Mother Bernadete's legacy grows as a root of struggle in Quilombo Pitanga dos Palmares (BA) telegram Join our Telegram channel! telegram In the Quilombo de Pitanga dos Palmares (BA) the first anniversary of the murder of Mãe Bernadete Pacífico was marked by longing and emotion but above all by the collective cry for justice and the guarantee of the right to title to quilombola territories In the sacred land that gave rise to the leadership his memory became the root of the ancestral quilombola struggle which guides and accompanies the seeds of resistance to remain firm in the defense of their rights “We will not associate Dona Bernadete’s murder with drug trafficking because Dona Bernadete’s death was groundless in this country!” which points to drug trafficking as the reason behind Mother Bernadete's death On the night of August 17, 2023, Maria Bernadete Pacífico Moreira was murdered in her home, in Quilombo Pitanga dos Palmares, at the age of 72. Despite being in the Human Rights Defenders Protection Program (PPDDH), she was shot 22 times in a case that shocked the country and highlighted the vulnerability of quilombola leaders in Brazil After Mother Bernadete, 12 quilombola people were murdered in the country in the period of one year. One unprecedented survey carried out by Conaq showed an exponential increase in crimes in the last five years There were 46 executions recorded from January 2019 to July 2024 a quilombola life was violently eliminated 2021 and 2023 stand out as years with a number of murders higher than the annual average the Quilombo de Pitanga dos Palmares has faced serious land conflicts aggravated by rampant real estate speculation and the installation of public and private enterprises that put its survival at risk “Trafficking cannot take credit for a fight that Dona Bernadete fought while denouncing deforestation while denouncing the lack of land titling and while demanding the death of Binho [her son The blood spilled in the fight for land in this country must be respected Dona Bernadete’s blood will not be dishonored,” said Selma Dealdina the griot who was in charge of the state within the quilombo,” recalls Mother Jaciara a friend and resident of Pitanga dos Palmares “But she was not an ialorixá,” despite being initiated into Candomblé the accusation of religious racism for the crime cannot be considered “When [the media] says ‘the ialorixá was murdered in the terreiro,’ that also leaves us from Candomblé vulnerable So can someone just go to any terreiro and kill?” she asked O 7th Quilombola Art and Culture Festival was held between August 16 and 18 by Quilombo Pitanga dos Palmares and the Muzanzu Ethnodevelopment Association Seven quilombola communities from the region and leaders from all over the country came together to celebrate the legacy of Mother Bernadete with guided tours cultural workshops and a fair of artisanal and gastronomic products “This festival portrays the story of struggle resistance and ancestry of Mother Bernadete That was all she did when she was here among us and I am continuing this courageous and wonderful legacy,” said Jurandir Pacífico Mother Bernadete defended female empowerment the creation and implementation of public policies and quality education – one of her dreams was to establish universities within the quilombos she was part of the coordination and women's collective of Conaq served as Secretary for the Promotion of Racial Equality in Simões Filho (BA) artisan and also a reference as a samba dancer being part of the first coordination of the Association of Sambadores and Sambadeiras of the State of Bahia (Asseba) This exchange of knowledge and practices of seven quilombola communities involved in this Festival is of utmost importance,” added Jurandir Pacífico.   During the festival, the Mãe Bernadete Rustic Museum was inaugurated. Created to honor the leader and her son Flávio Gabriel Pacífico dos Santos, better known as Binho do Quilombo, murdered in 2017 The space is a traditional wattle and daub house and was built in a week Jurandir Pacífico announced the opening of the museum I am not prepared to go in now,” he said.  “The museum preserves the memory and history of the people who fought the memory of Mother Bernadete and the prospect that we will not lose these stories,” said the Minister of Women So Mother Bernadete here is a force that is with us,” recalled Mother Jaciara The Quilombo Pitanga dos Palmares is the only one in Brazil that has a street of terreiros and it is in this setting that Mother Bernadete worshipped her faith initiated in the 1970s in the terreiro Ilê Axé Kalé Bokum “Spirituality ends up being the technology that protects us the most,” commented Wellington Pacífico grandson of Mother Bernadete and who was with her when she was murdered “It is the cowrie shell that will guide us it is Caboclo who will guide us on which paths to follow and which people to trust there is progress in the struggles in relation to the defense of the territory and also our protection as people O II National Meeting of Quilombola Women It