The study that analyzed mechanisms involved in severe cases of dengue, developed during his doctorate by biologist Eugenio Damaceno Hottz, was announced as one of the winners of the 2015 Capes de Theses Award. Developed in the Postgraduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology at Instituto Oswaldo Cross (IOC/Fiocruz), the research 'Platelet Activation Mechanisms in Dengue: Contributions to Pathogenesis' was considered the best thesis of the year in the Biological Sciences II category. Also student of IOC, the physician Dayvison Francis Saraiva Freitas received an honorable mention in the Medicine II category for his study dedicated to sporotrichosis, defended in the Graduate Program in Tropical Medicine. O award result was published on 31/08.
The two works highlighted in the Capes Prize are among the seven winners of the Alumni IOC of Theses Alexandre Peixoto 2015, which was delivered this Friday, 04/09, in a ceremony integrated with the strike actions of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). In its third edition, the Alexandre Peixoto Prize was awarded to four studies nominated for the Capes de Teses Prize and to three studies selected to compete for the Capes-Interfarma Innovation and Research Prize. The award is part of the activities of the Postgraduate Week Stricto sensu do IOC.
Winner of the Capes and Alexandre Peixoto Awards, Eugenio Hottz's thesis brings important discoveries about the role of platelets during dengue infection. Blood components known for their role in clotting, platelets are constantly monitored in patients with the disease: a low count indicates the worsening of the infection, evolving, for example, into a severe dengue case, with bleeding, increased vascular permeability and decrease in blood pressure, which can lead to death. To find out exactly how the dengue virus affects these blood components, the biologist carried out both experiments with infected platelets in vitro and analyzes of patient samples. The investigation revealed that platelets release substances that activate the body's inflammatory response against the pathogen and contribute to increase the permeability of blood vessels. In addition to pointing to molecular mechanisms that may be behind severe cases of infection, the research identified an unprecedented process in platelets: the formation of inflammasomes, an important structure for the body's defense described in leukocytes.
The innovative nature of the work was highlighted by researcher Patrícia Torres Bozza, head of the Laboratory of Immunopharmacology at the IOC and thesis supervisor. She explains that the reduction in the number of platelets is one of the processes associated with the severity of dengue. However, the way in which these blood components participate in the response to infection has not yet been described. “Eugenio was always a distinguished student, with a great ability to work and to make original contributions, which enriched the project”, she says. The study also had the co-supervision of researcher Fernando Augusto Bozza, from the Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectology (INI/Fiocruz), and was partially developed at the University of Utah, in the United States, during a sandwich doctorate period.
Before the awards, the research had already gained repercussions in academia, with articles highlighted by the international scientific journals 'Blood' and 'The Journal of Immunology'. For Eugênio, the results of the work can help in the search for new ways to face dengue. “Understanding how the same infection can generate both a mild febrile form and severe forms and what are the molecular events involved in these different clinical presentations can help to identify new therapeutic targets and biomarkers of severity, improving the clinical management of the disease”, evaluates the author .
The increase in the number of cases of sporotrichosis in Rio de Janeiro was one of the factors that motivated Dayvison Freitas, winner of an honorable mention at the Capes de Teses Prize and the Alexandre Peixoto Prize, to develop the study 'Assessment of epidemiological, mycological, clinical and treatments associated with sporotrichosis'. Caused by fungi of the Sporothrix schenckii complex, the infection mainly affects cats, which can transmit the disease to people through scratches and bites, in addition to direct contact with the animal's wounds. In patients, the first symptom is usually the appearance of skin lesions, with reddish lumps and wounds. In his doctoral thesis, Dayvison analyzed more than 3.500 cases of sporotrichosis registered in the files of the INI/Fiocroz. The survey revealed the occurrence of rare and unprecedented cases and showed the impact of the disease on vulnerable patients, especially HIV carriers, who can develop fatal forms of the infection. “Greater knowledge about the peculiarities of sporotrichosis, a disease that has been plaguing the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro, should help health professionals in the diagnostic approach. In addition, with greater awareness of the responsible authorities, we believe that the population will be better assisted and informed about measures to prevent and control the disease”, evaluates the author.
