The closing ceremony of ISI 2026 was marked by the presentation of the Scientific Poster Exhibition awards, recognizing outstanding research showcased throughout the symposium and reinforcing the event’s role as a platform for fostering innovation, talent development, and the advancement of public health science. The awards covered studies in the fields of vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, diagnostics, advanced therapies, artificial intelligence, and science communication, highlighting both the thematic diversity and multidisciplinary nature of the meeting.
The studies were evaluated by an Independent Awards Evaluation Committee (CIAP), composed of researchers external to Fiocruz: Daniel Pacheco, from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC); Marco Stephano and Maria Sato, from the University of São Paulo (USP); Matias Melendez, from the National Cancer Institute (INCa); Milena Akamatsu, from the Butantan Institute; and Telma Oshiro, also from USP. The selection process considered criteria such as scientific quality, methodology, originality, relevance, and clarity of the presented work.
The first part of the ceremony was dedicated to honorable mentions awarded to studies considered particularly noteworthy by the evaluation committee. Among the recognized works was “Molecular evidence of transfusion risk: first report of Oropouche virus in asymptomatic blood donors in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,” by Barbara Araujo Nogueira, focused on the detection of the Oropouche virus in asymptomatic blood donors. Also honored was “Advancing CAR-T Cell Engineering: Hybrid Transposons as Cost-Effective Non-Viral Alternatives,” by Luiza de Macedo Abdo, addressing non-viral alternatives for CAR-T cell engineering; “Scaling up YFV 17DD virus to a 40-liter pilot-scale stirred-tank bioreactor at Bio-Manguinhos pilot plant,” by Adrian Chaves Beserra Penha, related to scaling up yellow fever vaccine production; and “MartinLab in Schools: promoting science communication through the educational board game CARTelas,” by Manoela Ribeiro Bastos, aimed at promoting science communication in schools through educational games.
The ceremony continued with the presentation of the Young Scientific Talent awards, dedicated to researchers up to 26 years old. In the Henrique de Azevedo Penna category, the award was presented to Eliza Lima dos Santos for the study “Development of optical and electrochemical biosensors applicable to the diagnosis of infection caused by the Hepatitis Delta virus,” focused on the development of biosensors for Hepatitis Delta diagnosis. In the Evandro Chagas category, the winner was Andressa Borges de Almeida, author of the research “Scaling up a chromatography-based downstream process for 17DD yellow fever viral vaccine manufacturing: from the bench to the pilot stage in Eukaryotes Pilot Laboratory/Bio-Manguinhos,” related to scaling up production processes for the yellow fever vaccine. The Sérgio Arouca award was presented to Bernardo Monteiro de Vasconcelos for the study “Functional application of the iCASP9 suicide gene system as a safety mechanism for CAR-T cells,” addressing safety mechanisms applied to CAR-T cell therapies.
Among the symposium’s top awards, third place in the Alcides Godoy category went to Caio Velloso Mergh for the work “Artificial Intelligence and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) for Regulatory Compliance in the Pharmaceutical Industry: A Tripartite Comparative Study.” The research evaluated the use of artificial intelligence and RAG systems to support regulatory analysis in the pharmaceutical industry, proposing hybrid models combining human experts and AI to enhance process efficiency and reliability.
Second place, in the Carlos Chagas category, was awarded to Juliana de Sousa dos Santos Pereira for the study “Production of anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody (Nivolumab) using an mRNA platform,” which explored the use of messenger RNA platforms for the production of monoclonal antibodies applied to cancer treatment.
The symposium’s highest distinction, the Oswaldo Cruz award, was presented to Daniele Ramos Rocha, author of the study “Bio-Manguinhos and new generation of vaccines: consolidation of mRNA-LNP production and evaluation of critical quality attributes at pilot scale.” The research addresses the consolidation of the national platform for producing vaccines based on messenger RNA and lipid nanoparticles (mRNA-LNP), considered one of the leading global technological approaches for future immunization strategies and responses to health emergencies.
Before the announcement of the top award, Bio-Manguinhos Director Rosane Cuber and scientific advisor Akira Homma delivered the event’s closing remarks. Rosane emphasized the importance of the independent scientific committee and thanked the teams involved in organizing the symposium, including communications, fundraising, and sponsors. According to her, ISI has established itself as a space for exchanging experiences, collective knowledge-building, and strengthening innovation in health.
Akira Homma highlighted the high quality of the studies presented and emphasized the leading role of younger generations in the institution’s future. In a lighthearted tone, he commented on the diversity of the evaluation committee before stating that the next 50 years of Bio-Manguinhos will be in the hands of the young scientists attending the event.
The closing ceremony consolidated ISI 2026 as a strategic platform connecting science, innovation, industry, and public health, bringing together Brazilian and international researchers around contemporary challenges in the production of immunobiologicals, advanced therapies, artificial intelligence, and equitable access to health.
Text: Marcela Dobarro
Image: Monara Barreto
