Three Decades of Brazilian Toxinology: Evolution of Scientific Collaboration Networks Across SBTx Symposia

The historical development of toxinology in Brazil is closely linked to the Instituto Butantan and the pioneering contributions of Vital Brazil. This scientific area was further strengthened by the establishment of the Brazilian Society of Toxinology (SBTx) in 1988. This study examines the evolution of scientific collaboration within SBTx meetings over three decades, focusing on the 1st (1990), 5th (1998), and 14th (2017) symposia.

The aim was to investigate the impact of SBTx on Brazilian Toxinology.

Poster presentations were analyzed, and coauthorship networks were constructed to assess collaboration dynamics. Key metrics such as degree, weighted degree, density, clustering, modularity, and centrality were used to evaluate network evolution.

The number of presentations increased from 49 in 1990 to 101 in 1998 and 146 in 2017, accompanied by substantial expansion of the collaboration network from 130 to 324 and 571 researchers, respectively. Collaboration ties rose from 336 to 966 and 2,553, while mean degree increased from 5.17 to 5.96 and 8.94, indicating progressively broader collaboration among participants. Mean weighted degree similarly increased from 5.74 to 6.82 and 11.11, reflecting more frequent repeated coauthorship. Despite declining network density (0.040, 0.018, and 0.016), the proportion of researchers included in the largest connected component rose markedly from 27.7% in 1990 to 66.7% in 1998 and remained high in 2017 (64.6%). Local clustering stayed consistently high (0.900, 0.887, and 0.880), whereas modularity increased from 0.765 in 1990 to 0.890 in 1998 and remained high in 2017 (0.885), revealing persistent organization into cohesive collaboration communities. Centrality analyses further revealed substantial changes in the structural roles of individual researchers, with the emergence and persistence of hubs and bridging investigators across successive symposia. Notably, researchers of Instituto Butantan appeared as a significant conexion and the institution as an important hub.

Overall, the study demonstrates a transition from relatively small, fragmented collaboration structures in 1990 to a larger, interconnected, and modular research network by 2017, showcasing the consolidation and renewal of the Brazilian toxinology community through SBTx symposia.

Supported by: Fundação Butantan - Bolsa De Estímulo à Produção Científica.