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News and Reviews President's Message A Message from the President of IUTOX, Kai Savolainen (July 2009)
Dear Friends and Colleagues, The long and cold winter is now behind us here in Finland. It is great to see the world turning green again; summer is approaching and in Finland that means we are able to enjoy the sunlight long into the wee hours of the morning. In the words of the poet Alexander Pope, "Hope springs eternal in the human breast" and every spring we are re-charged with enthusiasm, and just as with individuals, optimism about the future is an important ingredient in the work of IUTOX. All the members of the IUTOX Executive Committee (EC) have been hard at work in planning the strategic goals of IUTOX for the next three to five years. Other important tasks have been the planning of fund raising, and finalizing the programs of the upcoming 7th Congress of Toxicology in Developing Countries in Sun City, South Africa on September 6–10, and the 12th International Conference of Toxicology to be organized in Barcelona on July 19–23, 2010. I will focus on some of the highlights of the IUTOX strategic work discussed at the IUTOX EC meeting in Baltimore held prior to the Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting in March this year. The IUTOX EC invited Dr. Bob Scala to facilitate the two-day strategic planning meeting in Baltimore and I want to extend my personal thanks to Bob for the work he so excellently did for IUTOX. During these days, a clearer vision and a mission statement were formulated for IUTOX. These two statements were clarified further by generating five objectives to guide the implementation of the IUTOX Vision and Mission. The clarified mission of IUTOX is "to improve human health through the science and practice of toxicology world-wide." The significance of this statement is that IUTOX wishes to have an impact on many issues through applying knowledge from the discipline of toxicology. The mission statement indicates that "IUTOX achieves its vision by fostering international scientific cooperation for the global acquisition and utilization of knowledge in toxicology for the improvement of human health." IUTOX will reach its strategic objectives, listed below, by fulfilling its role as a multinational, multicultural organization. The five strategic objectives of IUTOX, as defined during the IUTOX EC planning meeting are, to 1) provide an international platform and leadership to promote scientific cooperation and exchange in toxicology; 2) establish opportunities for educational development and exchange in toxicology; 3) broaden the geographic base of toxicology as a discipline; 4) communicate the value of toxicology in improving human health; and 5) strengthen organizational effectiveness. Four of these strategic goals clearly aim at promoting cooperation between IUTOX and its stakeholders as well as with its important partners such as other international scientific organizations such as the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemicals (SETAC) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), or the World Health Organization (WHO) and its associates. An important IUTOX partner is also the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU), an umbrella for international scientific unions and national academies of science. By promoting chemical safety, IUTOX aims to have a positive global impact on human health. Another important aspect of this message is the appreciation that one way to amplify these efforts is by working in harmony with the national and regional members of IUTOX. In this respect IUTOX, as an international union, offers a platform for its active member organizations to work together under the IUTOX umbrella to achieve these goals. Also the fifth point in the mission statement, strengthening of organizational effectiveness, aims at promoting this goal. IUTOX has a number of ongoing activities to promote and disseminate toxicology world-wide including the international congresses of toxicology, congresses of toxicology in developing countries, Risk Assessment Summer Schools (RASS) and regional Risk Assessment Workshops already organized in Brazil, in South America, and others to be organized e.g. in South Africa. These and other activities defined in the new IUTOX strategy will provide clear signposts for the coming years in directing IUTOX's activities. This can be effectively accomplished when the whole IUTOX family speaks with one voice, and acts together with its stakeholders, e.g. industry, partners including international scientific organizations and global parties having objectives similar to those of IUTOX, such as the World Health Organization