Indigenous researcher revives traditional medical practices of his people

The study accessed ancestral knowledge and cataloged 175 medicinal plants used to treat diseases such as parasitic worms, diabetes, and hypertension. Community participation was central to all stages of the study

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

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Pataxó Hãhãhãi during fieldwork in 2023 

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Credit: Hemerson Dantas dos Santos Pataxó Hãhãhãi

 A groundbreaking study by ethnobotanist Hemerson Dantas dos Santos Pataxó Hãhãhãi has revived the ancestral healing knowledge of his indigenous people. Currently a doctoral student at the Institute of Environmental, Chemical, and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Federal University of São Paulo (ICAQF-UNIFESP) in Brazil, he belongs to the Pataxó Hã-Hã-Hãi people. According to his doctoral advisor, Eliana Rodrigues he is “the world’s first indigenous ethnobotanical researcher.”

An article reporting on the study, signed by Pataxó Hãhãhãi and Rodrigues, was published in the Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. “This work was done by us and for us. It recovers knowledge that was being lost and shows that we can do science without giving up who we are,” the researcher celebrates.

The study sought to meet the demands of the Pataxó Hã-Hã-Hãi people themselves in the face of the progressive disappearance of ancestral knowledge. Initially, the focus was on finding treatments for the three most common complaints in the community: parasitic worms, diabetes, and hypertension. These diseases had been caused or aggravated by the fragmentation and dispersion of the people, deteriorating living conditions, and contact with the surrounding society.

However, based on the initial objective and within the parameters of academic research, the scientist broadened the scope of his study, cataloguing 175 medicinal plants used by the Pataxó Hã-Hã-Hãi. Forty-three of these plants were used specifically to treat the three diseases that inspired the investigation, and 79% of their uses are consistent with recent scientific literature.

“One of the discoveries that most caught my attention was that the main medicinal plants used are exotic species, not native, but introduced into the territory. This attests to the fact that the fragmentation and forced displacement of the original population were accompanied by extreme environmental devastation, with land grabbing and the establishment of large farms,” says Pataxó Hãhãhãi.

Among the most commonly used plants are mastruz (Dysphania ambrosioides) for intestinal worms, moringa (Moringa oleifera) for diabetes, and lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) for hypertension. Two of the three, lemongrass and moringa, are exotic and originated in Asia. They were introduced to Brazil during the colonial period or more recently. Many botanists believe that mastruz already existed in tropical areas of South America before the arrival of colonizers and that indigenous peoples have used it for centuries. Another plant considered native that is also used to treat intestinal worms is purgative potato (Operculina macrocarpa). “But so far, I’ve only been able to find a few native species. Many plants mentioned by the elders have disappeared from the forest,” laments Pataxó Hãhãhãi.

Historical context

 

The Pataxó Hã-Hã-Hãi Indigenous Land, also known as the Caramuru-Paraguassu Indigenous Land, is located in the south of the state of Bahia and has an official area of 54,105 hectares. The region was officially reserved for indigenous peoples in 1926 by the then Indian Protection Service (SPI). However, starting in the 1940s, with the expansion of cocoa cultivation, farmers invaded the area, resulting in the expulsion of a large part of the original indigenous population. In the 1970s, the Bahia government abolished the reserve and granted property titles to the invaders.

In 1982, the then National Indian Foundation (FUNAI, renamed the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples in 2023) filed a lawsuit to annul the titles granted to farmers. After years of litigation, the Federal Supreme Court (STF) ruled in favor of the indigenous people in 2012, recognizing their traditional ownership of the land and ordering the removal of non-indigenous people. Despite the STF’s decision, conflicts persist. In 2024, an indigenous woman from the region was murdered during a land retaking. In April of this year, the National Public Security Force was sent to the area to ensure the community’s safety amid new threats. 

“In this context, the environment changed and much of the culture was lost. The traditional language, belonging to the Macro-Jê language family, became extinct in 1992 with the death of Bahetá, the last speaker. Before she died, she collaborated with researchers in the preparation of a primer, called Cartilha Bahetá, with dozens of words and a few phrases,” says Pataxó Hãhãhãi. “We discovered that many of these words are exactly the same as those of the Maxakali, who live in northeastern Minas Gerais [a state bordering southern Bahia]. In the past, the people here used to meet with the Maxakali. There were trails that crossed the forest between Bahia and Minas Gerais,” says the researcher.

