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Category: News
B-MRS Newsletter. Year 11, issue 2.
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(Português) Acesso aos periódicos científicos: ACS e CAPES assinam acordo “Read + Publish”.
Sorry, this entry is only available in Brazilian Portuguese.
(Português) Perda de acesso a periódicos científicos no Portal da CAPES: resposta da CAPES.
Sorry, this entry is only available in Brazilian Portuguese.
(Português) Acesso às revistas da RSC e ACS: carta enviada à presidência da CAPES.
Sorry, this entry is only available in Brazilian Portuguese.
B-MRS Newsletter. Year 11, issue 1.
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New B-MRS board takes office in online meeting.
The new board of directors of the Brazilian Materials Research Society (B-MRS) took office on the afternoon of January 4th this year during an Ordinary General Assembly held online.
Elected by B-MRS members in October 2023 to serve a two-year term, the new board is chaired by Ivan Helmuth Bechtold, professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC). Bechtold was a member of the B-MRS board of directors in the previous two administrations – first, as scientific director and second, as financial director. Now, he became the first B-MRS president from an institution outside the Southeast region, the previous seven presidents being linked to institutions in the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Together with the president, Iêda Maria Garcia dos Santos, professor at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), took office as director of Administration, Finance and Assets, and the five scientific directors: Edson Cavalcanti da Silva Filho, professor at the Federal University of Piauí (UFPI), Ingrid Távora Weber, professor at the University of Brasília (UnB), Lucas Fugikawa Santos, professor at the São Paulo State University (Unesp), Lucimara Stolz Roman, professor at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) and Rubem Luis Sommer, researcher at the Brazilian Center for Physical Research (CBPF).
Once again, the B-MRS board presents geographic diversity (with directors from the South, Southeast, Central-West and Northeast regions), gender (four men and three women) and disciplinary diversity (degrees in Physics, Chemistry and Materials Engineering).
Around twenty members of B-MRS participated in the assembly, including several members of the Deliberative Council, which was partially renewed in the election in October last year with the incorporation of three councilors (Douglas Galvão – Unicamp, José Antonio Eiras – UFSCAR and Luiza Amim Mercante – UFBA) and three deputy councilors (Carlos Roberto Grandini – UNESP, Bartolomeu Cruz Viana Neto – UFPI and Sydney Ferreira Santos – UFABC). These new members have a mandate until the end of 2028.
Words
Professor Mônica Cotta (Unicamp), who presided over the society for the last four years, opened the meeting with thanks to everyone who supported her during her two terms. The former president also expressed support to the news board´s plans of reviving the University Chapters program, focused on students of the community, and prioritize initiatives related to racial and gender inclusion and sustainability. Furthermore, Mônica expressed her satisfaction at seeing more representatives of the younger generations on the board and council. “We need new ideas,” she said.
The new president, Prof Ivan, then took the floor to thank the B-MRS partners for the trust placed in him and to introduce the other members of the board. “Let’s steer the ship together, hold the ball together,” said Professor Ivan, highlighting the board’s initial focus on the annual event (“the B-MRS main national and international showcase”) and the University Chapters program.
In turn, the new financial director, Prof Ieda, recalled some struggles that B-MRS is carrying out together with other scientific societies, such as the return of some scientific journals to the Capes Periodicals Portal and the reduction of bureaucratic procedures in the purchase of reagents for research, so that “the choice of the research topic is not conditioned by the reagent we can buy”.
The meeting ended in a pleasant conversation between some of the members present, in which several members of the new board said that they joined B-MRS when they were still students and that they participated in all (or almost all) of the annual events.
Find out more about the members of the new board: https://www.sbpmat.org.br/en/a-sbpmat/diretoria-e-conselho/
B-MRS Newsletter. Year 10, issue 10.
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End of the year message.
This is my last “end of the year message” as president of B-MRS, a position I had the honor of holding for 4 years. I would like to express my gratitude to the community for placing me at the head of such an important society, which so well summarizes the importance of interdisciplinary science that greatly benefits humanity. After all, without advances in materials science and technology – bringing together all the expertise present in our community – our world would be very different from what it is today!
