COVID-19 Task Force Scholarship

Our goal is to fund scholarships, for scientists  from underrepresented backgrounds performing research with practical applications on the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 patients, and are currently working without monetary compensation in the US, Canada, and Brazil.

  COVID-19 is affecting the human population at a record pace around the globe. Although we are trying to control the spread of infections, new outbreaks are still reported. There is a need to catalyze the development of new tests, vaccines, and treatments to control the infections around the globe and avoid future outbreaks. We are investing in people who can do this. 

  We are partnering with laboratories that are part of COVID-19 task force within the US, Canada, and Brazil to aid young scientists currently researching COVID-19 and other topics relevant to public health. The scholarships support individuals performing innovative scientific discoveries with potential to help COVID-19 patients on a global scale. 

We expect these scholarships will have lasting impact beyond COVID-19 because they will support the career development of young scientists invested in solving public health-related challenges. We are currently living with the economic and social consequences of a global public health crisis and we hope that by investing in the next generation of scientists that we can accelerate progress towards new economic growth and social well-being.

We believe science is important because it helps us answer questions that have the power to invoke positive changes in the world. Dimensions Science is a group of people invested in fostering talented individuals from underrepresented backgrounds with ideas for potential solutions to challenging scientific problems. 

Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil - Federal University of Rio de Janeiro - Institute de Microbiology 

São Paulo, SP, Brazil - University of São Paulo - Institute de Chemistry  

Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil - University of São Paulo - School of Medicine 

Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil - Supera Startup Innovation Incubator - University of  São Paulo Technology Park

Novo Hamburgo, RS, Brazil - University FEEVALE  

São Vicente, SP, Brazil - University State of  São Paulo - Institute of Biology

Uberlândia, MG, Brazil - Federal University of Uberlândia, Institute de Biotecnology 

  World Health Organisation's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said  numerous times since the COVID-19 pandemic started: the key message is:  test, test, test. However, there has not been enough escalation in testing in most parts of the world. In the US, around 114K in each  million people are tested. In Brazil, this number goes down to 16K per million. 

LEONARDO SCHULTZ, a molecular biologist , is very worried about these low numbers so he is working on producing enzymes necessary for manufacturing an affordable test kit in Brazil. He hopes cheaper testing will help COVID-19 patient's access to testing in Brazil. DR. SCHULTZ explains that a global shortage of diagnostic test kits has affected almost every country and limited their ability to ramp up testing. “The  world was not prepared for this massive demand for testing”, says  SCHULTZ. 

 At  present, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the dominant way that  global healthcare systems are testing citizens for infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. As the crisis unfolds researchers like Dimensions Sciences’s scholar LEORNARDO  SCHULTZ are trying to develop a more affordable PCR test. In Brazil the cost of imported supplies is very high and DR. SCHULTZ is making a test less dependent on imported reagents. To achieve this goal, DR. SCHULTZ is producing the reagents, specifically enzymes, using recombinant DNA technology: a series of laboratory procedures to produce enzymes.
 

DR. SCHULTZ is part of a team at State University of Sao Paulo (UNESP) working in partnership with  startups BioBreyer @biobreyer and Biolinker @biolinker, to provide  recombinant enzymes to manufacture more affordable PCR test kits used to detect the virus SARS-CoV-2.  The team’s goal is to produce 8K test kits per week and consequently improve health care in response to COVID-19 pandemic.

 What’s the stereotype of a scientist? A white man with glasses in a lab coat with messy hair creating a rocket? Research shows that the public at large holds stereotypes about scientists’ image, the nature of their work, and who they are outside the lab. Stereotypes lead to social discrimination that can lead to prejudice. And we don’t want that. So  each week we are profiling one of our scientists to show, not only the amazing research they are working on, but also dispelling stereotypes.
 

 DR. SCHULTZ as you can see from this picture, is not holding lab tubes, although he really loves to handle them when he is in the lab trying to come up with the right enzyme for COVID-19 testing. He is playing drums, one of the seven instruments he can play. Seven!
 

He has also been a  volunteer teacher for underprivileged teenagers aspiring to enter an University. Using multimedia resources, DR. SCHULTZ taught cellular biology and genetics for one year in Brazil. He also loves the beach and to hang out with friends in his free time.  

  “My  name is Isabela Lemos and I’m part of a team at the University of Uberlândia, Brazil using phage display and electrochemical technologies to develop a new test for the novel coronavirus that is fast and inexpensive. The test uses the saliva of the patient applied to a sensor that reads out the results. It’s pretty much like a diabetes test that most people are familiar with but, for Covid-19, we will use saliva instead of blood. I  believe our research is going in the right direction and I’m hopeful we  will be able to deliver results to tackle the pandemics”. 

 “Being  awarded with a Dimensions Sciences scholarship was a great opportunity  to work with Covid-19, something I would not have been able to do without this kind of support. And, on top of that, I really appreciate the mentoring am receiving through the Dimensions Sciences Advice, Coaching, Training and Support program (DS-ACTS.org). When I told my team at the University of Uberlândia, Brazil about DS-ACTS they were really interested  in what I am learning and I intend to share some of this knowledge with them. I particularly liked the workshop on communications skills.”
 

This quote from ISABELA LEMOS effectively reflects Dimensions Sciences mission, i.e., to support  minorities in sciences with scholarships and to offer mentoring  programs preparing young scientists to be leaders in their fields.

   ISABELA  LEMOS, loves to push her own limits, inside and outside the research laboratory. When she is not busy with her research on a new  type of Covid-19 testing, she goes mountain running, sometimes  competitively, other times just for fun. Making the effort to explore new routes in the mountains once in a while breathes new life into  LEMOS’s intense scientist routine.  

Dimensions Sciences’  mission is to keep pushing ISABELA to run those mountains as high as  she can. We aim to make her a professional who faces the challenges in  the lab like she does when she’s running: with resilience, motivation  and creativity while making good decisions and always learning.