The ancient rituals of pajelança were also forgotten with forced displacement and the imposition of religions. Today, the Pataxó Hã-Hã-Hãi people are no longer made up of a single ethnic group, but rather a mixture of several groups that came together in the region after the territory was retaken. Spread across ten villages, the indigenous land is home to about 3,600 individuals belonging to the Baenã, Kamakã, Tupinambá, Kariri-Sapuyá, and Gueren ethnic groups.

“During my research, one of the things that struck me most was the extent of the loss: of plants, practices, entire cultural aspects. Despite all these losses, some elders still remember what they learned from their parents or grandparents. And it was these elders that I sought out to recover ancestral knowledge. Many are evangelicals. Evangelical indigenous people still use plants, but the traditional prayers used in healing rituals have been replaced by Christian prayers, quotes from the Bible, and fragments of psalms,” reports Pataxó Hãhãhãi.

The study involved 19 indigenous experts who are recognized for their knowledge of healing practices. At the time they were interviewed, between February 2022 and November 2023, these experts were between 50 and 85 years old, with 84% over 62 years old. “The elder I had the most contact with was Dona Marta Xavier. She has a very strong gift for healing. She knows many medicinal plants and is able to discover others. When an indigenous person has a more serious problem, she’s the one they turn to. Dona Marta has a brother named Aniraldo, an elderly but very active man who works on the farm. Where he lives, there’s a health center and a nursery has been built to grow medicinal plant seedlings,” recalls the researcher.

In addition to being a healer, Dona Marta was a midwife, and many members of the community were born in her hands. Today, births usually take place in hospitals, but midwives were essential in the past. Pataxó Hãhãhãi quotes a phrase spoken by his grandmother: “If it weren’t for the midwives, there’d be no more Indians.”

The study was based on a research approach developed by Eliana Rodrigues called “participatory ethnobotany.” It places the studied population at the center of all phases of the work, from defining the objectives to publication, including data collection and analysis. “It’s a procedure that empowers traditional peoples and challenges the colonial logic that’s always dominated the production of scientific knowledge. In it, the indigenous people themselves, or quilombolas, or caiçaras, or Amazonian riverine communities, collect and record their traditional knowledge, becoming, at the same time, the object and subject of the study,” explains Rodrigues.

She trains traditional researchers in cultural anthropology and botany. They learn to interview experts in their communities, discover which plants are used and how, access taxonomic classifications of the species used, and record all the knowledge acquired, eventually in their own language. “They do what they want with their traditional knowledge. This is very important because it points to a contribution to a globally controversial issue, that of intellectual property rights over traditional knowledge,” emphasizes the researcher.

She gives an example: “Consider the Guarani. They live in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. If a study accesses traditional Guarani knowledge, to whom does it belong? To the country? To the people? To the village? To the family group? This is still an open question. We don’t have well-defined international mechanisms for this. But if the indigenous people themselves, trained in academic methods, anthropology, and botany, collect and record this knowledge, they have the autonomy to decide what to do with it. That’s the logic: empower indigenous people so they have the power to decide about their own knowledge.”

Pataxó Hãhãhãi’s research involved visiting ten villages and conducting more than 240 days of fieldwork. Because the researcher lives in the community itself, he had access to situations that are usually off-limits, such as the use of prayers in preparing medicines. “It was a dive into my own history. Listening to the elders and recording their memories taught me things even I didn’t know about my people,” he says.

In addition to the written records, the project resulted in a book and an audiovisual presentation. There was also collaboration on the implementation of a medicinal plant garden in the villages. A booklet with safe medicinal plant recipes will also be distributed to young people and indigenous health professionals.

The study was supported by FAPESP through a doctoral scholarship awarded to the author.

