MA student will represent Brazil at the largest science fair in the world with research to combat tropical diseases | Come see, Little One!

“Science allows us to go further, towards the greatest discoveries of the modern world, making us advance in the search for quality of life”.

The sentence above is from the young Maranhão researcher Pedro Paulo Braga, aged 16, who will represent Maranhão and Brazil at the largest science and engineering fair in the world, in the United States, with the development of an unprecedented research project, capable of combat mosquitoes that transmit tropical diseases, such as dengue fever and yellow fever, using a plant typical of Maranhão vegetation.

The project will be presented in Los Angeles, California, at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), which will take place between May 11th and 17th. From Brazil, 6,100 works were registered, but only 18 were selected, including Paulo’s research.

Paulo, who is from the city of Imperatriz, 636 km from São Luís, began developing the research in 2022, when he was still in the 9th year of elementary school. Today, in the 2nd year of high school, he is beginning to see the results of recognizing the benefits that his work can bring to society.

Paulo is part of the Apprentice Scientist program at the State University of the Tocantina Region of MA (Uemasul), which prepares elementary school students for the world of scientific research. The object of his study is the plant Solanum viarum Dunal, better known in the state as Juá Bravo, very common to be found in the Maranhão savannah.

To the g1 MAPaulo explained that the work is focused on the plant leaf, where the active ingredient capable of killing and modifying the larvae of mosquitoes that transmit arboviruses is found.

“We analyzed the active ingredients found in the Juá Bravo leaf, with the aim of producing a biolarvicide that can kill and genetically modify the larvae of the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, direct transmitters of dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya and Zika viruses, and Anopheles sp. [hospedeiro e transmissor da malária e o principal vetor da doença no Brasil]among other tropical pathologies”, explains Paulo.

The study, which was supervised by professor Dr. of Biological Sciences at Uemasul, Zilmar Timóteo Soares, presented promising results. The professor adds that, in the research development stage, a device was created to monitor the effect of the biolarvicide after coming into contact with mosquitoes.

According to Zilmar Timóteo, the effects were precise and effective on the insects’ bodies, manifesting several positive consequences, such as leaving mosquitoes sterile, preventing insect reproduction and killing all female larvae, after applying the product.

“The larvae, which transform into females, all died after application of the larvicide and 70% of the larvae that transform into male mosquitoes suffered degeneration. The rest turned into mosquitoes with sexual dimorphism, that is, they became sterile”, explained the professor.

The research gains recognition at a crucial moment in public health in Maranhão and Brazil. The state already has 4 deaths from dengue in 2024 and one from chikungunya. In Brazil, there are 2,246 deaths from dengue, according to the Arbovirus Control Panel of the Ministry of Health.

Given this, Paulo states that these events, and the incidence of cases of other tropical diseases in the region of his city, motivated him to begin studies.

“ [O que me motivou foi] the reality observed in my region, southern Maranhão, in addition to states and countries with a tropical climate, where people are victims of and still die from dengue fever, Zika, yellow fever, Chikungunya and malaria”, said the researcher.

For advisor and student, the response to the importance of research is unanimous. In addition to the purpose of being a sustainable and ecological solution to combat transmitting mosquitoes, made from a plant present in the vegetation of Maranhão, the development of scientific research aims to present society with a more economical alternative, financially, in combating arboviruses. .

“The importance of this research has a social nature focused on health. This research is of great relevance to Maranhão, as we have developed a low-cost natural product that can help, especially, the most vulnerable people”, said the advisor.

Zilmar Timóteo also points out that the central objective of the research is to help “communities in the fight against tropical diseases”, providing the necessary support to promote more dignified access to health, and that “when we work with others in mind, we become happier”.

The young researcher reports that he already demonstrated an aptitude for the field of science from an early age. To the g1Pedro Paulo said that he had his scientific initiation when he was still in the 6th year of elementary school, at the age of 11, at the Santa Terezinha de Imperatriz school, where he studies, but that it was in the 9th year that his interest in science grew and began to develop. delve deeper into your studies.

Since then, he began to participate in scientific fairs in other states in Brazil, such as the International Science and Technology Exhibition (Mostratec), in Rio Grande do Sul, in 2023. In the event he participated with the same study project at the Juá plant Bravo and won 1st place in the area of ​​Animal and Plant Sciences.

As a reward, he won space to publish a scientific article in the Liberato Foundation magazine and the credential to participate in the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), in Los Angeles.

Thinking about the future, Paulo is already making plans for when the research is ready. He shared that he aims to improve the project that has been developed by him and his advisor Zilmar for over a year.

He also intends to patent and commercialize the final product which, in his opinion, will make a difference in developing more effective measures to combat tropical diseases.

“In a short-term perspective, I intend to improve and perfect this project that we have been working on for almost 2 years, in order to patent and commercialize the final product, which I believe will make a difference in preserving the health and lives of populations suffering from tropical diseases,” said Paulo.

Advisor Zilmar sees Pedro Paulo’s participation in the event as an opportunity to present scientific work carried out in Brazil and show that the country can also be a major player in cooperation for the advancement of global science and technology.

For him, this recognition for his work is very important and expected, since all stages of research development were based on ethics and seriousness. In addition to the recognition, he says that bringing the award to Maranhão would also be fundamental.

“What we hope for is recognition for the work we carry out ethically and seriously, complying with all national and international protocols. Show that, in Brazil, we have been developing research since the initial grades and who knows, perhaps bringing a prize to Maranhão.

Seeking to further improve his knowledge in the scientific field, Paulo sees the event as an opportunity to expand his knowledge and, when it is over, return to his city stronger and able to carry out further research.

“I hope that this participation in Regeneron ISEF – the largest science and engineering fair in the world – will be enriching, both intellectually and personally. May it strengthen my aptitude for research and open doors of opportunities and knowledge”, Paulo hopes.

*Under the supervision of Liliane Cutrim (g1 MA).