The clinical potential of his research on “Paralytic shellfish toxins from harmful algal blooms (red tide)” was addressed by Dr. Nelson Lagos in the talk he gave to researchers, academics and students at the Auditorium of the REMS Research Centers Building, Universidad de Santiago.
The session, held on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 27, is part of the Seminar Series that the Center for the Development of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, CEDENNA, holds monthly to help disseminate scientific knowledge in the university community.
Dr. Lagos, a distinguished academic and researcher at Universidad de Chile, explained in detail his extensive work with red tide dinoflagellate toxins.
He discovered the phycotoxin in filamentous freshwater microalgae while seeking to understand why people became ill after ingesting them. He observed that these cyanobacteria or microalgae can produce up to a dozen toxins. He characterized, separated and purified them until obtaining Neosaxitoxin.
Neosaxitoxin was patented and has been used in various peripheral conditions, such as tension headache, lower esophageal sphincter dysfunction and knee arthroplasty, among others. In addition, at doses of 20 micrograms it allows postoperative pain management for up to 72 hours without side effects, unlike traditional local anesthetics, whose effect wears off after six hours.
