The legacy of researcher Milton Ozório Moraes, one of the greatest scholars in the pathophysiology of leprosy, who died prematurely in 2022, was highlighted on the third day of the 'Symposium IOC Jubilee 125 years - 2nd act'. 

Held on August 7th, as part of the commemorative event, the '1st Milton Ozório Moraes Symposium: unraveling the genomics and epidemiological genetics of mycobacteria' addressed the impact of the researcher's work on science, health and the training of human resources.

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At the opening table, representatives of IOC, from Fiocruz and the Movement for the Reintegration of People Affected by Hansen's Disease (Morhan) praised the memory of the scientist and pointed out that his legacy lives on in innovations that contribute to the fight against Hansen's disease, in the work of young scientists trained by him and in the actions of IOC and from Fiocroz. 

The boss of Leprosy Laboratory do IOCRoberta Olmo highlighted Milton's role in the Laboratory's trajectory, which is a reference for the Ministry of Health and maintains an outpatient clinic for public care. For over 20 years, Milton has served as a student, researcher, and head of the unit. 

"From the beginning, Milton made significant scientific contributions, ultimately leading to significant contributions to the SUS (Unified Health System), which generated products, services, and practices that are the reason we are here today," said Roberta. 

The coordinator of the Postgraduate Diploma in Cellular and Molecular Biology do IOC, Patricia Cuervo, listed the scientist's various achievements in the program, of which he was a student, advisor, teacher and coordinator, contributing to the recognition of his scientific excellence and to solidarity actions in the training of professionals in Argentina and Mozambique. 

“Many of the people he trained are currently at Fiocruz and other scientific institutions. The director of the National Institute of Health of Mozambique was a student of Milton," Patricia said. 

The director of IOC, Tania Cremonini de Araujo-Jorge, emphasized the importance of the 1st Milton Ozório Moraes Symposium in the celebrations for the Institute's 125th anniversary. 

"The Jubilee is a milestone in memory and the future. It's extremely important to have this Symposium as part of our celebration, because the legacy of science must live on. Milton had an incredibly powerful impact, and he lives on in people, in colleagues, in family, and in education," Tania stated. 

The role of the researcher in the construction of the Inova F Programiocruz, of which he was coordinator and which constitutes the main strategy for promoting research and innovation at the Foundation, was remembered by the Program coordinator, Claude Pirmez. 

"Wherever you [Milton] are, I want to say it was worth it. We have over a thousand projects at Inova and we owe a lot to you and Krieger. Here on Earth, you are an inspiration," said Claude, also mentioning the Vice President of Research and Biological Collections at Fiocruz, Marco Aurelio Krieger, who passed away this year. 

The Deputy Vice President for Research and Biological Collections at Fiocruz, Marcia de Oliveira Teixeira, recalled Milton's work as an advisor to the VPPCB.  

"A defining characteristic of Milton is his restlessness, his uncompromising attitude. It's symbolic to have this event in the week we launch the Oswaldo Cruz Forum, which aims to build a research development plan at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.iocruz", said Marcia, who represented the president of Research and Biological Collections at Fiocruz, Alda Maria da Cruz, at the event. 

The coordinator of the F Clinical Research Platformiocruz, Tatiana Camilo Ribeiro de Senna, emphasized the researcher's search for the improvement of scientific activities.  

"Euzenir and Milton were committed to bringing new clinical studies to the Sousa Araújo Outpatient Clinic because they knew that research brings more quality to the service," said Tatiana, also citing the former head of the Leprosy Laboratory, Euzenir Sarno. 

Milton's personal characteristics, such as kindness, humility, and collaborative spirit, were highlighted by Morhan activist Artur Custódio when discussing the scientist's relationship with those affected by leprosy. 

"He was a researcher devoid of the vanity that is so common in academia. Milton viewed those affected by leprosy as whole people, recognized the weight of stigma, cared about the complexity of the disease, and had the ability to work with everyone," said Artur. 

Innovation and scientific collaboration 

The event marked the launch of the entry 'Milton Ozório Moraes' in the 'Biobibliographic Dictionary of Scientists of the Fiocruz'. The project aims to present information and bibliography produced by researchers at the Foundation, providing a link to the files in the institutional repository Arca. 

Project member, librarian Catarina Barreto, presented the new entry, highlighting the researcher's extensive scientific production, which is now more easily accessible. 