and International Council for Science. There have been some important changes in the IUTOX EC. President-elect of IUTOX, Dr. Linda Birnbaum resigned her post with IUTOX when she was named Director of National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, effective January 2009, and Dr. Tohru Inoue, Vice President of IUTOX and Director from the National Institute of Health (Japan) resigned his IUTOX post, effective April 1, 2009, due to his upcoming retirement. IUTOX was honored when Dr. Daniel Acosta, Jr., Dean of the University of Cincinnati’s James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy assumed the duties of President-elect, and Dr. Jun Kanno, Head, Cellular & Molecular Toxicology Division Biological Safety Research Center National Institute of Health Sciences (Japan) assumed the role of Vice President. Drs. Birnbaum and Inoue both served IUTOX diligently and I want to personally thank them for the many contributions they made over the duration of their service to the IUTOX Executive Council. I also extend a warm welcome to Drs. Acosta and Kanno who join an Executive Committee ready to face the challenges and opportunities of the future. Finally, I offer special thanks to Dr. Ali Karakaya, IUTOX immediate Past-President, and the Nominating Committee, for working hard to fill these two key vacancies on short notice allowing the IUTOX EC to operate at full capacity. With best wishes, Kai Savolainen Helsinki, June 2009 IUTOX Bids Farewell to Tohru Inoue as Outgoing Vice President… The IUTOX Executive Committee sadly accepted Dr. Tohru Inoue’s resignation at its meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Inoue served IUTOX with distinction as Vice President from 2004–2007, and was re-elected in Montreal for the 2007–2010 term. Dr. Inoue also served as Chairman of the IUTOX Membership Committee, which thrived under his leadership, adding several new members during his tenure. Dr. Inoue has served as Director of the Center for Biological Safety & Research, National Institute of Health Sciences in Japan. He recently announced his forthcoming retirement from his current position in the Institute and his intent to continue serving in his field through focused research and consulting. Dr. Inoue was dedicated to the IUTOX Executive Committee and said he “particularly appreciated global distribution of toxicological concepts within the IUTOX framework.” The IUTOX Executive Committee is grateful for Tohru’s faithful service and extends best wishes to him and his family for a very happy and rewarding retirement! …and Extends a Warm Welcome to Dan Acosta as President-elect and Jun Kanno as Vice President Welcome to Dan Acosta The eminently qualified Daniel Acosta, Jr., Dean of the University of Cincinnati’s James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy was appointed IUTOX President-elect, effective March 15, 2009. Dr. Acosta was formerly a member of The University of Texas College of Pharmacy faculty for 22 years where he helped develop a nationally ranked program in toxicology as the first Director of the Toxicology Training Program. Dr. Acosta was also responsible for encouraging minority students to consider careers in pharmacy and biomedical research through several federal and private grants. As Dean of the Winkle College of Pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati, he has worked closely with the faculty, staff, and administration to implement a new entry-level Pharm.D. program, which admitted its first class into the four-year curriculum in the Fall of 2000. During his tenure as Dean, he has provided direction and resources to enhance the research and scholarly activities of the faculty, such that annual external grant funding has increased from $350,000 to close to $2,000,000. Through his leadership efforts, several new degree programs have been implemented in the professional and MS/Ph.D. programs of the college, including one of the first national Master programs in drug development. He is the first and only Hispanic Dean at the University of Cincinnati and the only Hispanic Dean of pharmacy among the research-intensive colleges of pharmacy across the country. Dr. Acosta is active in numerous scientific and professional organizations, serves on several editorial boards of toxicology and in vitro journals, and has been appointed to a number of government and private committees. For example, he was the Chairman of the FDA Scientific Advisory Board for the National Center for Toxicology Research, Past Chairman and current member of the Texas A&M External Advisory Board of the NIEHS Center for Environmental and Rural Health, a past member of the Board of Scientific Advisors for the Office of Research and Development