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J. Venom. Anim. Toxins incl. Trop. Dis. Vol.9, No.2, p.297, 2003. Conference - ISSN 1678-9199. |
Toxinologist: to be or not to be?
PRADO-FRANCESCHI, J.(1)
Looking back to 1964, I can still feel the emotions evoked by my first contact with toxinology in the laboratory of Dr. OswaldoVital Brazil, who was studying the venom of Crotalus durissusterrificus at UNICAMP, and of my expectations on becoming a toxinologist. Under Dr. Vital Brazil’s supervision, I started my career with studies on the pharmacology of crotoxin, crotamineand fraction I, from which I isolated convulxin, the pharmacological characterization of which resulted in my doctoral thesis in 1970. In later work with Dr. Bernardo B. Vargaftig at the InstitutPasteur, we showed that convulxin could be a very useful tool for studying platelet aggregation. At UNICAMP, I have collaborated with Dr. Lea Rodrigues-Simioni on studies of the neuromuscular actions of Bothrops venoms, following her initial description in 1983 of pool IV (now known as bothropstoxin) of Bothrops jararacussu venom. These studies included not only B. jararacussu but also B. insularis, B. neuwidii, and B. lanceolatus(with Dr. AlbetizaLôbo de Araújo). In the 1990s, we became interested in the venom of the colubridPhilodryas olfersii. Using fractions obtained by Dr. Marina Assakura (InstitutoButantan), we characterized a neurotoxicfraction and identified a myotoxin (the first described for a colubrid) in P. olfersii venom. In 1988, during a Symposium on Toxic Proteins, I proposed the creation of the Brazilian Society on Toxinology (SociedadeBrasileirade Toxinologia or SBTx). Prof. Vital Brazil was its first President and I, the vice-president. Shortly after its formation, the Society hosted the fourth Pan-American Symposium of the International Society on Toxinology in 1992, of which I was the chairwoman. Reflecting again on my experience in this field, I realize that many people have been involved in my career. To all of them, I say a heartfelt ‘Thank-you’.
CORRESPONDENCE TO:
PRADO-FRANCESCHI, J. Departamento de Farmacologia - FCM - UNICAMP, Campinas, 13000-000, SP, Brasil Email: julia@franceschi.com.br