Trio of Brazilian researchers receive support from Bill Gates

10/28/2013 - 11h16

A project to accelerate the production of drugs for parasitic diseases still common in Brazil and Africa and two to facilitate plantation with low-cost techniques will receive funding from billionaire Bill Gates of Microsoft.

Each of the three Brazilian researchers responsible for the plans will receive a sponsorship of US$ 100,000 (R$ 219,000), which can be extended to US$ 1 million (R$ 2.19 million) if the execution of the idea is well received.

Their win will be announced at a conference sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which begins today in Rio.

Of 2,700 entries, 80 were selected, including Rio pharmacist Floriano Paes Silva Júnior, São Paulo agronomic engineer Mateus Marrafon and mechanical engineer Ricardo Capúcio de Resende, from Minas Gerais.

Silva Júnior, 35, who works at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) in Rio, proposed the development of a software capable of interpreting images of parasites taken with a microscope to assess which existing drugs could be useful in combating them. This automated analysis of the parasite's reaction to the substance could help discover what is the optimal dose to kill them.

Currently, a researcher who observes and interprets the characteristics of what causes the disease, which leads to conclusions that are not always consistent, does this assessment.

Marrafon, 29, a researcher at the Kairós Institute, has developed prototypes of a biodegradable tape that has seeds selected from a given crop. Inside the tape, which is buried underground, the seeds are distributed in accordance with the ideal spacing for growth.

Resende, 47, of the Federal University of Viçosa, also thought of a tool that helps during plantation. He designed a machine with two wheels capable of making holes in the ground while simultaneously sowing seeds. It would be the artisanal option for automated seeders to use on large properties.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also confirmed its partnership with the government of Brazil. Minister of Health Alexandre Padilha should attend the opening of the conference to formalize an agreement between Fiocruz and the American institution for the production of a double-viral vaccine for measles and rubella.

According to the foundation, the vaccine should be exported to African countries.

Translated by JILL LANGLOIS