of the Environmental Protection Agency, a past member of the National Advisory Committee to the Director of the Center for Environmental Health of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a member of the NIEHS Scientific Advisory Committee on Alternative Toxicological Methods which is advisory to NIEHS and the National Toxicology Program, and a member of the Expert Committee on Toxicology and Biocompatibility of the United States Pharmacopoeia, 2000–2005. He was appointed to the Committee on Toxicity Testing and Assessment of Environmental Agents for the National Academy of Sciences, which resulted in two pioneering reports on Toxicology in the 21st Century, 2007–2008. Dr. Acosta has received many distinctive honors throughout his career, including his recent election as a Fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences for career contributions to the discipline of toxicology. He continues to be active in scholarly pursuits, serving as the Editor of Toxicology In Vitro, a peer-reviewed journal with a high impact in cellular and in vitro toxicology, and Associate Editor of In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology, a journal specializing in cell culture advances. His editorship of Cardiovascular Toxicology (a highly regarded monograph in target organ toxicology) has resulted in the latest publication of the 4th Edition in 2008. Dr. Acosta also brings IUTOX great leadership skills through his experience as Past President of the Society of Toxicology (2000–2001). Welcome to Jun Kanno Jun Kanno, a distinguished scientist and leader in his field as Head, Cellular & Molecular Toxicology Division, Biological Safety Research Center at the National Institute of Health Sciences (Japan) was appointed Vice President of IUTOX, effective July 1, 2009. Dr. Kanno received his M.D. from the School of Medicine Tokyo Medical and Dental (TMD) University, 1981 and a Ph.D. in Pathology from TMD University Graduate School for Medicine, Tokyo, 1985. (Dissertation title: Histogenesis of the intradermal melanocytic tumor in BDF1 mice induced by topical application of 9,10-dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene (DMBA) and 12-o-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA).) From 1986–1997, Dr. Kanno served on the faculty at TMD University, and was a Visiting Scientist, Cancer Genetics and Molecular Pathology, NIEHS/NIH, NC, USA from 1991–1993. In 1997, he was engaged as a section chief at National Institute of Health Sciences (NIHS) in Tokyo until he accepted his present position in 2002 as Head of NIHS Cellular & Molecular Toxicology Division to specialize in General Pathology, Endocrine Pathology (thyroid), Toxicology, Experimental Pathology, and Experimental Toxicology. Dr. Kanno’s research includes molecular toxicology focused on studies of endocrine disrupting chemicals (receptor mediated toxicity, or signal toxicity), carcinogenesis and toxicogenomics. He has also been involved in drafting “Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) Screening and Testing Scheme of Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW).” Dr. Kanno organized the MHLW research groups for EDCs, OECD/EDTA Uterotrophic Assay project (TG440) as the lead laboratory (1998), and the design and development of the rat toxicogenomics Joint Project of NIHS and the alliance of Japanese pharmaceuticals (2002). Dr. Kanno participated in the WHO/IPCS Toxicogenomics Workshop (2003) and the WHO/IPCS Harmonization Project on Cancer (2003). He designed the development of the NIHS Chemical Safety Toxicogenomics (Percellome) Project (2003) using mice, assessed the biological hazard of the Nanomaterials, and initiated the Nanomaterials Safety Research Activity for MHLW (2005). Dr. Kanno was also involved with the recent expansion of the Percellome Project that includes inhalation toxicogenomics at low exposure levels in so-called human “sick building syndrome”d and fetus (developmental) toxicogenomics for embryo and embryonic stem cell/embryoid body at various stages. As a member of the newly developed Foods Expert Committee, Food Safety Commission, he conducted basic research in conjunction with risk assessment activity and application of toxicogenomics on safety of food contaminants as well as food ingredients, in so-called “functional foods” and “supplements” (soy isoflavones supplements, etc). Dr. Kanno has been a council member of the Japanese Society of Toxicology since 2002 and has served on its Board of Directors since 2004. He was named Chair of the 35th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Toxicology held in Tokyo in 2008, which explored themes of “Children’s Toxicology” and “New Substance Toxicology such as Nanomaterials.”
