Agricultural engineer Luciano Andrade Moreira was chosen by the editors of Nature magazine as one of ten people worldwide who shaped science in 2025. His name appears on the “Nature’s 10” list.

In partnership with other scientists, Moreira has been studying for more than a decade the use of the natural bacterium Wolbachia - common in many insects - in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to block the transmission of viruses such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya.

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The technique developed from this research is called the “Wolbachia Method.” As demonstrated in a 2009 article, mosquitoes carrying the bacterium are less likely to contract these viruses.

According to Nature magazine, “scientists do not yet understand the mechanism, but the bacteria may compete with the virus for resources or stimulate the production of antiviral proteins.”

The use of this method could be decisive in disease control. Mosquitoes infected with the bacteria, called wolbites, when released in urban areas and mating with other Aedes aegypti, pass the bacteria on to new generations of mosquitoes.

Mosquito factory

This is what a biofactory of Wolbachia mosquitoes based in Curitiba, in the state of Paraná, and run by Luciano Andrade Moreira, does. It was created through a partnership between Fiocruz, the Paraná Institute of Molecular Biology (IBMP), and the World Mosquito Program (WMP), a nonprofit organization operating in 14 countries.

Currently, the Wolbachia Method is part of the Ministry of Health’s national strategy to combat arboviruses and is being implemented in cities in the states of Santa Catarina, Goiás, and the Federal District.

The ministry selects the cities based on epidemiological indicators, specifically the occurrence of high arbovirus case rates in recent years.

Nature magazine is a British publication that has been in circulation since 1869 and is considered the most cited scientific journal in the world. The “Nature’s 10” list is not an award or an academic ranking, but it highlights researchers and initiatives that have had an international impact.

In 2023, Environment and Climate Change Minister Marina Silva was included in the list for her work in combating deforestation in the Legal Amazon.

Brazil’s Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, announced this Wednesday (Nov. 26) that the country’s national drug regulator Anvisa has approved the registration of the dengue vaccine (Butantan-DV), produced by the Butantan Institute.

This is the world’s first single-dose dengue vaccine, and it is expected to be offered free of charge through the Brazilian public health network, the SUS, in 2026.

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The Butantan Institute notes that 1 million units of the dengue vaccine are ready for distribution and estimates having more than 30 million doses available by mid-2026.

“Today is a day of joy - a victory for the vaccine, a victory for science, a victory for the cooperation between the Brazilian SUS and its public institutions spread throughout the country, including the Butantan Institute,” said Padilha.

The approved indication covers people aged 12 to 59. This range may be expanded in the future, depending on new studies to be submitted by the manufacturer.

Dengue worldwide

The vaccine could benefit not only Brazilians but also populations in other countries, according to Renato Kfouri, vice-president of the Brazilian Society of Immunizations (SBIm).

He warns that the disease is rapidly expanding worldwide, especially in tropical countries.

“Today, more than half of the world’s population lives in areas at risk for the disease.”

The disease vector, the mosquito, expands as temperatures rise. Climate change and shifting rainfall patterns favor its proliferation.

“Dengue and other arboviruses are expanding diseases, and vaccines are essential for controlling them, especially in tropical countries,” the doctor emphasizes.

Butantan-DV

The vaccine, called Butantan-DV, was developed through a partnership between the Ministry of Health and the Chinese company WuXi Vaccines.

The new vaccine uses live attenuated virus technology, which is safe and already applied in other immunizations used in Brazil and worldwide, such as the MMR, yellow fever, polio, and some influenza vaccines.

According to the technical evaluation by Anvisa, Butantan-DV showed an overall efficacy of 74.7 percent against symptomatic dengue in the population aged 12 to 59 years. This means that in 74 percent of cases the disease was prevented thanks to the vaccine.

It also demonstrated 89 percent protection against severe forms and those with warning signs, as published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.