In these 4 years, we have faced many challenges, the main one being the Covid-19 pandemic, which has made impossible the human contact which is so necessary for all of us. After all, it is often in a hallway conversation – one that is not scheduled via communication apps, that does not require a ‘raise of your hand’ and queuing to speak – that new ideas and new collaborations emerge. Despite this, we maintained an active society, with diverse live online events. We called on our partner companies, entrepreneurs, University Chapters, and other members of our community to fill this intolerable void the pandemic had created. And we had incredible responses, with examples that you can find today on our YouTube channel.
The return of in-person events in 2022 was fantastic, despite the difficult times our country has faced for many years. The massive presence of students and researchers gave us motivation and breath to create greater legal and financial security for our society and our future plans to address essential issues for a more equitable world, such as sustainability, inclusion and diversity.
To this end, I am sure that the elected board, which includes three members of the current board and assumes its mandate from January 4th, 2024, will continue the trajectory that we began to follow in the last two years and then create its own paths, always innovating , as is characteristic of B-MRS.
I would like to thank everyone who shared these last 4 years with me at the helm of our society. I don’t mention names, because they wouldn’t fit in this space. However, I could not fail to highlight and especially thank the SBPMat team: Verónica, Alexandre, Aline, Leandro and the staff at Aptor, who make our society always so welcoming to its members.
I wish you all an excellent end of the year, with good health, achievements and a future with lots of science ahead!!
Fondly,
Monica Cotta
Featured scientist: Interview with Ana Elisa Ferreira de Oliveira, winner of the Capes Prize for Doctoral Dissertations in the Materials area.
“Science is alive, dynamic, exciting and enriching, and being part of its advancement is a great privilege”, says Ana Elisa Ferreira de Oliveira, winner of the 2023 Capes Prize for Doctoral Dissertation in the area of Materials.
The award distinguished the 49 best doctoral dissertations, one per area of knowledge, defended in Brazilian postgraduate programs in 2022. In addition, 98 honorable mentions were awarded. More than 1,400 works applied for this edition of the Capes Award, whose ceremony was held in Brasília on December 14th.
In her research work, Ana Elisa developed two electrochemical sensors, one made of graphite and the other made of carbon nanotubes, capable of detecting in real time a breast cancer biomarker (the CA 15-3 protein) in biological samples (blood serum and saliva). This protein appears at higher than normal levels in most women with breast cancer after the initial phase of the disease – which is why it can be used to monitor these patients’ response to treatments, as well as to screen for metastasis and detect recurrence of cancer.
The sensors developed in Ana Elisa’s doctorate were produced on paper substrate on which electrodes were printed using conductive inks using simple methods, such as screen printing and handwriting. To detect the CA 15-3 biomarker, the sensors were modified with antibodies to this protein.
The research was carried out under the guidance of Professor Arnaldo César Pereira within the Postgraduate Program in Physics and Chemistry of Materials at the Federal University São João del-Rei (FQMat – UFSJ), in the state of Minas Gerais. However, the work is the result of ten years of scientific training in the area of sensors, from undergraduate research to PhD, always at UFSJ and with the same supervisor.
In this interview for the B-MRS Newsletter, this young scientist, born in Barbacena (interior of Minas Gerais), talks about the sensors and the difficulties and joys of the path she took to complete the best Brazilian Materials dissertation defended in 2022.
B-MRS Newsletter: Tell us a little about your scientific background.
Ana Elisa Ferreira de Oliveira: My academic career began when I entered the Federal University of São João del-Rei (UFSJ) in 2011. I did two “scientific initiations” (undergraduate research) guided by Prof. Dr. Arnaldo, both in the sensor development area. That was the introduction to my career as a researcher. From there, I understood the importance of scientific research and was sure of my desire to continue my studies in postgraduate studies. In 2015, I completed my master’s degree in the Physics and Chemistry of Materials Program at UFSJ, and started my PhD in 2017, in the same program.
When I was writing my doctoral project, I really wanted something in the health area, so I chose the development of sensors to determine biomarkers. But I had to decide what the sensor would determine, which disease. Today breast cancer is the most common type of tumor in women in most parts of the world. Women over 50 are most affected by this type of cancer. Statistically, about one in eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. Therefore, I decided that in my doctorate I would focus on the application of sensors to determine breast cancer biomarkers.