IUTOX Leadership 2007–2010 Executive Committee IUTOX Officers and Directors welcome comments from all member societies. If you have any suggestions, please send them to us at IUTOX Headquarters. Kai Savolainen (President), Daniel Acosta, (President-elect), A. Wallace Hayes (Secretary-General), Alexander Buerkle (Treasurer), Silvia Barros (Director), Elaine Faustman (Director), Barbara Hales (Director), Mumtaz Iscan (Director), Lewis Smith (Director). IUTOX Meetings
South Africa TOXSA to Host CTDC7 Congresses on Toxicology in Developing Countries (CTDC) are sponsored by IUTOX every three years. Sun City, South Africa will provide a beautiful venue for CTDC7, scheduled for September 6–9, 2009. CTDC meetings provide a forum for discussing toxicological problems facing developing countries at the present time and in the future, and exchanging views with toxicologists from all over the world, especially from developing countries and regions. Please see the schedule below for preliminary information. Deadlines
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Upcoming Society Meetings If your member society would like its meetings added to our Upcoming Meetings section on IUTOX Web site, please send an e-mail to IUTOX Headquarters. View a full listing of the Upcoming Meetings. Member Highlights SOT 2009 Annual Meeting Well Attended by Scientists from Around the Globe The Society of Toxicology (SOT) held a very successful 2009 Annual Meeting (March 15–19, 2009), with over 6,700 attendees—second in attendance only to the 2008 Annual Meeting held in Seattle, Washington (6,861 attendees). Against the stark economic times, the response to the Annual Meeting underscored the importance of this event to scientists from around the globe (1,134 international attendees). The SOT Annual Meeting, held each March, is the largest meeting of its kind in the world for presentation of ground-breaking toxicology research and exhibition of the latest in technology, instrumentation, and services. This meeting fosters collegial exchange of the latest scientific findings among the thousands of participants and provides a wealth of continuing education, networking opportunities, student functions, and special workshops.
The Scientific Program Committee selects a number of themes to help shape a portion of the program. For 2009 the themes were Biomarkers, Epigenetics, Inflammation and Disease, Nanotechnology, and Neurodegenerative Disease. These themes were featured in some of the 27 Symposia, 19 Workshops, 14 Roundtables, two Historical Highlights, a Regional Interest session as well as four education and career development and five informational sessions. There were 2,322 abstracts presented in 67 poster and 27 platform sessions and more than 70 extended submission abstracts highlighted at the Thursday, March 19 poster session. Moreover, 2,291 scientists attended the Continuing Education program that offered a wide range of courses covering state-of-the-art knowledge in toxicology, as well as new developments in toxicology and related disciplines. The 13 courses included basic and advanced offerings.
A highlight of the meeting was the March 16th SOT/Eurotox Debate, “Nanotoxicology—Is It Much Ado About Nothing?” The debaters were Nigel Walker, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina and Kai Savolainen, Finnish Institute of Occupational Heath, Helsinki, Finland. Each year the SOT Annual Meeting includes a debate, continuing a tradition that originated in the early 1990s. Leading toxicologists advocate for opposing sides of an issue of great toxicological importance. This year’s debate presented some of the challenges to the design, conduct, and interpretation of nanotoxicological studies, with particular emphasis on whether their unique properties contribute to unique toxicological profiles. In addition to being a featured session at the SOT Annual Meeting, this debate will again take place during the 46th Congress of EUROTOX, September 13–16, 2009, Dresden, Germany. Two Nobel Laureates delivered scientific presentations: Peter Greengard, Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Rockefeller University, New York, New York, and Dr. Aaron Ciechanover, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Bat Galim, Haifa, Israel, delivered the Plenary and Key Medical Research Council (MRC) Lectures, respectively. In addition, two new awards were conferred: the Translational Impact Award was presented to Thomas W. Kensler, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland. He is recognized as a major contributor to the translational research that is bringing new prevention opportunities to high-risk populations in the world. The Leading Edge in Basic Science award recipient is internationally recognized chemist John Katzenellenbogen, Professor of Bioengineering at University of Ilinois at Urbana-Champaign. Two distinguished scientists, Gilbert Omenn and John Walker, were named SOT Honorary Members. Dr. Omenn is Professor of Internal Medicine Human Genetics and Public Health at the University of Michigan and was recognized as the “archetypal candidate for this honor based on his significant contributions to creating a safer and healthier world.” Professor Walker FRS is Director of the Medicine Research Council Dunn Human Nutrition Unit in Cambridge, United Kingdom. In 1997, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly with Dr. Paul Boyer for their elucidation of the enzymatic mechanism underlying the synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The Society of Toxicology and AstraZeneca sponsor travel fellowship awards administered by IUTOX. These awards are available to junior and senior scientists from a country where toxicology is underrepresented to assist with travel to attend the Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting. The 2009 Award recipients are pictured below.
