In the photo, João Mesquita, Giulia Damasceno, Lorena Cassimiro, Isabela Almeida, Isabela Paes, and Professor Akinori Cardozo Nagato at the University of São Paulo.
Researchers from the Institute of Biological Sciences (ICB) of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF) won three Honorable Mentions in the 2026 edition of theAnnual Meeting of the Federation of Experimental Biology Societies (FeSBE)The result adds to the other Mention obtained by the group in 2025, totaling four in two consecutive congress participations.
The 2026 recognized works address different research fronts, such as the development of a computational tool to automate pulmonary immunohistochemical image analysis, the effects of hyperoxia associated with inflammation on the trachea, and the alterations caused by prolonged exposure to oxygen in glial cells in the central nervous system.
The research was developed by the Applied Experimental Sciences group to Biophysics and Pulmonary Pathophysiology, linked toBiophysics, Morphophysiology and Inflammation (BioMorfI) Laboratory of the ICB and toRegional Center for Bioterism(CBR/UFJF). Coordinated by ProfessorAkinori Cardozo NagatoThe group brings together undergraduate and postgraduate students, faculty, technicians, and researchers from different institutions.
In the 2025 and 2026 editions of the FeSBE, ten scientific papers were presented, developed in different lines. The studies involved 11 students, as well as the team consisting of professors Beatriz Julião Vieira Aarestrup, Frank Silva Bezerra, Fernando Monteiro Aarestrup, and Vinicius Rocha, and the laboratory technicians Álvaro César Dutra Presto and Mariana da Fonseca Pereira.
The first Honorable Mention was awarded in 2025, with a study on the potential of low-intensity laser therapy to stimulate bone neoformation by reducing the number of osteocytes (mature and abundant bone cells). The work was presented by student João Alberto de Oliveira Alves and was part of one of the research lines developed during Fabiano Luiz Dulce de Oliveira's doctorate.
For the group coordinator, the distinctions reflect the maturation of the research developed by the team. "Receiving an Honorable Mention is a great source of satisfaction for the entire team. Each presented work represents the collective effort of students, technicians, professors, and collaborators who build science with rigor, ethics, and commitment to society."
The recognized research in 2026
One of the awarded works (Development of a Python Tool for Chromogen Detection in Immunohistochemistry and Automation of Pulmonary Stereology) resulted in the development of a computational tool capable of automating the detection of chromogens in pulmonary immunohistochemistry images (chemical substances that react with enzymes bound to antibodies, producing a colored precipitate that can be identified under a microscope). The tool was developed in Python to automatically read histological slides. The aim is to reduce the time dedicated to analyses and increase the reproducibility of the results.
The study was presented by student João Pedro Mesquita representing the team formed by Isabela Azevedo de Almeida, Giulia Ferreira Damasceno and Akinori Cardozo Nagato.
According to João Pedro, the work arose from the need to make a time-consuming stage of scientific work more efficient. “Currently, traditional counting methods require many hours of manual and exhaustive work by researchers.”
Another recognized study (Superimposing Hyperoxia on Nebulized Ovalbumin Reduced the Numerical Density of Tracheal Ciliated Cells and Modified the Tracheal Elastosis Profile in Mice) investigated the effects of hyperoxia (excess oxygen) associated with ovalbumin-induced inflammation (protein found in egg yolk) on the trachea. The research analyzed inflammatory cells, collagen, ciliated cells, elastic fibers, and tracheal musculature.
The study analyzed whether the ovalbumin-induced inflammation and exposure to high concentrations of oxygen could also cause changes in the upper airways. In the experiment, mice were divided into five groups for histopathological and stereological analyses, which were performed on tracheal sections, as well as the evaluation of cilia by scanning electron microscopy.
The results showed an increase in the density of inflammatory cells and a reduction in the collagen volume density in the group exposed simultaneously. A reduction in the density of ciliated cells was also observed, associated with changes in the structure of the cilia.
The research concluded that hyperoxia associated with ovalbumin-induced inflammation alters the structure of ciliated cells and interferes with the behavior of the elastic fibers of the trachea. The research was developed by Isabela Azevedo de Almeida, Vinicius N. Rocha, Fernando Monteiro Aarestrup, Beatriz Julião Vieira Aarestrup, Frank Silva Bezerra, and Akinori Cardozo Nagato.
The third study (Hyperoxia increases glial cells number density in olfactory bulb and frontal cortex of BALB/c mice) investigated the effects of prolonged exposure to oxygen on different types of glial cells (nerve tissue cells that provide support, protection, and nutrition to neurons) in the olfactory bulb and frontal cortex. The work was carried out by Giulia Ferreira Damasceno, Álvaro César Dutra Presto, Fernando Monteiro Aarestrup, Beatriz Julião Vieira Aarestrup, Frank Silva Bezerra and Akinori Cardozo Nagato.
The study, carried out from an experimental model, continued an investigation presented by the team at FeSBE in 2025, which had identified an increase in cells in the granular layer of the olfactory bulb.
Three types of glial cells were analyzed: astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocytes. The results showed an increase in these cells in both the olfactory bulb and the frontal cortex of the mice following prolonged exposure to oxygen. Student Giulia Ferreira highlights that the result is noteworthy because, for example, astrocytes actively participate in nerve synapses.
For professor Akinori Nagato, the importance of the work carried out by the group also lies in the training of the students who participate in the projects, from formulating hypotheses to analyzing data and presenting results. "The public university fulfills its mission when it transforms knowledge into the training of people. Each student who participates in a research project learns not only techniques and methods, but also develops intellectual autonomy, critical thinking, and scientific responsibility. This may be the most important result we bring to society."