About São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)
The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. You can learn more about FAPESP at www.fapesp.br/en and visit FAPESP news agency at www.agencia.fapesp.br/en to keep updated with the latest scientific breakthroughs FAPESP helps achieve through its many programs, awards and research centers. You may also subscribe to FAPESP news agency at http://agencia.fapesp.br/subscribe. 

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Journal

Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine

DOI

10.1186/s13002-025-00782-4 

Article Title

Participatory Ethnobotany in indigenous health: study conducted by a Pataxó Hãhãhãi ethnobotanist among his people, Brazil

 

Brain-computer interface could decode inner speech in real time

Cell Press

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A participant is using the inner speech neuroprosthesis. The text above is the cued sentence, and the text below is what's being decoded in real-time as she imagines speaking the sentence. 

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Credit: Emory BrainGate Team

Scientists have pinpointed brain activity related to inner speech—the silent monologue in people’s heads—and successfully decoded it on command with up to 74% accuracy. Publishing August 14 in the Cell Press journal Cell, their findings could help people who are unable to audibly speak communicate more easily using brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies that begin translating inner thoughts when a participant says a password inside their head. 

“This is the first time we’ve managed to understand what brain activity looks like when you just think about speaking,” says lead author Erin Kunz of Stanford University. “For people with severe speech and motor impairments, BCIs capable of decoding inner speech could help them communicate much more easily and more naturally.”  

BCIs have recently emerged as a tool to help people with disabilities. Using sensors implanted in brain regions that control movement, BCI systems can decode movement-related neural signals and translate them into actions, such as moving a prosthetic hand.  

Research has shown that BCIs can even decode attempted speech among people with paralysis. When users physically attempt to speak out loud by engaging the muscles related to making sounds, BCIs can interpret the resulting brain activity and type out what they are attempting to say, even if the speech itself is unintelligible.  

Although BCI-assisted communication is much faster than older technologies, including systems that track users’ eye movements to type out words, attempting to speak can still be tiring and slow for people with limited muscle control. 

The team wondered if BCIs could decode inner speech instead. 

“If you just have to think about speech instead of actually trying to speak, it’s potentially easier and faster for people,” says Benyamin Meschede-Krasa, the paper’s co-first author, of Stanford University.  

The team recorded neural activity from microelectrodes implanted in the motor cortex—a brain region responsible for speaking—of four participants with severe paralysis from either amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or a brainstem stroke. The researchers asked the participants to either attempt to speak or imagine saying a set of words. They found that attempted speech and inner speech activate overlapping regions in the brain and evoke similar patterns of neural activity, but inner speech tends to show a weaker magnitude of activation overall.  

Using the inner speech data, the team trained artificial intelligence models to interpret imagined words. In a proof-of-concept demonstration, the BCI could decode imagined sentences from a vocabulary of up to 125,000 words with an accuracy rate as high as 74%. The BCI was also able to pick up what some inner speech participants were never instructed to say, such as numbers when the participants were asked to tally the pink circles on the screen. 

The team also found that while attempted speech and inner speech produce similar patterns of neural activity in the motor cortex, they were different enough to be reliably distinguished from each other. Senior author Frank Willett of Stanford University says researchers can use this distinction to train BCIs to ignore inner speech altogether.  

For users who may want to use inner speech as a method for faster or easier communication, the team also demonstrated a password-controlled mechanism that would prevent the BCI from decoding inner speech unless temporarily unlocked with a chosen keyword. In their experiment, users could think of the phrase “chitty chitty bang bang” to begin inner-speech decoding. The system recognized the password with more than 98% accuracy. 

While current BCI systems are unable to decode free-form inner speech without making substantial errors, the researchers say more advanced devices with more sensors and better algorithms may be able to do so in the future. 

“The future of BCIs is bright,” Willett says. “This work gives real hope that speech BCIs can one day restore communication that is as fluent, natural, and comfortable as conversational speech.”  

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This work was supported by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the National Institutes of Health, the Simons Collaboration for the Global Brain, the A.P. Giannini Foundation, Department of Veterans Affairs, the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Larry and Pamela Garlick, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the Blavatnik Family Foundation, and the National Science Foundation. 