The investigation also included laboratory experiments, which pointed to a possible increase in the virulence of the fungi that cause sporotrichosis in Rio de Janeiro and to the ability of these pathogens to adapt to the patients' bodies, making it difficult to treat the infection. The thesis was supervised by physician Maria Clara Gutierrez Galhardo and co-supervised by biologist Rosely Maria Zancopé Oliveira, researchers at INI/Fiocroz. Maria Clara highlighted the extent of the study carried out. “It was hard work, which resulted in several important results. Dayvison demonstrated the spirit of a researcher, with the seriousness and responsibility necessary for science,” said the advisor.
The delivery of the 2015 Capes de Theses Award took place on December 10, in Brasília. The authors of the best theses in each of the 48 postgraduate areas recognized by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes) received a certificate and medal, in addition to a scholarship for postdoctoral work.
O Alumni IOC of Theses Alexandre Peixoto highlights the best works defended in the Graduate Programs of the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC/Fiocruz). The award was created in 2013 after a public consultation with the Institute's community, which chose the best way to honor researcher Alexandre Peixoto, who died prematurely at the age of 50 in February of that year. A specialist in insect genetics, the researcher was head of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Insects and coordinator of the Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the IOC. Recognized in national and international research promotion programs for his productivity, Alexandre also stood out for his dedication to training graduate students, which was reflected in the number of advisors he carried out. During the approximately 15 years that he served as a principal researcher at the Fiocruz, the geneticist supervised 18 master's dissertations and the same number of doctoral theses, four of which were in progress when he died.
The winners of the Alexandre Peixoto Award are chosen by the Graduate Programs of the IOC. Among the selection criteria are the originality of the work and its relevance to the country's scientific, technological, cultural, social and innovation development, among other factors. In the first edition of the event, held in October 2013, four theses were awarded. Last year, three works received the award. In 2015, the selection included research indicated to compete for the Capes-Interfarma Innovation and Research Award, in addition to those chosen for recommendation to the Capes Theses Award.
The study that analyzed mechanisms involved in severe cases of dengue, developed during his doctorate by biologist Eugenio Damaceno Hottz, was announced as one of the winners of the 2015 Capes de Theses Award. Developed in the Postgraduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology at Instituto Oswaldo Cross (IOC/Fiocruz), the research 'Platelet Activation Mechanisms in Dengue: Contributions to Pathogenesis' was considered the best thesis of the year in the Biological Sciences II category. Also student of IOC, the physician Dayvison Francis Saraiva Freitas received an honorable mention in the Medicine II category for his study dedicated to sporotrichosis, defended in the Graduate Program in Tropical Medicine. O award result was published on 31/08.
The two works highlighted in the Capes Prize are among the seven winners of the Alumni IOC of Theses Alexandre Peixoto 2015, which was delivered this Friday, 04/09, in a ceremony integrated with the strike actions of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). In its third edition, the Alexandre Peixoto Prize was awarded to four studies nominated for the Capes de Teses Prize and to three studies selected to compete for the Capes-Interfarma Innovation and Research Prize. The award is part of the activities of the Postgraduate Week Stricto sensu do IOC.
Winner of the Capes and Alexandre Peixoto Awards, Eugenio Hottz's thesis brings important discoveries about the role of platelets during dengue infection. Blood components known for their role in clotting, platelets are constantly monitored in patients with the disease: a low count indicates the worsening of the infection, evolving, for example, into a severe dengue case, with bleeding, increased vascular permeability and decrease in blood pressure, which can lead to death. To find out exactly how the dengue virus affects these blood components, the biologist carried out both experiments with infected platelets in vitro and analyzes of patient samples. The investigation revealed that platelets release substances that activate the body's inflammatory response against the pathogen and contribute to increase the permeability of blood vessels. In addition to pointing to molecular mechanisms that may be behind severe cases of infection, the research identified an unprecedented process in platelets: the formation of inflammasomes, an important structure for the body's defense described in leukocytes.
