The IX Symposium of the Brazilian Society on Toxinology [Sociedade Brasileira de Toxinologia – SBTx] was held at Fortaleza, Ceará State, Brazil, from November 28 to December 2, 2006. It gathered researchers from all over Brazil who are engaged on the study of venoms and toxins considering the Brazilian biodiversity for the development of new biotechnological products and drugs. The theme of the symposium was: “Toxinology of the Brazilian Biodiversity and its Importance for Biotechnological Innovation and Development of New Drugs: a Challenge for the Third Millennium” [Toxinologia da Biodiversidade Brasileira e sua Importância na Inovação Biotecnológica e na Geração de Novos Fármacos: um Desafio para o Terceiro Milênio]. The symposium was coordinated by Professor Krishnamurti de Morais Carvalho and had many scientists of the field as collaborators, among which was Professor Bruno Andrade Cardi.