The meeting connects science, clinical research, and technological development for the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) and is aligned with the Program for Radical Innovation in Health
The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), a social organization supervised by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), hosted a meeting this Thursday (26) promoted by the Ministry of Health (MS) with the goal of strengthening institutional partnerships and advancing the development of innovative health solutions focused on the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS).
The agenda brought together researchers from the University of Oxford and representatives from leading hospitals in Brazil, in a program that included the presentation of research and solutions in health, with a focus on public health, developed in CNPEM’s areas of activity. The activities also included a visit to the Center’s facilities, including Sirius, a fourth-generation synchrotron light source.
“For CNPEM, each interaction with the Ministry of Health represents an important step towards achieving our goal of contributing more directly to the SUS. This meeting provided an opportunity to showcase the integration of the Center’s different units in developing solutions for the healthcare sector, which broadens the partners’ repertoire and encourages new collaborations. CNPEM acts as a hub connecting basic research, applied research, and leading hospitals, creating the ideal environment for the development of transformative projects, especially in strategic areas such as immuno-oncology”, says Maria Augusta Arruda, director of the CNPEM’s Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio).
The initiative is aligned with the actions of the Program for Radical Innovation in Health, conducted by the Ministry of Health, which seeks to bring together different players in the innovation ecosystem to develop solutions in healthcare. In this context, the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials will host a hub of the national ecosystem dedicated to the development of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) — with the goal of reducing Brazil’s dependence on imports, which currently exceeds 90% — in addition to advanced biomedical technologies and innovative therapeutic solutions.
“This visit is directly linked to the partnership we began building with the University of Oxford, based on a memorandum of understanding between the Ministries of Health of Brazil and the United Kingdom. The idea is to bring together various key partners, such as Oxford, leading hospitals, and CNPEM, to collaboratively develop innovative projects, especially in the field of immuno-oncology, focusing on cancer therapies and vaccines”, says Luciana Leão, Advisor at the Ministry of Health’s Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation.
According to the representative from the Ministry of Health, the initiative also seeks to expand collaboration between institutions and encourage the emergence of new collaborative research agendas. “One of the roles of the Ministry of Health is precisely to create these bridges and facilitate connections between institutions. Through this partnership, we were able to advance not only in structuring programs, but also to open up space for new collaborations that may arise from this initial contact”, she says.
The collaboration between Brazil and the United Kingdom brings together complementary skills, integrating the scientific infrastructure and solutions already developed in the country with international experience in clinical research and the development of new therapies. This expands the potential for knowledge generation and the development of solutions with an impact on public health systems.
CNPEM brings together some of the most advanced scientific infrastructures I have encountered, ranging from Sirius, a fourth-generation synchrotron light source, to Orion, a project for biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) facilities, which will be the first of their kind in the world to be connected to a synchrotron light source. This combination creates a unique environment for international collaboration, and we look forward to strengthening research partnerships with Brazil in the coming years,” says Prof Tim Elliott, Co-Director of Oxford Cancer, and Director of the Centre for Immuno-Oncology (CIO), University of Oxford.
From scientific discovery to clinical application
During the program, researcher Lennard Yu Wee Lee, from the University of Oxford, presented the research lines developed by the institution in the area of cancer vaccines, focusing on the use of artificial intelligence to guide the development of new therapies.
Research is focused on creating models capable of predicting patients’ immune responses and supporting the selection of more effective therapeutic targets for each case. These systems use large volumes of biological and clinical data to continuously improve the accuracy of predictions, with the goal of making treatments more personalized.
Integrating data from different populations, including the Brazilian one, is considered strategic for increasing the effectiveness of these approaches on a global scale. “For innovative health solutions, such as cancer vaccines, to be effective at a global scale, further progress in international collaboration is essential. Partnerships with institutions such as CNPEM enable the integration of data and capabilities from different regions, making these approaches more representative and effective,” say Dr Lennard Lee, an artificial intelligence scientist and clinical oncologist, and Dr Isabela Pedroza-Pacheco, Group Leaders at CIO, University of Oxford.
The participation of leading hospitals, institutions with expertise in specialized care and clinical research, is fundamental to enabling the translation of these discoveries into patient care. In this process, clinical research allows for the evaluation, in patients, of the safety and efficacy of new therapies developed in a laboratory setting, connecting the generation of scientific knowledge to its application in the SUS.
“The integration between an institution with a strong clinical focus, such as AC Camargo, and a basic science infrastructure, such as that of CNPEM, creates a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between patient care challenges and scientific solutions. This complementarity can accelerate innovation and contribute to a fairer, more equitable, and diverse oncology practice in the country. At the same time, it is essential to move towards a more collaborative model, in which centers with high technological capacity act as hubs serving different institutions, combining skills and expanding the impact of research”, says Victor Piana, CEO of the AC Camargo Cancer Center.
“This meeting highlights the opportunity to structure a large collaborative research project, bringing together CNPEM, the University of Oxford, and leading hospitals. This collaboration is fundamental for advancing in strategic areas, such as early-stage clinical trials and cancer research, as well as expanding the use of real-world data and the ability to transform knowledge into concrete solutions for the healthcare system”, says Daniela Cristina dos Santos, Project Office Coordinator for Proadi-SUS at Hospital Moinhos de Vento.
Agenda
The visit to CNPEM is part of a broader agenda promoted by the Ministry of Health throughout the week, within the framework of cooperation between Brazil and the United Kingdom aimed at technological development and strengthening the health systems of both countries.
In addition to participating in the Brazil-United Kingdom Health Dialogue event, held in Rio de Janeiro, participants also visited the AC Camargo Cancer Center in São Paulo, where they deepened the discussions initiated throughout the week and evaluated possible developments of the partnerships.
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).