Cell, Kunz et al., “Inner speech in motor cortex and implications for speech neuroprostheses” https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)00681-6

Cell (@CellCellPress), the flagship journal of Cell Press, is a bimonthly journal that publishes findings of unusual significance in any area of experimental biology, including but not limited to cell biology, molecular biology, neuroscience, immunology, virology and microbiology, cancer, human genetics, systems biology, signaling, and disease mechanisms and therapeutics. Visit: http://www.cell.com/cell. To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact press@cell.com. 

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Journal

Cell

DOI

10.1016/j.cell.2025.06.015 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Inner speech in motor cortex and implications for speech neuroprostheses

Article Publication Date

14-Aug-2025

 

1 in 3 US adults unaware of connection between HPV and cancers

Medical University of South Carolina

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Kalyani Sonawane, Ph.D., and team examined state-level data to understand public awareness of HPV and its association with cancer. 

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Credit: MUSC Hollings Cancer Center

The human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause six types of cancer. 

It’s responsible for almost all cervical cancer cases. HPV now causes the majority of oropharyngeal (throat) cancers. It can also cause anal, vaginal, vulvar and penile cancers.  

Yet new analysis from researchers at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center shows that most people are unaware of the connection between HPV and all of these cancers.  

That awareness is critical, said lead researcher Kalyani Sonawane, Ph.D., because it informs people’s decisions about whether to have their children vaccinated against HPV.  

“When people make decisions about whether they want to get vaccinated or whether they want to get their child vaccinated, they are doing a risk-versus-benefit assessment. So it's important for them to understand what can happen when someone gets HPV infection,” she said.  

Sonawane and colleagues used data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), a survey conducted by the National Cancer Institute. They published their findings this week in JAMA Oncology.  

They found that about a third of people, nationally, aren’t aware of either HPV or the HPV vaccine. The lack of awareness tended to be clustered in states in the Midwest and South.  

For example, more than 40% of people in 13 states – including South Carolina – are unaware that there is a vaccine against HPV. 

The vaccine is the first and best defense against HPV-caused cancers. Research from Europe and the U.S., including research at Hollings, is showing a significant reduction in cervical cancer cases in young women.  

The young women of today were children when the vaccine was first introduced and, therefore, the first group to be vaccinated. As they get older and enter the decades of life when cancer is most common, scientists expect to see even greater reductions in HPV cancers.  

Cervical cancer is the bellwether because that type of cancer most commonly shows up when people are in their 30s or 40s. Oropharyngeal cancers, on the other hand, most often are diagnosed when people are in their 50s or 60s, so it will be some time before the first group that was vaccinated reaches this age.  

Sonawane noted that the biggest knowledge gap is in relation to oropharyngeal cancer. Across the nation, 70% of those who have heard about HPV didn’t know it causes oropharyngeal cancer.  

“HPV is linked with six different types of cancers, but cervical cancer seems to be the one that people are most aware of,” she said. That probably goes back to the original introduction of the vaccine in 2006. "It was first approved for girls and heavily marketed toward girls. Even the packaging was pink.” 

The vaccine has since been approved for boys, but rates of vaccination for boys remain lower than for girls.  

“People think, ‘Oh, cervical cancer. I don't need to get my boys vaccinated,’” Sonawane said. “Anecdotally, when we speak with pediatricians, they always tell us that when they ask a parent of a male child about HPV vaccination, the parents always say, ‘Oh, but he's a boy.’” 

The pandemic interrupted many measures of preventive care, including HPV vaccination and screening for cervical, breast and colon cancers. A recent report from the American Cancer Society showed that screening for breast and colon cancers has since rebounded. Cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination, however, have not.  

“It just worries me how this is going to translate five years, 10 years down the line,” Sonawane said. “We are losing that critical opportunity of being able to vaccinate kids, being able to screen women at the right time and being able to catch these cancers early. Both primary and secondary prevention are suffering.” 