was one of the last public agendas of Conaq that Mãe Bernadete attended The theme was “When a quilombola woman falls because she does not cease to exist because she is no longer here on the physical plane She is one of the founders of the Conaq women’s collective,” recalled Selma Dealdina together with other women from the institution and the collective promoted a workshop for quilombola women at the festival to also honor this part of Mother Bernadete’s struggle in which we can experience at least a little justice of resistance and of saying that her legacy has not died reinforced the executive coordinator of Conaq and member of the Women's Collective The collective joined forces with women from Quilombo Pitanga dos Palmares and Salvador for a workshop on political reflections The women also wrote about Mother Bernadete Eternally present!" read one of the messages Laura highlighted that the women's collective works together in the fight for public policies that are appropriate to the quilombola reality debating issues at a national level and mainly making impacts in ministries “so that we can have a public policy that meets our reality” “If you look at the data, the largest number of women who suffer femicide are [black] women a large number of quilombo leaders are women They are the ones on the front line and therefore they are more vulnerable,” explained Minister Cida Gonçalves Data from the latest survey “Racism and Violence against Quilombos in Brazil”, carried out by Terra de Direitos and Conaq, reveal that, in the period from 2018 to 2022, of the 32 murders recorded, nine were women. “There is an ingrained hatred in the country Mother Bernadete was already dead after the first three shots This is not a crime that characterizes trafficking This is a hate crime,” the minister emphasized According to her, the government is implementing a national protocol to protect quilombola women, with public policies aimed at their safety, autonomy and combating violence. Within the scope of the ministry, the Permanent Forum of Quilombola Women – a demand from the last National Meeting of Quilombola Women – where bimonthly debates are held to define the lines of these policies to be invested in the quilombos The murder of Mother Bernadete is part of the statistics that highlight the insecurity within the quilombola communities of Brazil. Land disputes are the main threat to the security of traditional communities “I may not have the elements to say all [the reasons] the land issue is adjacent to all this violence that traditional communities have suffered especially quilombola communities,” said the public prosecutor and coordinator of the human rights area of ​​the Public Ministry of Bahia is putting pressure on quilombola territories the real estate sector’s interest in areas valued by tourism and coastal developments is intensifying the pressure is the advance of organized crime into quilombola territories the geraizeiros and other traditional communities “The state of Bahia cannot experience another situation like the one that happened to Binho We cannot experience another situation of aggression of violence against human rights defenders and we need to improve these protection and prevention mechanisms,” he warned the Public Prosecutor's Office is responsible for pointing out the errors identified in these cases “The Public Prosecutor's Office acts almost as a subsidiary to the omission of public entities we shouldn't even be faced with situations like these The Public Prosecutor's Office ends up being highlighted because of the void that is created in this scenario of public policy to protect these people.” Chief of staff of the Secretariat for the Promotion of Racial Equality of Bahia (Sepromi-BA) Alexandro Reis highlighted the importance of granting titles to quilombola territories to end conflicts because it gives communities security in terms of having their territory and land guaranteed to produce Secondly, the preservation of the environment.”Quilombola communities have this important role of preserving the environment. Its production does not degrade biomes it is a determination of our Federal Constitution it is a matter of fundamental rights that it is the State's responsibility to guarantee” Sepromi works with the National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform (Incra) to recognize quilombola territories Quilombo Pitanga dos Palmares was certified in 2004 by the Palmares Cultural Foundation In April 2024, Incra recognized approximately 854 hectares of land as officially belonging to the quilombola community. However, the The process of granting titles to quilombola territories in Brazil is extensive and time-consuming Alexandro Reis explains that there is a task force working with INCRA the Ministry of Agrarian Development (MDA) the Attorney General's Office (AGU) and the Attorney General's Office of the State of Bahia (PGE-BA) to clear the area The properties of non-quilombolas have been identified and notified the federal government must negotiate compensation for the families' departure