for Neuromathematics
Study by Brazilian and South African researchers is the first to prove, using a graph analysis tool, that REM dream narratives tend to be more complex and connected than reports of non-REM dreams
Obesity and Comorbidities Research Center
Led by research groups from the universities of Campinas and São Paulo, the investigation combined MRI scans of mild COVID-19 patients, analysis of brain tissue samples from patients who died from COVID-19, and experiments performed with human nerve cells infected in the laboratory.
Center for Metropolitan Studies
An article in The Lancet stresses the vulnerability of these health workers, whose readiness to counter fake news with trustworthy information, and to monitor COVID-19 patients in home isolation, has been neglected.
Researchers affiliated with institutions in Brazil and elsewhere analyzed blood work from almost 179,000 people who were tested for the novel coronavirus. They obtained the data from COVID-19 Data Sharing/BR, an open-access repository established by FAPESP.
