POST-GRADUATION IN TOXINOLOGY – A FUTURE PERSPECTIVE

NANCI DO NASCIMENTO

IPEN/CNEN-SP

Toxinology is a multidisciplinary research area, looking for detection, isolation and characterization of toxins, biological products produced by a living being that prejudice or affects negatively others organisms, some of them affecting directly men. Those soluble products are produced from bacteria to Metazoa, and are powerful tools for the study of the cell biology and physiology. This poor defined research area involves a large set of biomedical researchers; most of them specialized in biochemistry, immunology and pharmacology. There are few specialized scientific journals and looking for publications in the last 40 years, we found ~200000 articles dealing with toxins in PubMed, with at least 50000 articles only in Metazoan toxins, as insects and snakes. The scientific production is dispersed in those above cited area, and at my knowledge, there were few efforts to introduce Toxinology as a scientific field area in Brazilian agencies, as CAPES and CNPq. The teaching of Toxinology at graduation level is also sporadic, mainly associated to the main field area, as biochemistry or immunology or pharmacology, without a specific course, even in Pharmacy or Biological Science baccalaureate programs. At post-graduation, the first efforts had resulted in some experiences in one or two year specialization programs in dedicated institutions. There are large numbers of dissertations and thesis related to toxins, but associated to post-graduations programs from those above cited areas. Recently, several interdisciplinary programs have been introduced as biotechnology and vaccinology, dealing with integration of several established scientific areas, a perfect place for Toxinology post-graduation, but a long way must be pursued. The first step must be the definition of Toxinology as isolated scientific area or sub area in scientific funding agencies, by our society with support of Toxinology research centers. The second step must be the inclusion of disciplines in regular courses in Universities with established Toxinology research centers. Finally, all efforts must be made in order to introduce specific post-graduation M.Sc. and Ph.D. programs in large universities, by integration of several disciplines under a new perspective, resulting in manpower growth in this strategic area, improving our efficiency in the management of those powerful toxins, in their use or in environmental or human accidents.