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About MUSC Hollings Cancer Center  

  MUSC Hollings Cancer Center is South Carolina’s only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center with the largest academic-based cancer research program in the state. With more than 230 faculty cancer scientists from 20 academic departments, it has an annual research funding portfolio of more than $50 million and sponsors more than 200 clinical trials across the state. Hollings specialists include surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, psychologists and other clinical providers equipped to provide the full range of cancer care from diagnosis to survivorship. Hollings offers state-of-the-art cancer screenings, diagnostics, therapies and surgical techniques within its multidisciplinary clinics. Dedicated to preventing and reducing the cancer burden statewide, the Hollings Office of Community Outreach and Engagement works with community organizations to bring cancer education and prevention information to affected populations throughout the state. For more information, visit  hollingscancercenter.musc.edu 

 

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Journal

JAMA Oncology

DOI

10.1001/jamaoncol.2025.2638 

Article Title

State-Level Public Awareness of HPV, HPV Vaccine, and Association With Cancer

Article Publication Date

14-Aug-2025

COI Statement

Dr. Graboyes reported personal fees from Merck, grants and nonfinancial support from Stryker, and serving as deputy editor for JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Deshmukh reproted personal fees from Value Analytics Labs outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported.

State-level public awareness of HPV, HPV vaccine, and association with cancer

JAMA Oncology

About The Study:

 In this cross-sectional study, public awareness about human papillomavirus (HPV), HPV vaccination, and the link between HPV and cancers was overwhelmingly low, particularly in Midwestern and Southern U.S. states. These findings are troubling because these regions have recently seen a marked rise in HPV-associated cancers. Notably, the lack of HPV and HPV vaccine awareness in the Midwest and South is alarming, as a majority of states in these regions have suboptimal HPV vaccination rates.

Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Kalyani Sonawane, PhD, email sonawane@musc.edu.

To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/

(doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2025.2638)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

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Embed this link to provide your readers free access to the full-text article  

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/10.1001/jamaoncol.2025.2638?guestAccessKey=b2a3ff8f-8e17-4a68-99d2-3ace782b2180&utm_source=for_the_media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=081425

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Journal

JAMA Oncology

Scientists use climate data to map, predict amphibian chytrid disease

New modeling method could hold key to restoring Panamanian frog populations

Smithsonian

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The chytrid fungus disease is responsible for global amphibian population declines, such as the endangered limosa harlequin frog shown above.

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Credit: Brian Gratwicke, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

Researchers may have a new tool in the fight to protect neotropical frogs from extinction, thanks to climate data. In a recently published study in the journal Diversity and Distributions, researchers from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) created a high-resolution map of Panama showing how a deadly amphibian disease moved across Panama over a 13-year period. But the data also provides insight into where the disease is the most dangerous and shows regions that may be havens for reintroduced, captive-bred frogs.  

Since its first scientific description in 2000, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a fungus that causes the deadly amphibian chytrid disease, has devastated amphibian populations in Central and South America. Believed to have originated in Asia, chytrid has since spread to many parts of the world, and the disease is responsible for wiping out nine frog species in Panama alone.   

Like other fungi, chytrid requires a cool, wet environment to thrive. In chytrid-friendly conditions, disease outbreaks can decimate frog populations. But scientists have found that the fungus cannot thrive when the temperature is too high or the air is too dry. While the disease has spread throughout mainland Panama, the team wondered if the climate parameters might create an opportunity to find pockets where chytrid was less likely to kill.  

By pairing satellite data with 13 years’ worth of atmospheric modeling, researchers created an ultra-high-resolution, daily temperature and humidity map for the nation. They paired this with a second dataset of over 4,900 disease samples taken from 314 sites across Panama. The second dataset tracked the amount of fungus present on each frog, known as the fungal load, over 13 years. When overlaid, the two data sets provided a clear picture of when and where the chytrid disease was the most intense. Higher elevations consistently remained more hospitable to the fungus, but rainy seasons brought chytrid-friendly conditions to the lowlands and led to waves of outbreaks.  

“By compiling the hard-earned data from many amphibian researchers, we have been able to draw an unprecedented, detailed picture of the intensity of Bd in Panama through time and space,” said Carrie Lewis, doctoral student at George Mason University’s Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science, who led the study. “My hope is that we can use this detailed information to inform conservation actions in a more refined way.”  

