The Campinas Toxicological Information and Assistance Center (CIATox), from the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FCM) at Unicamp, and the National Secretariat for Drug Policies (SENAD), linked to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, recently signed an agreement which determines the investment of approximately R$2,15 million in CIATox over a period of three years.
Called “Toxicology and Toxicological Analysis as Sources of Information for Public Policies on Drugs – Project Baco”, the agreement aims to strengthen the Brazilian System of Public Policies on Drugs, through the implementation, at CIATox, of the first reference toxicological analysis laboratory for research into drugs of abuse and New Psychoactive Substances (NSP) in biological samples from Brazil, with an internationally recognized quality system.
Drugs of abuse are substances that affect the brain and alter mood, such as alcohol and stimulants. New psychoactive substances have effects similar to those of other drugs, such as Cannabis sp., cocaine, heroin, LSD, ecstasy or methamphetamine.
“This agreement is a milestone in the history of CIATox, being our first major agreement with the Federal Government. This resource will take our laboratory to another level. We will achieve quality assurance, new equipment, a new database suitable for clinical and forensic toxicological analyses. The project opens up other frontiers in Toxicology at Unicamp, with more sophisticated poisoning monitoring and greater detail, which will bring advantages for the diagnosis of poisoned patients”, praises José Luiz da Costa, executive coordinator of CIATox.
Costa also states that “this laboratory will be able to support both hospital emergency services and forensic toxicology laboratories linked to Public Security departments that require specialized NSP analysis, a laboratory test that is currently not carried out by any state in the Federation ”.
The director of FCM, Cláudio Coy, ratified the importance of the achievement, remembering the history of CIATox, which began as a toxicological guidance center for accidents, to which people called to find out about contact with venomous animals and chemical substances, for example. As time went by, his work expanded, starting to provide guidance on toxicological dosages for industries, police, etc. “This agreement will incorporate technology and equipment into CIATox, enabling a series of actions, including personnel, so there will be a huge leap in quality. It also shows CIATox as a cutting-edge national center for toxicological dosages. The recognition from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security attests to the body’s competence in this area”, says Coy.
The CIATox
CIATox is a multidisciplinary center at Unicamp that turns 40 years old in 2022. It brings together collaborators and active participants (undergraduate and postgraduate students) from the University's Faculties of Medical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Nursing. The service relies on the direct work of doctors, pharmacists and nurses.
José Luiz da Costa served as a Criminal Expert for the Superintendence of the Technical-Scientific Police of São Paulo for 14 years (2002-2016). During much of this time, he worked in the coordination and execution of projects in the drug testing (forensic chemistry) and forensic toxicology laboratories, having been responsible for raising around R$ 1,2 million in resources from state and federal government for modernization projects in the laboratories of the Technical-Scientific Police Superintendency. Since 2016, he has been a professor of Toxicology at FCF-UNICAMP, and has been executive coordinator of CIATox-Campinas since 2017.