According to last IBGE Census Bahia is the state with the largest number of quilombolas in Brazil There are 397.059 and only 5% live in demarcated territories the ranking of deaths due to land conflicts at least 11 quilombolas have been murdered in ten years Despite a firm and solid fight for the title of quilombola territories She joined the PPDDH and had been part of the program since 2017 “Every time we advance on the rights of these communities the response is more violent from those who have no interest in these communities having possession of their territory and the powers and economic forces question them,” said the Superintendent of Human Rights in the State of Bahia She advocates reviewing protection strategies for people fighting for territories highlighting the need to organize processes that accelerate land regularization it is crucial to identify and eliminate threats arising from insecurity in land tenure “It is necessary to reach territories with strong public policies because it sends a message that that territory exists and is on the government’s action map Another way is to strengthen the communities themselves and social movements so that they can also build their own protection solutions All spheres of government need to be in constant dialogue,” he warned.  but life in Quilombo Pitanga de Palmares continues who became eternal in roots and now stands tall as a strong trunk among the ancestors watching over those who walk under her protection.   The most relevant news for you to form your opinion on the socio-environmental agenda LAST ISSUE we can't find the page you are looking for We focus on the greatest sustainability challenges across all sectors Offering unparalleled depth and breadth of expertise Carlos Pitanga has been appointed as the new Global Managing Director of ERM CVS verification and certification services across sustainability and business continuity domains to organizations across the globe ERM CVS brings a unique combination of deep expertise across various sustainability domains in conjunction with auditing assurance and internal controls specialists Carlos will lead the next evolution of ERM CVS’ growth agenda and services innovation to support leading global companies in assuring verifying and certifying their sustainability and business continuity focused programs He brings more than 25 years of international expertise in this space where he held several regional and global roles Most recently as Managing Director for BSI’s Americas Assurance business he led commercially focused operations generating more than US$70 million revenue via the company’s US Global Service Leader of Sustainable Operations at ERM said: “Customer driven requirements for foundational and emerging EHS (Environmental and Governance) standards are escalating and require leading companies to implement well-structured and functioning programs to maintain certifications the sheer volume of ESG and EHS data that companies disclose voluntarily and regulatorily and growing concerns about greenwashing require strong internal controls to achieve Limited and Reasonable Assurance Carlos brings decades of commercial and operational experience in these specialized spaces that align well with ERM CVS' current market positioning and future growth focus areas His expertise and leadership will further elevate ERM CVS’ ability to deliver business value and create positive sustainability impact for leading global companies.” and impartiality form the backbone of sustainability and business continuity related assurance a purpose driven organization with a great legacy of working with leading global companies to shape a sustainable future.” About ERM CVSERM CVS provides independent assurance and certification services across sustainability and business continuity domains.Operating across industries in more than 40 countries ERM CVS has worked alongside leading organizations since 1996 to help them keep pace with rapidly evolving regulations and stakeholder expectations Through our independent third-party services ERM CVS enables clients to identify opportunities for improvement helping them transform their sustainability and business continuity performance ERM CVS is part of the ERM Group, the world’s largest specialist sustainability consultancy. Learn More UN Women Brazil announced the nomination of actress Camila Pitanga as its first National Ambassador The Brazilian actress is the first Latin American celebrity to become a public spokesperson for UN Women Pitanga will act in defense of women’s human rights through empowerment and gender equality and in the fight against racism She plans to speak out and use her social media accounts to this end “It is with great honour and satisfaction that I am joining the UN Women Brazil team as a National Ambassador I believe that Brazilian society currently feels the need to speak out on and defend the empowerment of women and the equality of possibilities “I’m joining UN Women at a time when women are coming together to talk about their role in society and to