Initiative aims to integrate plant samples into the CNPEM Molecule Bank and foster the national bioeconomy, through the InovaFitoBrasil Platform
The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) and Biominas Brasil have launched a public call for selecting projects with plant samples from Brazilian biodiversity. Aimed at academic researchers, startups, and civil society organizations that work with natural and bioactive products, the initiative aims to foster scientific, technological, and innovation development, as well as strengthen the national bioeconomy and promote the development of solutions in the areas of human and animal health, cosmetics, among others.
“Our objective is to expand collaborative research possibilities and catalyze innovation in pharmaceuticals based on Brazilian biodiversity. CNPEM plays a strategic role in scientific innovation, with a consolidated history in R&D from biological resources. The partnership with Biominas adds to this initiative”, says Maria Augusta Arruda, director of the Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio) at CNPEM.
In this same perspective, Biominas reinforces its role in bringing science and the market closer together, enhancing the results of this collaboration. “This public call reinforces Biominas’ commitment to driving innovation in Brazil, bringing science and the market closer together. The partnership with CNPEM enhances the use of national biodiversity to generate knowledge, new products, and solutions that benefit the entire society”, explains Isabela Allende, Operations and Partnerships Manager at Biominas Brasil.
Integration with the Molecule Bank and the InovaFitoBrasil Platform
The selected proposals will have their plant samples integrated into the CNPEM Molecule Bank — a unique library of compounds with chemical diversity and pharmacological potential, which constitutes an unprecedented inventory of molecules from Brazilian biodiversity. The Bank supports phenotypic and biochemical screening projects, in addition to leveraging research into pharmaceuticals and botanicals discovery in Brazil. Samples will be subjected to chemical analysis, such as untargeted metabolomics by LC-MS/MS, and to biological assays, including cytotoxicity tests to evaluate anticancer action, carried out at LNBio.
LNBio/CNPEM team engaged in activities related to the Molecule Bank.
“The Bank’s pre-competitive stage involves a first round of chemical and biological analyses on the deposited samples, adding new layers of information to these samples and thus fostering the development of these projects. The analyses are carried out following traceability and good practices principles, and apply cutting-edge technology, both in carrying out the experiments and in data mining”, explains researcher Daniela Trivella, coordinator of the Drug Discovery Division at LNBio.
Samples submitted to the public call remain the property of the depositor and are kept in the Molecule Bank for future analysis, always conditioned upon the approval of the person responsible. The data generated in the first round (LC-MS/MS and cytotoxicity assays) will be delivered to the depositors. Non-sensitive data will be made available on the InovaFitoBrasil Platform, a Biominas initiative that connects actors in the innovation ecosystem and enables the production of new botanicals.
“By integrating analysis results into the InovaFitoBrasil Platform, we expand connections between researchers, startups, companies, and institutions. The goal is to accelerate the development of botanicals and bioactives, strengthening the bioeconomy and creating opportunities for innovation in different segments, such as health, cosmetics, and well-being”, highlights Allende.
The call is made continuously and registrations must be made exclusively through the electronic form available on the CNPEM website. Among the requirements, proponents must have an active or ongoing registration in SisGen and present documentation of legal compliance of the samples.
Launch during the Brazilian Health Innovation Summit
The call for proposals was launched on September 24th, during the second day of the Brazilian Health Innovation Summit. In front of an audience made up of representatives of the scientific community, startups, and actors from the health innovation ecosystem, LNBio’s lead researcher, Rafael de Felício, presented the initiative, highlighted the importance of integrating Brazilian biodiversity into innovation strategies, and detailed how the public call will be conducted.
Check out the notice and more information about the public call .
CNPEM researcher Rafael de Felício and Operations and Partnership Manager Isabela Allende at the launch of the call for proposals during the Brazilian Innovation and Health Summit.
About Biominas Brasil
Biominas Brasil is one of the most renowned bio innovation institutions in the country. Since its founding in 1990, its focus has been on promoting entrepreneurship by transforming science projects into innovative businesses. It produces relevant sectorial information and supports various institutions in their innovation strategies, thus interacting and developing solutions for researchers, entrepreneurs, medium and large companies, and public and private institutions.
About LNBio
The Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio) is dedicated to the study of human health, combining integrative biology with advanced technologies. With competencies in gene editing, microphysiological systems, bioimaging, and tissue engineering, LNBio works to discover molecular targets and develop innovative therapies for illnesses that are of public importance. This broad approach, which includes molecules and living organisms, unravels molecular mechanisms to identify bioactive compounds that are essential to develop new active pharmaceutical ingredients. LNBio concentrates its efforts on demands from the public health system, using state-of-the-art infrastructure and a matrix work model to promote innovation and development at the crossroads between science and health. To integrate health with socioeconomic and environmental factors, LNBio serves as a scientific platform that is available to the government, able to develop advanced technologies that respond to strategic issues. LNBio is part of the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas, São Paulo, a private, non-profit organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI).
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).