During my years of research, I published 19 papers in different journals. Between graduation, master’s and doctorate, it was ten years at UFSJ. A decade of lots of study, learning, challenges and personal evolution. I am eternally grateful for the role my university played in my professional journey.
B-MRS Newsletter: What were the biggest challenges you faced in carrying out the award-winning thesis?
Ana Elisa Ferreira de Oliveira: The path during my doctorate was not easy. But, definitely, the main difficulty was the surprise of a global pandemic that at that time had taken the lives of millions around the world. Adapting to a new reality and having the laboratory interrupted for months was challenging. When I finally returned, making up for lost time was extremely tiring. I spent morning, afternoon and night in the laboratory, and often left without results. This was very stressful. However, with a lot of effort and dedication I managed to meet this challenge. And receiving this award just confirms that it was worth it!
The award was a big surprise. I am feeling extremely honored to have my doctoral work recognized by receiving such an important award. It’s an indescribable feeling. I celebrate this victory with everyone who, indirectly or directly, helped me make my dream come true.
B-MRS Newsletter: What are the advantages of the sensors developed in relation to other disease detection techniques?
Ana Elisa Ferreira de Oliveira: Electrochemical sensors have some advantages over conventional techniques: high selectivity and sensitivity, low production cost of the devices, they do not require much maintenance for their use and conservation, the analysis can be done in real time and specialized technicians may not be necessary.
In addition to having a quick response and often without the need for pre-treatment, printed electrodes can be manufactured on a large scale, allowing low-cost production. They are disposable, eliminating the need for cleaning. Consequently, printed sensors are known as low-cost, miniaturized, disposable, and high-sensitivity devices. Printed electrodes can replace the conventional three-electrode system (working, reference, and counter) using conductive inks and a substrate.
B-MRS Newsletter: You assembled the sensor prototypes. What steps would be necessary for these devices to be used outside the laboratory?
Ana Elisa Ferreira de Oliveira: The results of the work suggest the possibility of using printed electrochemical sensors as an alternative for determining CA 15-3 in biological samples. However, there are many more studies that can and should be carried out on these proposed sensors in order for them to become commercial.
They can be further optimized by trying to increase sensitivity and lower the limit of detection and quantification. Another possibility is the modification of printed sensors to determine other biomarkers, not only for cancer, but for other diseases such as cardiovascular diseases.
Electrochemical sensors can also be designed for point-of-care (POC) analysis due to their fast analytical response, possibility of miniaturization and simple operation. POC testing is usually performed in close proximity to the patient, allowing for instant availability of results to make immediate, informed decisions about patient care.
Therefore, some experimental optimizations could be performed on the proposed sensors to reduce analysis time and allow the use of portable potentiostats. Printed electrochemical sensors have great potential in health monitoring and, fortunately, many works are being generated in the literature involving different materials for these purposes. The results of this dissertation corroborate this idea and present a possibility of developing sensitive devices for CA 15-3.
B-MRS Newsletter: Leave a message for our readers who are doing their undergraduate, master’s or doctoral research.
Ana Elisa Ferreira de Oliveira: There is a sentence attributed to Marie Curie that says “Throughout my life, new discoveries about nature have made me happy like a child”. That’s how I felt throughout my academic career. And that’s how I still feel when reading a good article, when developing a project or when I read about new research. Science is alive, dynamic, exciting and enriching. Being part of the advancement of science, even if only in a very small way, is a great privilege.
B-MRS Newsletter: If you would like to make any other comments, feel free.
Ana Elisa Ferreira de Oliveira: I would like to give special thanks to some people who were by my side during this journey. To my parents, sister and nephews for their constant support and encouragement. To my husband Lucas for being by my side at all times. To Mayra, my faithful laboratory companion, for her help and partnership. To Prof. Dr. Lucas Franco Ferreira for the partnership and collaboration. To my colleagues in the research group (Polymer and Electroanalytical Research Group – GPPE), I would like to thank you for your support, collaboration, companionship, pleasant conversations and moments of joy. And in particular, I would like to thank my advisor Prof. Dr. Arnaldo César Pereira for the opportunity granted. He welcomed me as a student nine years ago, and since then we have gone through undergraduate research, master’s degree and now the dreamed doctorate. Thank you for your guidance, conversations and partnership, for trusting in my work and for your constant encouragement. It is difficult to describe in words your importance in my professional journey.