The LNBio/CNPEM team won five awards at WC13, participated in RENAMA strategic debates and discussed perspectives on international cooperation
Professionals and scholarship holders of the Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio) from the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) won five awards at the 13th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences (WC13), considered the most important in the world in the area of alternative methods. Held from August 31st to September 4th, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), the event brought together international experts to discuss advances and challenges related to the replacement, reduction, and refinement of the use of animals in research, regulation and teaching.
CNPEM representatives among the awardees at the congress
“For us, receiving these awards at an event like WC13 is a way of recognizing the work we are doing at LNBio. We have a history of delivering new methods developed by us that are already being used, in addition to new studies that keep us at the forefront of research knowledge in the area”, says Ana Carolina Migliorini Figueira, lead researcher at CNPEM that, together with the also lead researcher Sandra Martha Gomes Dias, coordinates the awarded studies.
During the event, eight works from different LNBio teams were presented. Among the topics covered by the research are 3D models, bioprinting and microfluidics applied to toxicology, metabolic diseases, cancer and virology. Four of these studies received five awards from institutions such as the Japanese Society for Alternatives to Animal Experiments (JSAAE), L’Oréal, Natura, and WC13 itself, among others.
Award-winning works
CNPEM’s technological development analyst, Giovanna Blazutti Elias, received two awards for presenting the study “Infection of Liver 3D Spheroids with Yellow Fever Virus”. She was awarded one of the JSAAE prizes and received the prize offered by L’Oréal. In this study, a 3D model of a human liver was developed, formed by small spheres of cells, to study its infection by yellow fever. After exposure to the virus, a reduction in cellular vitality, structural damage and loss of liver function were observed, in addition to a strong inflammatory response. The model reproduces effects similar to those seen in humans and can replace the use of animals in research. The work should be submitted for publication soon.
JSAAE also awarded the LNBio/CNPEM intern, Pedro Cavalcante Frizarini, for the work “Bioprinted and microfluidics Blood-Brain Barrier Model to Study Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Metastasis”. The presented study describes efforts to recreate a bioprinted Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) system and the brain parenchyma of a patient with breast cancer metastasis. Fluid dynamics simulations allowed the identification of ideal microchannel geometries that favor the accumulation of tumor cells without compromising the bioprinted structure, and tests defined the best bioinks that guarantee the survival of different cell group types.
Researcher and PhD student at CNPEM, Julia Carnelos Machado Velho, was awarded by Natura for the presentation of the study “Exploring Vascularization Strategies in Collagen-Based Tissue Constructs for Advanced 3D Tissue Models”. In this study, the CNPEM research group is standardizing the vascularization of the skin model that contains 3 layers (dermis, epidermis and hypodermis), in an attempt to establish a more physiologically mimetic model of the skin. In the model, different vascularization strategies in skin and fat tissues were tested using human cells and collagen, showing promising advances in generating more realistic and useful models. This work is being developed in partnership with the Soft Tissue Regeneration Research group at Radboud UMC, within the scope of the Fapesp/NWO partnership.
Renata S. N. Tavares, researcher at LNBio/CNPEM, received the Health Biolux Innovation award for presenting the study “Patient-Deriver Organoids for Precision Medicine in Breast Cancer: a Study of Brazilian Patients”. The presented work described the assembly of an organoid bank of breast tumors from the Brazilian population and the in vitro response of these tumors to treatment with chemotherapies and targeted therapies used in the clinic. The study is part of the project “Platform for personalized therapeutic tests in breast tumors”, which, with funding from the Ministry of Health, is being developed in partnership with the Cancer Institute of the State of São Paulo (ICESP) , A.C. Camargo Cancer Center and the Women’s Comprehensive Healthcare Center (CAISM-UNICAMP) .
With almost 800 participants, this was the first time the congress took place in Brazil, held one month after the sanction of the law that prohibits the use of animals in testing cosmetics, personal hygiene products and perfumes. From the law’s publication on, health authorities have two years to adopt measures to ensure the application of alternative methods, implement a strategic dissemination plan across the country, and define oversight mechanisms for the use of data obtained through these new tests.
“Even before this law, Brazil was already recognized as a very advanced country in terms of legislation in this area. Now, we see a new enthusiasm both at the event and among the groups discussing the topic, and we are confident that new incentives will be offered for the development of alternative technologies to the use of animals in testing”, says the researcher.
RENAMA and integration with other networks
During the event, LNBio representatives also took part in the meeting of the Brazilian Network for Alternative Methods (RENAMA) , an initiative of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) aimed at reducing the use of animals in scientific testing and replacing existing methods with equally or more efficient alternatives.
LNBio plays a prominent role in the network: In addition to being one of the 42 accredited laboratories, it is part of the group of three central institutions responsible for disseminating information among members and promoting the adoption of new methods in the country.
“At the meeting, which was attended by representatives from MCTI and associated laboratories, we discussed collaborative projects, including proposals for systemic toxicity assessment in Drug-Induced Liver Injury (DILI), oral and topical absorption on a chip, in addition to training and qualification actions with Anvisa”, explains Ana Carolina.
In addition to RENAMA, LNBio also participated in institutional activities of other networks, expanding the possibilities of cooperation with the Brazilian Center for Validation of Alternative Methods (BraCVAM ) and the Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT). According to the researcher, initiatives to create a network that integrates institutions in Latin America were also discussed.
About CNPEM
The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) is home to a state-of-the-art, multi-user and multidisciplinary scientific environment and works on different fronts within the Brazilian National System for Science, Technology and Innovation. A social organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), CNPEM is driven by research that impacts the areas of health, energy, renewable materials, and sustainability. It is responsible for Sirius, the largest assembly of scientific equipment constructed in the country, and is currently constructing Project Orion, a laboratory complex for advanced pathogen research. Highly specialized science and engineering teams, sophisticated infrastructure open to the scientific community, strategic lines of investigation, innovative projects involving the productive sector, and training for researchers and students are the pillars of this institution that is unique in Brazil and able to serve as a bridge between knowledge and innovation. CNPEM’s research and development activities are carried out through its four National Laboratories: Synchrotron Light (LNLS), Biosciences (LNBio), Nanotechnology (LNNano), Biorenewables (LNBR), as well as its Technology Unit (DAT) and the Ilum School of Science — an undergraduate program in Science and Technology supported by the Ministry of Education (MEC).
