Topics to be addressed include tissue engineering, emerging viruses, gene therapy, and precision medicine
The Sociedade Beneficente Israelita Brasileira Albert Einstein and the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) have signed a collaborative agreement for science, research, teaching, and innovation on various topics in the field of biomedicine such as tissue engineering, the study of emerging viruses, and gene therapy.
Through synergy in research areas, researcher exchanges, and the use of equipment and infrastructure, this effort is expected to advance studies that are currently underway and begin new projects capable of impacting health in Brazil and the world at large.
“This development is a landmark for biomedical research. Combining our advanced technological resources like Sirius, the state-of-the-art synchrotron light source, with Einstein’s clinical and biomedical research expertise creates promising pathways toward new discoveries, as in the study of genetic diseases, emerging viruses, and testing new medications. It is not just about cutting-edge science, but also transforming lives through innovation and research,” says CNPEM general director Antonio José Roque da Silva.
“We are joining forces with CNPEM to go beyond the traditional limits of biomedical research. The collaboration between the two institutions, which are both domestic and international references in their areas of activity, will make it possible to refine the training of the next generation of scientists and health professionals. Knowledge, which is represented in our values by the Jewish concept of chinuch, is one of the foundations of our organization, along with health (refuah), good deeds (mitzvah), and social justice (tsedakah),” says Fernando Bacal, vice president of Einstein.
Projects
CNPEM projects underway in the area of gene therapy include investigations into the treatment of type 1 mucopolysaccharidosis, a rare genetic disease that causes substances to build up in tissue, affecting multiple organs and shortening patients’ lifespans by decades. Einstein is constructing treatment strategies for genetic diseases such as sickle cell anemia, which is caused by changes in red blood cells and severely affects tens of thousands of people in Brazil.
Because of outbreaks and epidemics of dengue and other arboviruses like zika and chikungunya, as well as the covid-19 epidemic, it is widely agreed that the capacity to detect and study new viruses must be expanded.
Sars-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus, was first detected at Einstein, reflecting the organization’s readiness to deal with health emergencies. Similarly, a new type of arenavirus responsible for cases of hemorrhagic fever in humans was recently identified at the Einstein labs. CNPEM also incorporates several competency areas related to research on pathogens, such as facilities for electron microscopy and cryomicroscopy, bioimaging techniques, as well as Sirius itself, where different research stations allow researchers to observe and reveal parts of these pathogens in high resolution, facilitating the search for new therapeutic methods and advances in knowledge on how infections develop.
Additionally, CNPEM is planning a new facility, Orion, which will be the first complex of high-level biosecurity laboratories in Brazil, and the first in the world connected to a synchrotron light source (Sirius), permitting the study of highly contagious organisms as they have never been seen before. Einstein, in turn, not only conducts essential research but leads and conducts clinical trials with thousands of patients via the Academic Research Organization (ARO) and has a platform that can potentially test treatments resulting from its scientists’ work, as well as wide-ranging experience in regulatory issues.
In the area of tissue engineering, CNPEM is a reference in the cultivation of organoids and tissue models for pre-clinical testing and operates one of the Central Laboratories of the Brazilian National Network for Alternative Methods (RENAMA). It supplies domestic demand for drug and cosmetic toxicity testing as an alternative to tests using animals, and works to develop wound dressings from a biobank of human tissues. In this area, Einstein studies the development of bone marrow niches to understand the interaction between chemotherapy and leukemia and develops devices such as piezoelectric implants (which generate electricity from pressure) to regenerate bone tissue.
Other possible collaboration topics include proton therapy, an important resource in treating various types of cancer, and studies involving genomics, metabolomics and big data in order to move toward increasingly personalized medicine.
“This collaboration is a bridge between fundamental research and clinical application in which knowledge is transformed into innovative treatments and increasingly advanced and accessible healthcare. It is a fusion of expertise that promises to positively transform healthcare. This is a celebration of the human spirit of investigation and triumph; together, we are paving the way so that people can value scientific knowledge even more and understand how it transforms our way of thinking and also the world,” says Luiz Vicente Rizzo, director of research at Einstein.
“Working at the intersection of the pioneering scientific ecosystem and clinical practice is essential to leverage technological development in the area of health and benefit society. Working together with Einstein will make our research even stronger through effective and safe clinical applications while complying with all regulatory standards,” notes Maria Augusta Arruda, director of the Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio) at CNPEM.
Teaching
Besides scientific research, students at both institutions will be able to participate in exchanges, with courses and degrees offered at both organizations. Einstein’s School of Health Sciences (Faculdade Israelita de Ciências da Saúde Albert Einstein) combines seven undergraduate courses in medicine, biomedical engineering, dentistry, nursing, physical therapy, administration, and nutrition, as well as degree and non-degree graduate courses.
In 2022, with support from the Brazilian Ministry of Education (MEC), CNPEM expanded its own activities by opening the Ilum School of Science. This interdisciplinary program in science, technology, and innovation offers a full-time undergraduate program immersed in the institution’s research environment.
CNPEM is a social organization overseen by the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), and is an open, multi-user and multidisciplinary reference institution that carries out activities for various participants in the Brazilian National System for Science, Technology and Innovation. Home to the most complex projects in Brazilian science, Sirius (one of the world’s most advanced synchrotron light sources), CNPEM conducts research, development and innovation activities in areas that dialog with the needs of the twenty-first century and favor the country’s comparative advantages, focusing on areas such as health, renewable energy and materials, and engineering.
The Sociedade Beneficente Israelita Brasileira Albert Einstein is a non-profit civil entity which was founded in 1955 and works in the areas of public and private healthcare, diagnostic medicine, teaching and education, research, innovation, and social responsibility. Along with private units, it administers over 30 public health services such as basic health clinics, urgent care units, and municipal hospitals. The Israelita Albert Einstein Hospital is considered the best hospital in Latin America, according to Newsweek magazine’s 2023 ranking of the world’s best hospitals as well as AméricaEconomía, and is a reference in areas such as oncology and hematology, cardiology, neurology, and robotic surgery as well as one of the country’s most innovative organizations.