claim a space in the media through which to express themselves and reflect on their lives Beyond the terrible statistics of death and cruelty we suffer women and women’s causes need visibility access to information and citizenship.” The actress is Director of the NGO Movimento Humanos Direitos (Humans and Rights Movement) abuse of children and teenagers and the promotion of the rights of young black people headed by UNDP and the United Nations Volunteer Programme Pitanga has supported include being advisor to the World Wildlife Fund and supporter of the Amnesty International Campaign “Young Black Alive - #ICare” the Greenpeace campaign against deforestation and the Movimento Humanos Direitos campaigns against child prostitution and the outsourcing of work Copyright © UN Women The dates displayed for an article provide information on when various publication milestones were reached at the journal that has published the article activities on preceding journals at which the article was previously under consideration are not shown (for instance submission All content on this site: Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V. was brutally killed when two men wearing helmets entered her home and unloaded more than a dozen bullets in her direction A respected name in social movements across the country she headed the Pitanga dos Palmares quilombo in Bahia state an environmental protection area where the Quilombola community — Afro-Brazilian descendants of escaped slaves — reside They both spoke of the death threats they received in the process The delay in Brazil’s land regularization process has contributed to the increase of conflicts in the Quilombola communities which has resulted in the killings of at least 30 leaders in the last 10 years according to the National Coordination for Articulation of Rural Black Quilombola Communities (CONAQ) The federal Constitution guarantees the descendants of quilombos the right to own their lands. However, according to the 2022 Population Census which identified this group for the first time in history only about 4.3% of the Quilombola population (1,327,802 inhabitants) lives in territories already titled who used to draft the initiatives idealized by her mother for the quilombo has now taken his whole family to a secret location He tells Mongabay that out of fear for him and his family’s life they will avoid leaving their hideout until the federal authorities respond to their security concerns and offer them a permanent solution the Public Security Secretariat of Bahia announced the arrest of three men suspected of involvement in the assassination of Bernadete Pacífico about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Bahia’s capital and confessed to the police that he was one of the murderers The other two had no direct participation in the crime: One had the Quilombola leader’s cell phone and the other kept the weapons supposedly used in the crime The police are still looking for at least a fourth person involved who would also have fired shots at Bernadete Motivations for the killer of the Quilombola leader have not yet been established or shared with the public Throughout her life as a religious leader and head of CONAQ Bernadete denounced threats by land-grabbers seeking to invade their territory illegal logging in their Atlantic forests and petrochemical pipelines passing through the community Jurandir speaks about the situation for his community now what has happened since his mother’s killing and why there’s a scramble for land in the region This interview was translated and edited for clarity Mongabay: What was the role of Maria Bernadete Pacífico at Pitanga dos Palmares and in CONAQ She was responsible for creating the services that exist there today: electricity with initiatives such as the health fair and family agriculture projects Our community’s seed network was also created by her in addition to forest restoration work in degraded areas My mother encouraged the safeguarding of the Quilombola culture dance and crafts in clay and piaçava straw she worked on the implementation of public policies and trained new leaders Mongabay: Could you talk about Pitanga dos Palmares and why you think it is important to protect it from an environmental point of view Jurandir Pacífico: The quilombo is within the Joanes Ipitanga Environmental Protection Area (APA) located in the metropolitan area of Salvador The quilombo has 854.2 hectares [2,110 acres] A good portion of it is formed by the Atlantic Forest The APA is also home to the Itamboatá Valley which supplies the region and part of the capital Pitanga dos Palmares began to be populated by our ancestors in the 19th century and today it is home to almost 300 families it was certified by the Palmares Cultural Foundation [linked to the Ministry of Culture] as a remaining quilombo community which is the first stage of the land titling process which is issued by INCRA [National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform] Mongabay: What environmental issues did your mother deal with that you still