Although chytrid disease has devastated amphibian populations, the presence of the chytrid fungus alone is not a death sentence. Recognizing this, the research team built three models: one showing fungal presence; a second at “medium intensity,” which researchers consider an indicator of a serious infection; and a third at “high intensity,” which researchers associated with significant disease outbreaks. Researchers found that by examining the weather conditions 15 days prior to sampling, they could predict the presence and intensity of the chytrid fungus.   

By mapping out the path and intensity of chytrid, it became clear that the disease thrives in mountainous regions, which tend to remain cooler and more humid than lowland areas. With this knowledge, researchers may be able to identify climatic refuges—areas less suitable for the chytrid disease where frogs may have a fighting chance against the fungus.  

“The ability to identify places where frogs might be able to survive chytrid is critical for two reasons,” said Brian Gratwicke, NZCBI biologist and senior author of the study. “One, it allows us to look for frogs in those areas who might have developed resistance to the fungus. Two, those same areas might be sites where we can return captive-bred frogs into the wild. Both aspects could be significant turning points in the fight against the chytrid disease.”  

Since 2009, the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project based in Gamboa, Panama, has bred 12 species of frogs, all of which are facing extinction. After years of successful breeding, there are now enough animals to begin rewilding efforts. As researchers work toward reintroduction trials for imperiled Panamanian species, these prediction models will be crucial to determining when and where trials should take place.  

This collaboration between 18 coauthors was partially supported with funding from the National Science Foundation, the German Science Foundation and the Bezos Earth Fund through the Tropical Amphibian Research Initiative.    

Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI)  

NZCBI leads the Smithsonian’s global effort to save species, better understand ecosystems and train future generations of conservationists. Its two campuses are home to more than 2,200 animals, including some of the world’s most critically endangered species. Always free of charge, the Zoo’s 163-acre park in the heart of Washington, D.C., features animals representing 400 species and is a popular destination for children and families. At the Conservation Biology Institute’s 3,200-acre campus in Virginia, breeding and veterinary research on nearly 250 animals representing 20 species provide critical data for the management of animals in human care and valuable insights for conservation of wild populations. NZCBI’s 305 staff and scientists work in Washington, D.C., Virginia and with partners at field sites across the United States and in more than 30 countries to save wildlife, collaborate with communities and conserve native habitats. NZCBI is a long-standing accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. 
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) 

Headquartered in Panama City, Panama, STRI is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution. Our mission is to understand tropical biodiversity and its importance to human welfare, to train students to conduct research in the tropics and promote conservation by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems. Visit the institute at our website and on Facebook, X and Instagram for updates. 

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Photo caption: The chytrid fungus disease is responsible for global amphibian population declines, such as the endangered limosa harlequin frog shown above. Photo credit: Brian Gratwicke, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. 

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Journal

Diversity and Distributions

DOI

10.1111/ddi.70052 

Method of Research

Computational simulation/modeling

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

Modelling Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Presence and Intensity Using High Spatial and Temporal Resolution Weather Data

 

New monoclonal antibody targets deadly sepsis

University of Virginia Health System

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Scientists at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and the University of Michigan have developed a monoclonal antibody to stop sepsis, a deadly full-body infection. The antibody also has the potential to treat a broad array of other inflammatory conditions, including autoimmune disorders, their research indicates.

In initial testing in lab mice, the antibody proved versatile and showed “transformative potential for combatting life-threatening inflammatory diseases,” the researchers report in a new scientific paper. Potential applications could include deadly acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which rose to public attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as ischemia-reperfusion injury, which is tissue damage caused when blood flow is cut off and restored. (Ischemia-reperfusion injury is a major problem for organ transplantation.)

The researchers say their work has also shed light on the molecular causes of sepsis and has the potential to produce an important tool for diagnosing the condition and monitoring patients.

“This is the kind of breakthrough that can change the standard of care,” said Jianjie Ma, PhD, of UVA’s Department of Surgery and UVA Cancer Center. “By combining complementary expertise in basic science, innovation and translational medicine, and by working closely with our industry partners, we’ve developed a first-in-class antibody with the potential to save countless lives from sepsis and other severe inflammatory diseases.”

