I FEEL NO LONGER ALONE IN SNAKE RESEARCH
Reporter: In a conversation 6 years ago, you mentioned that you were bitten by a snake, and your colleagues also had accidents during field trips that sometimes left them mentally shaken. What about you?
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thien Tao: Confused and scared. Especially when I was very young at that time. During my research , I also had an accident with a horned viper. At that time, I had to encourage myself when I learned that the venom of this species was not too dangerous and the amount of venom entering the body was not much because it was only a graze. Although I calmly gave first aid and bandaged it tightly, I thought I needed to be taken to a medical facility as soon as possible. Calm down again, monitor my body's reactions, the indicators were all quite stable when I arrived at the medical facility and found that I was fine and luckily because this species also did not have serum available.
My colleagues were the same, when they were bitten by a venomous snake, they were very confused. I remember my uncle, a colleague who was doing field research with me, was unfortunately bitten by a pit viper on an island in Quang Ninh. The whole group was worried, but the situation was difficult because it was at night, it took several hours to get to shore, and the phone signal was unstable. At that time, along with initial first aid, psychological therapy was very important, if you lose your composure, it will be difficult to handle. From the practical knowledge of the research, we determined that the toxin of this species as well as the bite were not too dangerous and there was no antivenom available in this case.
Reporter: After 20 years pursuing this career, have you ever felt lonely?
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thien Tao: At first, it was lonely and I was a bit scared. As you can see, this job seems a bit different and can be quite isolated, not many people are interested. But gradually, I feel more interested and passionate about discovering the secrets of snakes , along with that there are also people interested in learning about snakes, sometimes I am invited to share knowledge about identifying venomous snakes or natural toxins from venomous snakes..., thanks to that I find myself having a lot of new inspiration in my research. And also thanks to the inspiration from the standard research of my predecessors, especially my teacher in Russia, I am more motivated in my work.
Another important point is that there are many journalists who are interested in sharing information about snake research such as discovering and describing new species for science, applying snake venom research, etc. with the community. Along with that, developing the research team and cooperating with colleagues at home and abroad makes us no longer feel lonely. The scientific community, although small but always connected, gives me more motivation to continue on this challenging path.
Reporter: After 20 years in the profession, the amount of data you have collected is really huge?
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thien Tao: Up to now, our research team has continued to systematically build a database of venomous snakes and snake venom, including many data fields to serve research on species diversity, distribution, epidemiology, etc., as well as suggestions for doctors in choosing treatment regimens. However, I also want to emphasize that the orientations from our database only account for 1%, while 99% of the success in saving victims of venomous snake accidents depends on the doctors who directly treat them.
Reporter: Do you see any progress or breakthroughs in your research career in recent times?
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thien Tao: During the two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, our group had more time to discuss, orient and propose ideas for developing the research group. Currently, the research group is receiving financial support from the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology to build a database of terrestrial venomous snake species. At the same time, we are promoting research on snake venom toxins, to better clarify the nature of these compounds.
In addition, the group also develops interdisciplinary research collaborations to explore the evolution of snake venom toxins, thereby shaping new ideas, moving from basic research to practical applications. For example, one of our next research directions will focus on analyzing traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions from indigenous knowledge, thereby providing a more solid scientific basis for the use of traditional therapies.
In 2025, the team will continue to develop a database of terrestrial venomous snakes, focusing on more than 10 common species. In addition, we will combine with the folk knowledge of indigenous communities to develop remedies to save people from snakebites. All of these activities are non-profit, with the hope of bringing practical values to the community.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/pho-giao-su-tien-si-nguyen-thien-tao-va-hanh-trinh-20-nam-lam-ban-voi-ran-doc-post858288.html
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