face in the quilombo the community has suffered a series of socioenvironmental attacks and new ones have emerged in recent years We live 6 km [3.7 mi] from the Camaçari Petrochemical Complex which opened in 1978 and placed 16 pipelines across our territory to transport chemical products to the Port of Aratu Fiocruz [a research institution linked to the Ministry of Health] attested that the blocking valve station installed in the quilombo has the potential to explode and cause pollution by toxic gases which my mother denounced for the last time on July 26 — three weeks before being killed — to Federal Supreme Court Minister Rosa Weber in a meeting with Quilombola leaders in Bahia Our state has the largest Quilombola population in the country Real estate developers want to build condominiums for local industry workers carried out in 2010 without public hearings installed a toll plaza close to the quilombo which makes us pay when we enter and leave it That landfill cost my brother Flávio his life the communities filed a representation with the state and federal public ministries which opened an inquiry to investigate the case during an event at the Federal University of Bahia Flávio [his brother] made a complaint against the landfill he was killed with 12 bullet wounds inside the quilombo the Bahia Police and the Federal Police have not identified the criminals although I even delivered a photo of a suspect who hid his face at the toll booth and who was seen earlier at the execution site and it dumps hundreds of tons of domestic and hospital waste per month INEMA [Bahia’s environmental agency] denied the license for the landfill arguing that its location would allow the contamination of the aquifer and of small watercourses that form the Joanes River Basin The project also planned the deforestation of almost 12 hectares [29.6 acres] of Atlantic Forest in the medium stage of regeneration which was helping to recover the riparian forests But Naturalle filed a reconsideration request and got the environmental license in 2019 which was inaugurated 4 km (2.5 mi) away in 2007] a landfill — only a nuclear power plant is missing I have never seen so many bad things together in just one area But an agricultural school or a university doesn’t come Embasa [Bahian Water and Sanitation Company S.A.] takes water from the APA source to the metropolitan region The fight against all these aberrations made us lose our leaders Mongabay: Last week you went to a police station to give your statement Do the police already have any leads on suspects Jurandir Pacífico: The investigation is under secrecy; I have not received information so far Mongabay: Did the Federal Supreme Court Minister Rosa Weber speak out against your mother’s killing the minister had already stated that our demands were an old claim of the Quilombola communities and informed us that she signed an ordinance for the formation of a study group on Quilombola issues Weber declared that the local authorities must adopt measures for the urgent clarification and reparation of the crime Mongabay: Why aren’t the public authorities more present in defending the quilombo territory and community Jurandir Pacífico: This is a question that the country must answer My immediate concern is the safety of my family along with my brother Flávio’s wife and children Bernadete received constant threats and was under the protection program of the Secretariat of Justice and Human Rights (SJDH) of Bahia This protection comprised seven cameras installed in the house and a daily 15-minute visit by a police patrol is in communication with CONAQ to discuss our situation and that of the quilombo with whom we have been trying to speak for more than two weeks Mongabay: What do you want to say to the governor Jurandir Pacífico: We want the state to take responsibility for the crime and establish a set of public policies for the quilombo We are going to ask for compensation for our family as Mother Bernadete died under state protection Mongabay: Does the fact that Pitanga dos Palmares does not have a land tittle contribute to the vulnerability of the quilombo and its inhabitants Jurandir Pacífico: It’s all interconnected shortly after Flávio’s killing — and 12 years after the titling process began — INCRA issued the Territory’s Technical Identification and Delimitation Report (RTID) one of the most important steps for the titling My mother had two dreams: knowing who killed my brother and having the land tenure document in her hands Mongabay: On Aug. 23, INCRA published in the Federal Official Gazette a notification for the “owners or occupants of identified rural properties in the quilombo.” Why are there only 44 names in the document and why aren’t yours or your mother’s names there Jurandir Pacífico: That was a question that INCRA was trying to address after my mother was killed There is written in her book the names of the persons who should have been notified What I do know is that the title to the land is collective Mongabay: What do you believe will be the future of quilombo Pitanga dos