The 16th Octavio Frias de Oliveira Award took place on August 12, 2025, in a ceremony organized in partnership between the São Paulo State Cancer Institute (ICESP) and Folha de S.Paulo.
The award is divided into three categories: Oncology Research, Technological Innovation in Oncology, and Outstanding Personality in Oncology.
In the first category, submissions included scientific papers presenting new findings on cancers and their treatment strategies. In the second, patents or original studies published in scientific journals that developed new technologies competed. The third category recognizes an outstanding personality in the field of oncology.
Oncology Research
The award in the Oncology Research category went to scientists who discovered an altered version of the STK3 gene, which produces a modified form of the MST2 protein. This abnormal protein appears in several types of cancer and may interfere with the natural mechanism of cell death.
Titled Identification of a novel alternative splicing isoform of the Hippo kinase STK3/MST2 with impaired kinase and cell growth suppressing activities, the study was conducted at the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) in collaboration with researchers from Hospital Sírio-Libanês and New York University (NYU). The award was received by Professor Alexandre Bruni-Cardoso from USP’s Institute of Chemistry. Dr. Ana Maria Rodrigues, currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, sent a video message of appreciation.
A categoria teve como outros finalistas os trabalhos Pharmacological inhibition of ezrin reduces proliferative and invasive phenotype in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells (USP) y Insights into the genetic landscape of pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas in a Brazilian cohort (USP).
Technological Innovation
The winning study in the Technological Innovation category developed a new method to improve colorectal cancer screening. The research demonstrated that the presence of the bacterium Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn), when associated with occult blood in stool, serves as a biomarker for colorectal cancer. The test uses the same sample collected for the Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT), which detects hidden blood in stool, eliminating the need for additional collection. This technology allows physicians to identify more quickly which patients require colonoscopy.
Intitulado Enhancing Colorectal Cancer Screening with Droplet Digital PCR Analysis of Fusobacterium nucleatum in Fecal Immunochemical Test Samples, the study was conducted at the Research and Teaching Institute (IEP) of the Hospital de Câncer de Barretos. The award was received by biologist José Guilherme Datorre.
Other finalists in this category included Targeting PRC2 Enhances the Cytotoxic Capacity of Anti-CD19 CAR T Cells against Hematologic Malignancies (A.C Camargo Cancer Center) and Integrating Green Chemistry into Medical Nanotechnology: A New Perspective for Cancer Treatment (Universidade Federal do Ceará e Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro).
Outstanding Personality
Professor Maria Paula Curado, oncologist and Head of Cancer Epidemiology and Statistics at A.C. Camargo Cancer Center, was selected as the Outstanding Personality in Oncology. Professor Curado holds a medical degree from the Federal University of Goiás (UFG) and is a graduate-level professor at A.C. Camargo Cancer Center.
Professor Curado has an extensive and widely recognized contribution to cancer epidemiology. She was a pioneer in establishing mechanisms for producing epidemiological statistics on cancer in the state of Goiás, where she was born. She also played a significant role at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), contributing to the development of cancer epidemiology data across multiple countries.
During a discussion with the award winners, moderated by journalist Cláudia Collucci, Professor Curado emphasized the importance of addressing regional disparities that still prevail in Brazil and highlighted the ongoing delays many cancer patients face in starting treatment.
The winners were selected by a committee composed of representatives from ICESP, Folha de S.Paulo, USP, the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), the National Academy of Medicine (ANM), the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC), the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), and the São Paulo Oncocenter Foundation (FOSP).