The innovative nature of the work was highlighted by researcher Patrícia Torres Bozza, head of the Laboratory of Immunopharmacology at the IOC and thesis supervisor. She explains that the reduction in the number of platelets is one of the processes associated with the severity of dengue. However, the way in which these blood components participate in the response to infection has not yet been described. “Eugenio was always a distinguished student, with a great ability to work and to make original contributions, which enriched the project”, she says. The study also had the co-supervision of researcher Fernando Augusto Bozza, from the Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectology (INI/Fiocruz), and was partially developed at the University of Utah, in the United States, during a sandwich doctorate period.
Before the awards, the research had already gained repercussions in academia, with articles highlighted by the international scientific journals 'Blood' and 'The Journal of Immunology'. For Eugênio, the results of the work can help in the search for new ways to face dengue. “Understanding how the same infection can generate both a mild febrile form and severe forms and what are the molecular events involved in these different clinical presentations can help to identify new therapeutic targets and biomarkers of severity, improving the clinical management of the disease”, evaluates the author .
The increase in the number of cases of sporotrichosis in Rio de Janeiro was one of the factors that motivated Dayvison Freitas, winner of an honorable mention at the Capes de Teses Prize and the Alexandre Peixoto Prize, to develop the study 'Assessment of epidemiological, mycological, clinical and treatments associated with sporotrichosis'. Caused by fungi of the Sporothrix schenckii complex, the infection mainly affects cats, which can transmit the disease to people through scratches and bites, in addition to direct contact with the animal's wounds. In patients, the first symptom is usually the appearance of skin lesions, with reddish lumps and wounds. In his doctoral thesis, Dayvison analyzed more than 3.500 cases of sporotrichosis registered in the files of the INI/Fiocroz. The survey revealed the occurrence of rare and unprecedented cases and showed the impact of the disease on vulnerable patients, especially HIV carriers, who can develop fatal forms of the infection. “Greater knowledge about the peculiarities of sporotrichosis, a disease that has been plaguing the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro, should help health professionals in the diagnostic approach. In addition, with greater awareness of the responsible authorities, we believe that the population will be better assisted and informed about measures to prevent and control the disease”, evaluates the author.
The investigation also included laboratory experiments, which pointed to a possible increase in the virulence of the fungi that cause sporotrichosis in Rio de Janeiro and to the ability of these pathogens to adapt to the patients' bodies, making it difficult to treat the infection. The thesis was supervised by physician Maria Clara Gutierrez Galhardo and co-supervised by biologist Rosely Maria Zancopé Oliveira, researchers at INI/Fiocroz. Maria Clara highlighted the extent of the study carried out. “It was hard work, which resulted in several important results. Dayvison demonstrated the spirit of a researcher, with the seriousness and responsibility necessary for science,” said the advisor.
The delivery of the 2015 Capes de Theses Award took place on December 10, in Brasília. The authors of the best theses in each of the 48 postgraduate areas recognized by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes) received a certificate and medal, in addition to a scholarship for postdoctoral work.
O Alumni IOC of Theses Alexandre Peixoto highlights the best works defended in the Graduate Programs of the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC/Fiocruz). The award was created in 2013 after a public consultation with the Institute's community, which chose the best way to honor researcher Alexandre Peixoto, who died prematurely at the age of 50 in February of that year. A specialist in insect genetics, the researcher was head of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Insects and coordinator of the Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the IOC. Recognized in national and international research promotion programs for his productivity, Alexandre also stood out for his dedication to training graduate students, which was reflected in the number of advisors he carried out. During the approximately 15 years that he served as a principal researcher at the Fiocruz, the geneticist supervised 18 master's dissertations and the same number of doctoral theses, four of which were in progress when he died.
The winners of the Alexandre Peixoto Award are chosen by the Graduate Programs of the IOC. Among the selection criteria are the originality of the work and its relevance to the country's scientific, technological, cultural, social and innovation development, among other factors. In the first edition of the event, held in October 2013, four theses were awarded. Last year, three works received the award. In 2015, the selection included research indicated to compete for the Capes-Interfarma Innovation and Research Award, in addition to those chosen for recommendation to the Capes Theses Award.
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