The AstraZeneca Traveling Lectureship Award recognizes excellence in research and service in toxicology and enables a lecture tour of Europe to promote collaboration between European and North American toxicologists. Kim Boekelheide is the recipient of this year’s award. Dr. Boekelheide is Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Brown University School of Medicine. He will use this award to address two hot topics—a discussion of the future of toxicity testing and the development in his laboratory of a novel xenotransplant model to investigate the human testicular response to in utero active endocrine disruptors. At both industrial and academic institutions in Europe, Dr. Boekelheide’s lecture series is designed to stimulate thoughtful discussion of both science policy and basic research in the toxiocological sciences with cross-cutting and timely new perspectives with relevance to regulatory issues. Please visit the Society of Toxicology Awards section of the SOT Web site for additional information.
Preparations are underway for the 2010 SOT Annual Meeting, March 7–11, 2010, in Salt Lake City, Utah. The themes for the meeting are Cell Signaling, Gene Environment Interactions, Metabolic Disease, Mitochondrial Basis of Disease, Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century, and Translational Toxicology. Visit the SOT 2010 Annual Meeting Web site to keep abreast of meeting developments and begin your plans to attend.
International Symposium on Drug Abuse and Addictive Behavior in China By Lijie Fu, Ph.D. Working with the China Association for Science and Technology, the Chinese Society of Toxicology is going to hold an international conference on drug abuse and addictive behavior on September 8–10, 2009, in Chongqing of P.R. China. This meeting, held at The Great Hall of the People in Chongqing, will be the 11th Annual Conference of the China Association for Science and Technology. The conference will focus on the theme of “Independent Innovation and Sustained Growth” and will be attended by more than 3,500 scientists. The International Symposium on Drug Abuse and Addictive Behavior will be organized by the Chinese Society of Toxicology and the National Institute on Drug Dependence, with co-organizers including the Chinese Society of Toxicology Professional Commission of Drug Dependence and the Editorial Board of the Chinese Journal of Drug Dependence. The symposium’s theme is “Addictive Behavior and a Healthy Life.” Hundreds of world-renowned domestic and international scholars will convene at the conference to discuss issues relating to nicotine abuse, alcohol abuse, new types of drug abuse, Internet addiction, and related health and social problems. The aim of this symposium is to improve intensive studies on the treatment and prevention of these addictions, to discuss the current situation of Internet addictions and intervention, and to examine existing problems in the use of narcotic analgesics. The symposium consists of three parts: invited keynote presentations, oral presentations, and poster exhibitions. The official conference language is English. We welcome our colleagues across the world to join us at this conference. Please contact our office or visit our Web site at www.chntox.org for more information. Health Risk, Management and Mitigation of Algal Toxins in Food and Drinking Water By Abdalla Radwan, Ph.D. The Egyptian Society of Toxicology (EST) sends you its best greetings. We are making some exciting advances in the field of toxicology, particularly with our recent event, the "International Symposium on Health Risk, Management and Mitigation of Algal Toxins in Food and Drinking Water," which was held on the December 15, 2008. The symposium included three scientific sessions held in collaboration between the EST and the National Committee of Toxicology, Academy of Science and Technology. This event used a combination of videoconferencing and live presentations to make it a truly international meeting with world-class speakers. The first scientific session included a videoconference address from Prof. Kai Savolainen, IUTOX President, who spoke on "IUTOX Activities that May Help National Toxicological Congresses in their International Scientific Relationships.” Following Dr. Savolainen’s