Palmares without your mother Jurandir Pacífico: Last Wednesday I resigned from my job because I fear for my life Although I can’t expose myself now because I am also responsible for my nephews I will take the leadership of the quilombo The community will carry on my mother and brother’s legacy Banner image: Maria Bernadete Pacífico was the leader of Pitanga of Palmares quilombo After Bruno Pereira’s murder, widow Beatriz Matos strives for Indigenous rights Related listening from Mongabay’s podcast: We look at how the Shuar Indigenous community in Ecuador recently won a major victory to protect its ancestral territory of Tiwi Nunka Forest from cattle ranchers FEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post The “fortress conservation” model is under pressure in East Africa as protected areas become battlegrounds over history and global efforts to halt biodiversity loss Mongabay’s Special Issue goes beyond the region’s world-renowned safaris to examine how rural communities and governments are reckoning with conservation’s colonial origins and trying to forge a path forward […] Log in to leave a comment estúdio BRA has developed the pitanga house to take the most advantage of its natural landscape focusing the most important views toward the denser part of the surrounding native forest the residence’s ground floor is quietly implemented within the mix of tall trees with large glass sheets that can open or close controlling the level of integration of the living and dining rooms with the outdoor leisure area and pool the ground floor also incorporates two closed parts: one for a ground floor apartment a concrete volume embedded in the natural profile of the lot encloses an office for the couple and a space for the care of the family’s three dogs access to these areas is by a prefabricated concrete helical staircase which creates a path and kind of displacement to register that the couple is leaving for work architect: estúdio BRA AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style has become famous both for his impressive physique and his grueling training regimen which apparently puts most adults to shame but he is already seen as a CrossFit prodigy able to deadlift more than twice his own body weight and do 700 ab crunches a day Most 12-year-olds struggle to get out of bed for school on weekdays but Cauzinho gets up at 5:30 am every day for a 5km (3.1-mile) run and a few dozen situps and after finishing his homework he puts in two and a half hours of work in the gym “He used to be crazy about football before but then he just wanted to know about CrossFit,” Cauzinho’s father recalled about his son’s first day in the gym “We agreed that he would train during the end of the year holidays until the beginning of the next school year with classes adapted to his age and physical conditioning Cauzinho was already able to easily execute movements that students who had been training for months couldn’t even do.” It didn’t take long for young Carlos’ trainer to notice that there was something special about him and his parents decided to focus on his athletic career as Cauzinho is being hailed as the future of Brazilian CrossFit and he already has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media A post shared by CAUZINHO 🇧🇷 (@cacauzinho_neto) Photos of the 12-year-old boy’s chiseled abs and videos of his grueling training routine recently went viral in South America and were eventually picked up by Western news media outlets as well He is being hailed as a weightlifting prodigy but there are also many who fear that the extreme training regimen could have dire consequences on his health “Way too much weight for a kid that is still growing,” one person wrote about Cauzinho’s deadlift weight “Kids have bendy bones and putting that kind of weight on his joints are going to do damage…!!” A post shared by CAUZINHO 🇧🇷 (@cacauzinho_neto) looks like he’s being used as a “mini me” for his dad and he’s missing his childhood,” someone else commented “What damage is happening to his growing body will probably emerge when he’s older.” the boy’s family has dismissed accusations claiming that Cauzinho has a team of specialists behind him who calibrate his training to his age in order to prevent injuries and adding that he is only using dietary supplements like creatine and omega-3 A post shared by CAUZINHO 🇧🇷 (@cacauzinho_neto) Cauzinho’s parents have been monitoring his development and claim that he has been growing normally and he reportedly never suffered an injury in the gym Join us at the Akustika Fair at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre from April 4-6 Meet The Strad team at stand F08 and pick up a free copy of the magazine The Strad Directory Jobs Violinist Viktoria Mullova and her double bassist son Misha Mullov-Abbado perform ‘O Cabo Pitanga’ by Brazilian composer Laércio De Freitas This arrangement features in their ‘Music We Love’ programme Visit their websites at www.viktoriamullova.com and www.mishamullovabbado.com This winning duo stands out for its recreative flair Edward