The first panel of the Symposium discussed two important contributions of Milton to public health: the development of the first molecular biology kit for the diagnosis of leprosy in Brazil, currently available in the Unified Health System (SUS), and the clinical trial in the country of a unprecedented vaccine against the disease, which should begin this year. 

Sara de Moura Lima, technical consultant for the Ministry of Health's General Coordination of Laboratories (CGLAB/MS), noted that the Biomol Hanseníase Kit represents a milestone in research and healthcare services. Approved by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) in 2021, the product began to be offered through the Unified Health System (SUS) in 2023, expanding the diagnosis of leprosy in cases that previously had yielded inconclusive results using other methodologies. 

Scientific leader of the Lepvax clinical trial, the deputy head of the Leprosy Laboratory of the IOC, Verônica Schmidt, highlighted the importance of Milton's work in bringing the vaccine test to Brazil and his active participation in the project even after his cancer diagnosis.  

"In October 2024, we received approval from Anvisa after five years of persistence and scientific rigor. Milton didn't give us fish. He taught us to fish. And we're doing just that," said Verônica. 

Milton's capacity for scientific collaboration and the diversity of his contributions were highlighted at the event's second panel. Professor Marcelo Mira from the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR) and the head of Cell Microbiology Laboratory do IOC, Flavio Lara, commented on their long-standing partnerships with the researcher, which resulted in important discoveries about genetic aspects and mitochondrial alterations in leprosy.  

His colleagues also listed more than 30 research topics in which Milton has published articles, collaborating with various groups in Brazil and abroad. Furthermore, the researcher's role in establishing a leprosy research center at the Alfredo da Matta Hospital Foundation (FUHAM) in the state of Amazonas was commemorated with videos of professionals from the institution. 

Focusing on human resources training, the third panel of the Symposium brought together Cynthia Chester Cardoso, a professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), and Carolinne de Sales Marques, a professor at the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL). Milton advised them during their master's and doctoral studies in the Cellular and Molecular Biology Program at IOC, they highlighted the importance of learning for research and teaching. 

Commenting on her current research interests, Cynthia cited studies on the pharmacogenetics of HIV and Covid-19, and Carolinne presented the results of investigations into the genetic factors of leprosy in Alagoas. 

Milton Moraes Medal 

Marked by emotion, the closing of the event included the presentation of two honors: the Milton Moraes Medal for merit in epidemiology of genetic diseases and the commemorative medal for the 125th anniversary of IOC. 

Approved in May by the Deliberative Council of IOC, the Milton Moraes Medal was awarded for the first time. The recipient, chosen in a vote held in the laboratories located in the Leprosy Pavilion, was Fernanda Kehdy, head of the Leprosy Laboratory's Molecular Biology Department and coordinator of the Real-Time PCR Platform. 

When presenting the award, the head of the Leprosy Laboratory highlighted the scientist's resilience, having assumed leadership of the department created by Milton. She explained that the nomination for the award was made by PhD student Ariani Batista Noronha, a student who began to be mentored by Fernanda after the researcher's death.  

“Your actions demonstrate not only respect for Milton’s legacy, but also a commitment to continuing and strengthening the lines of research he cultivated in IOC”, said Roberta, reading the letter sent by Ariani when making the nomination. 

During the Symposium, Fernanda presented the current panorama of the Molecular Biology Sector, which works in reference activities for the Ministry of Health, carrying out diagnosis of patients treated at the Souza Araújo Outpatient Clinic and investigation of cases with suspected resistance to leprosy therapy in ten states. 

In scientific research, Fernanda cited new genome-wide association studies and the SUS Genomes Project, a Ministry of Health initiative to produce complete genome sequences of individuals from across the country. 

"I'll close with a quote from Milton, optimistic as was his trademark: 'Leprosy is a public health problem, and we're going to solve it.' It's not easy, but we're going to fight," the researcher declared. 

In recognition of the scientist's legacy, the Milton Moraes Medal was also presented to the researcher's family, represented by two of his four children: Manuela and Henrique. Milton's mother, Lúcia Ozório, a psychologist who became a Morhan activist, received the commemorative medal for the 125th anniversary of the IOC, which was also given to the event’s speakers. 

"The medal bearing his name is something of immense power. Words I heard today like collaboration and humility are hallmarks of this loving science that Milton pursued. The scientist who battles leprosy is embodied in this medal, which will be awarded to many scientists working in genetics," said Lúcia.