address, there was an in-depth discussion via videoconference about the abilities and activities of IUTOX, particularly concerning its ability to help developing countries with their scientific meetings and activities. The second session focused on monitoring and controlling algal toxins in Egyptian water. We discussed the role of the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population along with the health risks of algal toxins. Our exciting final session of the symposium featured a roundtable discussion on recommendations and approaches to control the hazards of algal bloom. This allowed for an open exchange of ideas among attendees where all speakers, chairpersons and most participants shared positively in the discussion and formulation of recommendations. We also held an excellent scientific meeting on May 6–7, 2009, that focused on “Risks of Pollution in the Egyptian Lakes.” This scientific meeting was hosted in collaboration with the EST, National Committee of Toxicology, Ain-Shams University and The Egyptian Company of Salts and Metals. The first day was hosted by the Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo and the second day was hosted by the Egyptian Company of Salts and Metals, Fayyoum Governorate, Egypt. For further information about these events please contact Dr. Radwan, President of the Egyptian Society of Toxicology via e-mail. The Iranian Society of Toxicology (IRANTOX): History and Current Status By Prof. Mohammad Abdollahi, President and Dr. Kambiz Soltaninejad, Treasurer, Iranian Society of Toxicology The Iranian Society of Toxicology (IRANTOX) was established in 1990 by pioneer Iranian toxicologists. The first IRANTOX president was Prof. Nasser Jalali and the current president of IRANTOX is Prof. Mohammad Abdollahi. IRANTOX was accepted as an IUTOX Member Society in 2003 and currently has about 100 active members who work on basic and clinical sciences from universities, industry, government, and private business. IRANTOX is governed by an elected committee consisting of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Inspector (non-voting member), and three persons who serve as members of a Board of Trustees. Elections occur every three years at the IRANTOX Annual General Meeting. Besides Prof. Mohammad Abdollahi, the current IRANTOX leadership includes: Prof. Seyed Nasser Ostad (Vice President), Dr. Shahin Shadnia (Secretary), Dr. Kambiz Soltaninejad (Treasurer), Alireza Ebadollahi (Inspector), Prof. Omid Sabzevari, Prof. Abdolkarim Pajoumand and Dr. Jalal Pourahmad. The main objectives of IRANTOX include advancing toxicology, improving scientific communication among toxicologists and scientific societies, promoting the study of health effects of poisons and chemicals, and providing advice to the authorities in these areas. Consulting with the Iranian higher education authorities for planning toxicology courses is also an important role of IRANTOX. The IRANTOX has been active in programming and operating nearly 20 series of specialized continuous medical education courses in toxicology for all levels of health care professionals in the country. Almost all Iranian toxicologists are members of IRANTOX and are primarily pharmacists or physicians with a specialty in toxicology, pharmacology, anesthesiology, pediatrics, emergency medicine and legal medicine. There are very strong departments of toxicology located in the pharmacy faculties of Iranian universities which cooperate with IRANTOX. These departments usually graduate pharmacists and physicians with a Ph.D. degree in toxicology. IRANTOX welcomes new members, even internationally, and has some honoree members. IRANTOX, with the help of Iranian medical sciences universities, has organized ten national and international congresses biannually titled “Iranian Congress of Toxicology and Poisoning.” These congresses are the only specialized congresses of toxicology in Iran. From this view, the final decision about the Congress topics is sent to the Iranian authorities for their consideration. The theme of the most recent Congress is “10th Iranian Congress of Toxicology and Poisoning” which was held in Tehran, May 18–20, 2009, with the co-operation of Shahid-Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. The Congresses