CEPID Redoxoma continues to produce high-quality science, increased the relationship with industries, and expanded scientific dissemination actions, despite the cut in the phase II budget of the project. The results that support this conclusion were presented at the 3rd CEPID Redoxoma Meeting with the Advisory Committee, and the group’s seventh annual meeting, held last week, at Instituto de Química at Universidade de São Paulo (USP).

At the opening of the meeting, Professor Ohara Augusto, director of Redoxoma, lamented that the federal government’s investments in Science continue to decrease and affirmed that “the economic crisis faced by the country triggered a series of crises, such as politics, morals, and values”. She pointed out that, although the scenario in the State of São Paulo is better, because of FAPESP, RIDC Redoxoma received a budget that was roughly 60% of the one requested for the second phase of the project, approved in 2018. “We know that Redoxoma phase II cannot fulfill its promises without supplementation, which was requested in March 2019, but we have not yet received an answer”, she warned.

Despite this, the group continues to present outstanding results and, as the researcher pointed out, “Redoxoma has maintained its identity as a research center focused on the investigation of redox mechanisms relevant to cellular homeostasis and cellular dysfunctions, with an emphasis on dysfunctions related to chronic-degenerative human diseases”. In this second phase, Redoxoma incorporated four new researchers, professors Júlio Ferreira (ICB-USP), Marcos de Oliveira (UNESP), Graziella Ronsein (IQ-USP) and Daniela Truzzi (IQ-USP). The group also incorporated the medical doctor and long collaborator Joao Paulo Tardivo (FUABC - Padre Anchieta Teaching Hospital).

The meeting brought together researchers, post-doctors, students and technicians from Redoxoma and the consultants Gari Fiskum, from the University of Maryland, USA, and Rafael Radi, from the Universidad de la República, in Uruguay. Because of the troubles caused by the rain the day before the meeting, Rafael Radi was instructed to cancel his trip to São Paulo. He participated via Skype, “showing tremendous goodwill and cooperation,” said Ohara. Professor Fiskum also needed to have goodwill, because he got stuck at Guarulhos airport for most of the day.

Biochemist Hernan Chaimovich, the coordinator of Special Programs and Research Collaborations, represented FAPESP. And researcher Nicholas P. Farrell, from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA, who is in São Paulo to teach a course at the Institute of Chemistry, also attended the meeting. In an interview, he commented: “I think that the impressive science was very interesting and relevant to health, and the way students particularly were engaged through the whole meeting was very impressive”.

The participation of students and post-docs in the poster session was one of the highlights of the meeting. They presented 55 posters and both the high level of work and the excitement of the young people caught the attention of the researchers and advisors. Also highlighted were the scientific presentations by young researchers.

Advances

The quality of the research produced by Redoxoma is demonstrated, according to Ohara Augusto, by the fact that the results are published in prestigious scientific journals. In addition, these researches have impacted the redox biology field, which is attested by the increasing number of citations it is receiving in the international literature. “Our science remains great and it is much more integrated, with the participation of several groups in the same work, as the coordinators of the aims pointed out. In this way, the groups are strengthened and, as a result, produce more relevant work”. Another highlight of the Redoxoma are the facilities, which allows, for instance, lipidomic studies - global analysis of all types of lipids existing in biological systems - and has been used in various Redoxoma studies. The director of Redoxoma says that the crisis has also affected this activity, in this case by the lack of technicians.

The Technology Transfer area, coordinated by Professor Paolo Di Mascio, had a surprising advance. The novelty is that several contracts were signed with companies, mainly in the cosmetic area, which seek the expertise of Redoxoma researchers to evaluate or develop products, especially those involved in protecting the skin against damage caused by visible light and in protecting the hair. Contact with the private sector is being coordinated by Professor Maurício Baptista, who is the area’s vice-coordinator.

Coordinated by Professor Carmen Fernandez, the area of Education and Knowledge Diffusion has also advanced in recent years, presenting important results in Chemistry Teaching research; in the training of high school teachers; and in the development of teaching materials, such as the “Low-cost molecular models”, by professor Guilherme Marson. Besides, the group has been more proactive in scientific dissemination. In addition to maintaining a website and a Facebook page, where news about the group’s research and activities are updated, a partnership was established with the channel Never saw 1 scientist, from postdoctoral students Ana Bonassa and Laura de Freitas, to show Redoxoma to young people. Also, the project “Vai lá no meu pôster” (Come see my poster) was created as a permanent virtual congress, in which students present their posters in short videos. Researchers, likewise, are writing articles for magazines and newspapers and giving talks to the lay public.

Fotos: Maria Célia Wider

Presentations

In the scientific program of the meeting, the coordinators of the aims showed the main achievements in recent years and some works were highlighted and presented by the researchers. In aim 1, coordinated by Professor Marisa Medeiros, postdoc Adriano Chaves-Filho talk was: Lipidomics: challenges and lessons from ALS study; and Professor Graziela Ronsein talk was: UVA light induces mitochondria dysfunction and DNA damage: insights from proteomic studies.

In aim 2, coordinated by Professor Luis Netto, Professor Daniela Truzzi presented the work The HCO₃^- / CO₂ pair increases H₂O₂-mediated hyperoxidation of human peroxiredoxin 1; Luis Netto presented the work Structure-based Insights into the Catalytic Power and Specific Reducibility of Ohr by dihydrolipoamide and lipoylated proteins.

The works presented in aim 3, coordinated by Professor Alicia Kowaltowski, were Lifespan-extending interventions enhance lipid-supported mitochondrial respiration in Caenorhabditis elegans, by Professor Fernanda Cunha; and A molecular pathway for protein disulfide isomerase effects on Nox1 signaling in Atherosclerosis, by Professor Lúcia Lopes.

In aim 4, coordinated by Professor Francisco Laurindo, post-doc Percillia V. S. Oliveira presented Protein Disulfide Isomerase Plasma Levels Reveal Proteomic Signatures Related to Endothelial Function in Healthy Individuals; and Professor Júlio Ferreira presented Targeting aldehyde metabolism and mitochondrial dynamics in cardiac diseases - new therapeutic avenues?