Stopping Sepsis

Sepsis strikes up to 50 million people worldwide every year, killing approximately 11 million. It is a leading cause of death in U.S. hospitals, and the risk of death increases every hour it goes untreated. It is caused when the body’s immune response spirals out of control in response to an infection, potentially leading to organ failure and death. Even with aggressive treatment, up to 40% of patients who reach the most severe stage of sepsis still die.

Ma and his collaborators’ new antibody, they hope, could become the first treatment that directly targets the underlying immune system dysregulation responsible for sepsis. It seeks to prevent the “cytokine storms” that made headlines in the pandemic, shutting down the body’s hyperactive immune response before organ damage can occur.

Further, early testing suggests the antibody can do so without the unwanted side effects of existing sepsis treatments, such as unintended suppression of the immune system. In the initial studies, the antibody was able to stop inflammatory cytokines and restore the function of immune cells called macrophages, all while protecting against sepsis-induced lung injury, the scientists report in their new paper.

In addition to the antibody’s potential therapeutic applications, the scientists say the tools they are using to produce it may be useful for detecting and monitoring sepsis. Their platform, called PEdELISA, can quantify six cytokines from a single drop of plasma within two hours.

“Our humanized antibody has shown both safety and effectiveness in blocking the cytokine storm and restoring healthy immune function,” said Yongqing Li, MD, PhD, of the University of Michigan Medical School. “Beyond treating acute infections, it has the potential to address a spectrum of diseases caused by faulty immune regulation, including autoimmune disorders, cancer and diabetes.”

The researchers have received $800,000 from Virginia Catalyst to launch a clinical trial of the antibody at UVA Health and Virginia Commonwealth University. The antibody has been extensively engineered for clinical application and presents significant translational potential, particularly when coupled with the PEdELISA diagnostic platform..

“Integrating PEdELISA with this first-in-class antibody therapy enables a comprehensive approach to sepsis management, allowing not only earlier and more accurate diagnosis but also continuous, near real-time monitoring of the patient’s immune status throughout treatment. This integration could facilitate timely therapeutic adjustments, prevent disease progression and ultimately increase the likelihood of achieving complete resolution,” industry partner Guidong Zhu said.

Better Understanding Sepsis

As they have developed their antibody, the scientists have made important discoveries about the underlying molecular mechanisms responsible for sepsis. The researchers identified changes that take place in macrophages that spur harmful “feedback loops” that drive the body’s uncontrolled inflammatory response. The researchers’ new antibody, they found, interrupts those changes.

Ultimately, Ma and his collaborators hope their sepsis work will help overcome one of the great challenges in medicine. Finding those types of lifesaving, game-changing solutions is exactly the mission of UVA’s new Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology.

“UVA is proud to be part of this groundbreaking discovery,” said Melina R. Kibbe, MD, dean of UVA’s School of Medicine. “Our leadership is eager to work hand-in-hand with clinicians and industry partners to move this bench discovery into the clinic, where it could make the difference between life and death.”

Findings Published

The researchers have published their findings in the scientific journal Nature Communications. The research team consisted of Wenlu Ouyang, Yuchen Chen, Tao Tan, Yujing Song, Tao Dong, Xin Yu, Kyung Eun Lee, Xinyu Zhou, Zoe Tetz, Sophia Go, Xindi Zeng, Liujiazi Shao, Chao Quan, Ting Zhao, Yuzi Tian, Katsuo Kurabayashi, Hua Jin, Jichun Ma, Jingdong Qin, Brandon Williams, Qingtian Li, Zhu, Hasan B Alam, Kathleen A. Stringer, Yongqing Li and Ma. 

UVA has filed a patent application related to the work. Ma and Li are co-founders of HTIC Inc., a company that develops antibodies to regulate immune systems. Ma was honored in January with the Dean’s Excellence in Faculty Research Award from UVA’s School of Medicine.

The sepsis research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, grants R01HL155116, R01HL157215, R01AG07240, R01EY036243 and R35GM136312, and a Joint-of-Institute grant, U068874.

To keep up with the latest medical research news from UVA, subscribe to the Making of Medicine blog at http://makingofmedicine.virginia.edu.

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Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-025-62788-6