Bhesania attends the interdisciplinary performance at London’s Milton Court Concert Hall on 18 October 2023 Violinist Viktoria Mullova talks to Toby Deller about her eclectic musical collaborations and her new Schubert recording with pianist Alasdair Beatson Who needs the full symphony orchestra when you can play the whole thing on one violin The violinist and vocalist performs ’A Change is Gonna Come’ by Sam Cooke a song that became an anthem for the American Civil Rights Movement The mixed-instrument quartet performs a work that is quite clearly Site powered by Webvision Cloud A startup based in São Paulo is working with research centers laboratories and private enterprise to develop novel medications from plant-based natural products The drugs will be designed to combat multifactorial diseases (photo: Nintx) The drugs will be designed to combat multifactorial diseases By Elton Alisson  |  Agência FAPESP – Within a few years Brazilian biodiversity could give rise to a new class of medications to treat multifactorial disorders – diseases caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors such as metabolic and brain disorders or cancer Development of novel drugs derived from plant-based natural products is being advanced in Brazil by researchers at Nintx (Next Innovative Therapeutics) in partnership with federal institutions such as the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CPEM) and the Center for Innovation and Preclinical Trials (CIEnP) and private-sector corporations such as Adeste and Centroflora To bring the new therapeutics to market more swiftly in 2022 the startup received an injection of USD 3 million from the venture capital firm Pitanga via its recently launched investment vehicle Pitanga Redux Founded in 2011 by scientist Fernando Reinach Pitanga invests in early-stage science and technology startups with outstanding growth potential these are typically startups based on scientific discoveries or disruptive engineering innovations Pitanga’s portfolio includes other deep techs such as Argentina’s Satellogic, which recently held an IPO on Nasdaq, and I.Systems, a Brazilian firm supported by FAPESP’s Innovative Research in Small Business Program (PIPE) (read more at: agencia.fapesp.br/17230) Among Pitanga Redux’s shareholders are Pedro Passos and Guilherme Leal the founders of Natura &Co; Candido Bracher former CEO of Itaú Unibanco and a member of the bank’s board of directors; and Eduardo Vassimon former President of Itaú BBA and chairman of the board at Votorantim Leal has also invested directly in Nintx via his family office we’ve looked at the projects of more than 600 startups It’s a genuinely unique proposal that combines the molecular riches of the greatest biodiversity on the planet and a team of scientist-entrepreneurs with an outstanding track record and ample experience in developing globally innovative therapies,” said Gabriel Perez managing partner at Pitanga and a member of Nintx’s board “We like to invest in companies that face challenges involving technological risks because they’re projects that can actually bring in higher returns.” Nintx’s business plan focuses initially on unmet medical needs in five therapeutic areas: gastroenterology These therapeutic areas all have to do with diseases whose genetic factors interact with environmental factors directly or indirectly via the human gut microbiome – the many symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms that live in our bodies The gut microbiome is essential to the body’s normal homeostasis – the stability of its functions – but can trigger multifactorial diseases if it becomes unbalanced These multifactorial diseases can be combated by multitarget therapies of the kind developed by the startup’s researchers in which bioactive molecules from plants are used to modulate biological targets both directly (as do traditional pharmaceuticals) and also indirectly via concomitant modulation of the microbiome co-founder of Nintx and a member of its board “We want to develop plant-based medications and nutraceuticals based on Brazilian biodiversity and with significant impacts on the treatment of unmet medical needs such as irritable bowel syndrome or ulcerative colitis for which there’s a clear lack of therapeutic options,” he said Recent research has shown that besides directly modulating biological targets plants can also target them indirectly via the gut microbiome can be modified by the action of enzymes in the gut microbiome to create bioactive molecules The gut microbiome can also produce metabolites The composition of the gut microbiome can be changed by administering plant metabolites increasing the population of symbiotic microorganisms to the detriment of pathogenic microorganisms Biological targets can be modulated in all these ways Advances in the understanding of these mechanisms for indirect modulation of biological targets via modulation of the gut microbiome can help elucidate why plant-based medications work for some patients and not for others as the human microbiome varies