feature the final results of research presented by Iranian toxicologists and provide a suitable forum for exchange of knowledge and experience between Iranian scientists and toxicology researchers from abroad. In the past three years, IRANTOX programmed and operated more than 20 scientific seminars for continuous medical education in clinical toxicology for health care professionals. The seminars were operated either by IRANTOX or in co-operation with the Iranian Medical Council and Medical Universities. Over 1000 members of medical groups have been trained through this effort. An important accomplishment in recent years has been the establishment and maintenance of an official IRANTOX Web site. The Web site allows IRANTOX to share the latest national and international news about society or scientific and professional affairs to IRANTOX members. During last three years almost 500 pages have been added to the site. Another significant activity of IRANTOX in recent years is co-operating with the National Drug and Poison Information Center (NDPIC) of Ministry of Health and Medical Education of Iran to prepare the “National Guidelines for Treatment of Common Poisoning in Iran.” Six guidelines have been prepared for the series and ongoing activity. In the recent years, NDPIC has held a community program in Iran every October titled, “Poison Prevention Week.” It’s held in collaboration with all DPICs and many governmental organizations and scientific societies participate at the national level. During the week, many educational programs designed by National DPIC, are broadcast through national channels and published in newspapers to provide public education on poison control. IRANTOX is one of the most important consultants of NDPIC for this project. Finally, IRANTOX is a progressive scientific society with a clear background and optimistic future. We hope through the active contribution of all members, IRANTOX will succeed in achieving its goal to provide leadership in the advancement of health for all people. Latin America Risk Assessment Workshop By Silvia Berlanga de Moraes Barros, Ph.D. The Latin America Risk Assessment Workshop was held from March 21–28, 2009, at the Grande Hotel Águas de São Pedro in the city of Águas de São Pedro, São Paulo State, Brazil. This year’s workshop had 16 participants and was organized by Silvia Berlanga de Moraes Barros (SBTox and IUTOX) and A. Wallace Hayes (IUTOX).
Twenty-five applications were received and 16 applicants were accepted and attended the workshop. Selection of the participants was based, among other criteria, on the place of work [academia (8 participants, 50%), government (2 participants, 12.5%) and industry (6 participants, 37.5%)]. This year, all participants were from Brazil. Strategies for dissemination of information are being prepared to increase the participation of other Latin American countries for the third workshop to be held in 2010. The workshop followed the RASS (IUTOX) structure with lectures on Toxicology and Risk Analysis and discussion of study cases previously prepared by the participants. The participants were divided into four groups of 4 participants and the student cases were discussed with the help of one member of the faculty as tutor. After the discussion the participants presented the conclusions of their study cases in plenary sessions followed by questions from all the participants. At the end the participants prepared an evaluation that was highly positive and all the participants indicated that they will recommend the workshop for others. We are already in preparation for the third Risk Assessment Workshop tentatively scheduled to be held on April 10–17, 2010. Sponsors OPCW, ANDEF, Syngenta, and the National Research Council—CNPq, Brazil (ANNEX 5) were all generous sponsors of the Risk Assessment Workshop. Eight fellowships were distributed among the participants from academia including full fee, accommodation and food. Faculty Silvia Berlanga de Moraes Barros (University of São Paulo, Brazil) Member Corner Did you know… We’re eager to hear from you since IUTOX benefits from your feedback and ideas. If you would like to share your accomplishments and news with other member societies, please e-mail your contributions to IUTOX Headquarters.
