DESIGNING A STRATEGY FOR DRUG DISCOVERY IN BRAZIL BASED ON ANIMAL TOXINS.

ANTONIO C. M. CAMARGO(1)

(1) CAT-CEPID-FAPESP, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP.

The Center for Applied Toxinology (CAT-CEPID) performs cutting edge basic and applied research with an innovative character. Following earlier scientists like Rocha e Silva and Sergio Ferreira, animal toxins are being analyzed for their pharmacological properties. Venoms include a dmall number of structural frameworks. They are selective, potent and stable molecules, representing a unique source of leads and structural templates for new therapeutic agents. This Center of Research, Innovation and Dissemination has its headquarters at the Butantan Institute, and is associated with research laboratories of two São Paulo State Universities, UNESP and USP. (2001-2004), the infrastructure for Science & Technology was set up for prospecting toxins among poisonous animals. The aims and strategy based on (1) Providing conditions for modern science & technology development, (2) stimulating multi-disciplinary approaches, attracting scientists of distinct backgrounds, and (3) identifying and characterizing toxins of medical and pharmaceutical interests. Research facilities for Molecular and Cell Biology, Mass spectrometry, Protein chemistry and enzymology, and Proteomics helped increasing the impact-index of scientific publications, and filing 9 patents. Innovation activities aimed at establishing the intellectual property concept and rights among Brazilian biomedical scientists, understanding and applying the concepts and approaches of modern drug discovery, and stimulating lawyers to study Brazilian and international patent laws and economics applied to the pharmaceutical area. In addition actions were undertaken to stimulate the synergy among research institutions, government agencies and private enterprises for pharmaceutical and biotechnology innovations. In the second phase (2005-2009), the aims shifted to create an infrastructure for the early stage of drug development, involving toxin target identification, which will be performed in special laboratories for: Peptide synthesis and pre-formulation, bioassays, proteolytic enzyme inhibitors, and ion channel studies. Associated laboratories for structural biology and modeling, and bioinformatics are joining CAT, in order to investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms of action of natural and synthetic molecules; to investigate the in vivo, ex vivo and in vitro properties of natural and synthetic molecules; and to help the pharmaceutical industries in the early stage of drug development.