considerably from one person to another co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of Nintx “Ignorance of this role of the gut microbiome and the resulting erratic effectiveness have stigmatized plant-based medications but not the potential of plants Growing knowledge of the indirect modulation of biological targets via the gut microbiome gives us a huge opportunity to promote the re-emergence of drug discovery centering on plant-based natural products.” To advance knowledge of how natural products can positively affect the gut microbiome Nintx’s researchers have developed a proprietary technology called xGIbiomics® that closely emulates the gastrointestinal system and human gut microbiome Processed fecal inoculates transfer patient microbiota into a device that simulates the functioning of the stomach the small intestine and three parts of the colon The researchers then assess the effects of plant-derived active principles on the composition and metabolism of the microbiome by means of metagenomics and metabolomics studying the pathways to be followed in treating certain diseases In partnership with Peter Andersen, President and CEO of Centroflora, one of the world’s most experienced companies in plant extract production, the founders of Nintx built a research laboratory, led by Katia Sivieri to house the technology at the company’s R&D center in Techno Park Andersen became a partner and completed the round of seed investment in Nintx Centroflora and Nintx announced that they had identified a herbaceous plant in the Amazon Rainforest with the potential to combat a global multifactorial disease in an undisclosed therapeutic area scale-up and formulation of the active ingredient Nintx will continue developing and commercialize the derived therapy while Centroflora will be the exclusive supplier of the active pharmaceutical ingredient or feedstock based on the plant “We’re sure this collaboration will produce a fantastic therapy which will benefit not only patients but also family farmers and the environment,” Anderson said in a press release CNPEM constructed a library of natural products obtained by bioprospecting in Brazilian biomes Nintx’s and CNPEM’s researchers are now collaborating on three projects to develop therapies based on the multitarget concept pursued by the startup CNPEM is screening the library for bioactive molecules that directly modulate biological targets of interest while Nintx is using xGIbiomics® to screen for bioactive molecules that modulate the gut microbiome To find out which molecules in natural extracts interact with therapeutic targets the researchers at CNPEM use a number of analytical technologies A synchrotron is a circular particle accelerator in which electrons moving at almost the speed of light produce very bright electromagnetic radiation called synchrotron light, which scientists use to probe the molecular and atomic structure of materials. CNPEM’s synchrotron is called Sirius One of its research stations is an X-ray beamline that can be used to see which molecules interact with target proteins The researchers at CNPEM working with Nintx produce crystals of target proteins and coat them with natural extracts from the library Each crystal binds to the bioactive molecule in the natural extract and the molecule then travels out until it finds the active site in the target protein “This process of X-ray crystallography and elucidation of the molecule/target protein structure used to take months or even years Scientific and technological advances such as Sirius have made it possible in just a few days,” Guimarães said Nintx’s projects with CNPEM include the development of an antiviral The project is making rapid progress and will soon embark on the late discovery stage “Novel antiviral solutions are increasingly necessary This project with CNPEM has the potential to develop a highly effective drug derived from Brazilian biodiversity for use against several targets,” Saverio said The startup’s pipeline currently comprises eight projects the most advanced project relates to the use of a natural product from Brazilian biodiversity to modulate the gut microbiota of patients with an undisclosed cardiometabolic disease Nintx is collaborating with Adeste on this project “We have several projects that address unmet medical needs and want to license these projects to global pharmaceutical companies,” Guimarães said is only about half an inch long (10-14 mm) lives among humid leaf litter and can on occasion be seen in large numbers in the Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar reserve and nearby lower montane (up to 1,800m in altitude) forest of the state of São Paulo This is the sixth new species in the genus named in the past two years doubling the number endemic to the coastal rainforest of south-eastern Brazil was chosen by Ana Alves and her team at the Departamento de Zoologia from an indigenous Tupi-Guarani word meaning "reddish" Quentin Wheeler International Institute for Species Exploration This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media.