Microbial ex situ preservation supporting science and bioeconomy in Brazil / Preservação de microrganismos ex situ como suporte para a ciência e a bioeconomia no Brasil

Abstract One of the texts in the "Biodiversity in the State of São Paulo" series, within the FAPESP-Biota Program, was dedicated to the Infrastructure for Biodiversity Conservation, with a focus on Biological Collections and Conservation Units. From the early 1960s, when FAPESP was established, to the present day, financial resources have been invested in the preservation of the biodiversity of the national genetic heritage, besides other fields. History of years of advances in scientific knowledge was built, which can be portrayed through the projects that resulted in high-quality data of national and international impact. Microbiological collections are centers that generate technology and specialized human resources, and act (among other things) as living repositories preserving reference material and as witnesses to the history of microbial biodiversity because they preserve what may no longer exist. They have enormous potential to promote the global bioeconomy and address problems that have resulted from the misuse of natural resources. This reading brings everyone the history, advances, and future perspectives of culture collections, within the efforts of 60-year scientific activities in Brazil.

Resumo Um dos textos da série "Biodiversidade do Estado de São Paulo", dentro do Programa FAPESP-Biota, foi dedicado à Infraestrutura para Conservação da Biodiversidade, com foco nas coleções biológicas e nas unidades de conservação. Do início dos anos 60, quando a FAPESP foi criada, até os dias atuais muito foi investido em pesquisa nas mais diversas áreas, incluindo a preservação da biodiversidade do patrimônio genético nacional. Uma história de longos anos de avanços no conhecimento científico foi construída, a qual pode ser retratada através dos projetos que resultaram em dados de alta qualidade com impacto nacional e internacional. As coleções microbiológicas são centros geradores de tecnologia e recursos humanos especializados, que atuam (dentre outros) como repositórios vivos, preservando material de referência, e como testemunho da história da biodiversidade microbiana, preservando o que pode não mais existir. Possuem enorme potencial para alavancar a bioeconomia global e tratar de problemas que resultaram do mau uso dos recursos naturais. Essa leitura traz a todos o histórico, os avanços e as perspectivas futuras das coleções de microrganismos, dentro dos esforços de 60 anos de atividades científicas no Brasil.

Estación Biológica Quebrada Blanco: un sitio poco conocido para investigación en biodiversidad y ecología en la Amazonía peruana

La Estación Biológica Quebrada Blanco (EBQB), en el nororiente de la Amazonía peruana, es un lugar donde se ha venido realizando investigación científica desde 1984. En sus inicios la investigación se enfocaba en la ecología y el comportamiento de primates; sin embargo, también se suman trabajos sobre inventarios de algunos grupos de árboles (>10 cm DAP), helechos y aves. El área de la EBQB es muy poco perturbada y está ubicada en una zona de alta biodiversidad. En este trabajo resumimos su historia, la información sobre biodiversidad de que se dispone y mostramos a la EBQB como un lugar con alto potencial para futuros estudios en biodiversidad y ecología en un amplio espectro de organismos.

The Estación Biológica Quebrada Blanco (EBQB) in north-eastern Peruvian Amazonia is a place where research has been conducted since 1984; mainly, on the ecology and behavior of primates, but, later inventories were realized for trees (>10 cm dbh), ferns and birds. The EBQB area is very little disturbed and located in a region of high biodiversity. Here we describe the history of EBQB, summarize the available information on its biodiversity and point out the potential of EBQB for future studies on the biodiversity and ecology of a broad spectrum of organisms.

Capacity for childhood obesity research in Latin American and US Latino populations: State of the field, challenges, opportunities, and future directions.

Childhood obesity is a major problem in Latin America and among US Latinos. Effective public health policies require contextually relevant evidence to guide them, which demands sustained research capacity. The objectives of this study are to determine research productivity in Latin America and in the United States focused on Latino populations and examine domains of research capacity (research infrastructure, training programs, mentoring, funding, and networks). We conducted a scoping review of indexed childhood obesity-related articles published June 2015-December 2019. We collected data on perceptions of capacity for childhood obesity research among Latin American investigators through an online survey. We identified 612 childhood obesity-related articles (505 from Latin America, 124 from the United States, and 17 US-Latin America collaborations). Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, and the United States are the top publishing countries. There are similar numbers of obesity, nutrition, and physical activity articles, but physical activity research capacity lagged in other domains (research training, funding, and networking opportunities). Complementary research areas, including sedentary behavior, systems science, and policy studies, are uncommon in Latin America but more prevalent in the United States, whereas sleep research is nascent across settings. Realizing the promise of an effective cross-border collaborative childhood obesity prevention agenda will require committed investment in all domains of research capacity and across all relevant topics.

Improving the outcome for children with cancer: Development of targeted new agents.

The outcome for children with cancer has improved significantly over the past 60 years, with greater than 80% of patients today becoming 5-year survivors. Despite this progress, cancer remains the leading cause of death from disease in children in the United States, and significant short-term and long-term treatment toxicities continue to impact the majority of children with cancer. The development of targeted new agents offers the prospect of potentially more effective and less toxic treatment for children. More than a decade since imatinib mesylate was introduced into the treatment of children with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia, transforming its outcome, a range of targeted agents has undergone study in pediatric cancer patients. Early lessons learned from these studies include a better understanding of the adverse event profile of these drugs in children, the challenge of developing pediatric-specific formulations, and the continued reliance on successful development for adult cancer indications on pediatric drug development. The collaborative research infrastructure for children with cancer in the United States is well positioned to advance novel treatments into clinical investigations for a spectrum of rare and ultra-rare childhood cancers. A greater investment of resources in target discovery and validation can help drive much needed development of new, more effective treatments for children with cancer.