Interested in Hosting 9CTDC in 2015 or ICTXIV in 2016? The opportunity to host the ICT and CTDC meetings is only open to IUTOX member societies. It's not too soon to start planning ahead! Here is the timeline for submitting your bid to host a future IUTOX meeting: July 10, 2009—IUTOX issues a Call for Bids for 9CTDC (2015) and ICTXIV (2016) February 2, 2010—Bids due to IUTOX Headquarters for review and recommendation by the IUTOX Executive Committee for inclusion in General Assembly materials at the ICTXII Barcelona meeting July 2010—Member societies vote on ICTXIV and 9CTDC venues at the ICXII General Assembly International Congress on Toxicology (ICT) meetings are the largest and most prestigious international congresses on toxicology in the world and are held every three years, offering the opportunity to learn the latest developments in toxicological science and regulation through general scientific sessions and continuing education classes. ICTX was held in Tampere, Finland in 2004, ICTXI took place in Montreal, Canada in July 2007, and ICTXII is scheduled for Barcelona, Spain in 2010 and ICTXIII in Korea. Host application details may be found at the ICT section of the IUTOX Web site. Congresses on Toxicology in Developing Countries (CTDC) are held every three years. These meetings provide a forum for discussing toxicological problems facing developing countries in the future and exchanging views with toxicologists from all over the world, especially from developing countries and regions. The 5th CTDC was held in Guilin, China in 2003, the 6th was held in Cavtat, Croatia in 2006, and the 7th will be held in Sun City, South Africa in 2009 and the 8th in Bangkok, Thailand. Host application details may be found at the CTDC Section of the IUTOX Web site. Dues News You have been receiving your 2009 dues notices starting in February. Please help us give your society proper credit for payment by e-mailing us at IUTOX Headquarters with the details of your wire transfer. What’s New?
EC Funds TRISK, Risk Assessment Training Programme, to Help Combat the Shortage of European Risk Assessors The Commission of the European Union has funded TRISK, the European Advanced Risk Assessor Accredited Training Programme for highly qualified toxicology experts, a project addressing an important need of training toxicologists into areas of risk assessment by establishing a clear and recognized definition of training criteria and a recognition mechanism to qualify risk assessors in Europe. Financed under the Second Programme of Community Action in the field of Health (2008–2013) TRISK, will receive EUR 700,000, equivalent to 60% of the estimated total cost of EUR 1.166.668,90 over a period of 36 months, starting February 2009 and ending January 2012. TRISK is intended as a pilot program to implement the guidelines for the training of risk assessors drafted by EUROTOX, in collaboration with pilot partners, and under the guidance of DG SANCO and its scientific committees. The project, coordinated by The University of Milan (I), brings together The University of Surrey (UK), The University of Dusseldorf (D), Karolinska Institute (SE) and The University of Utrecht (NL), academic institutions with solid risk assessment experience and know-how, as well as a wide list of collaborating partners across Europe ready to support the programme's initiatives and dissemination activities. The kick off meeting hosted by the Executive Agency for Health and Consumers (EAHC) in Luxembourg was held February 8–9, 2009. The general objective of TRISK is to develop a training programme in risk assessment based on common European criteria, easily adoptable by institutions across Europe, and focusing on risk assessment methodology and procedure. The project aims to fill the lack of training schemes and provide opportunities for practical, on the job training on the risk assessment approach for young scientists or new toxicologist graduates interested in pursuing this area of expertise, as well as trained toxicologist experts attracted by the opportunity to serve as member of the various scientific committees in regulatory, industry and governmental bodies engaged in risk assessment. TRISK will design a modular training programme covering a range of disciplines in risk assessment and providing a model to establish European guidelines for the training and recognition of risk assessors in accordance to a well defined and properly acknowledged training standard. TRISK will contribute directly to the training of risk assessors across Europe to satisfy the constant needs for trained scientists to serve in the Commission Scientific Committees and ensure the sustainability of the EU risk assessment advice structure, while indirectly meeting the needs of industry and the private sector who also require trained risk assessors in order to satisfy the new regulatory requirements and development of new market products, thus improving the health safety of the citizens in the Member States. For more information about TRISK, please contact Prof. Corrado L. Galli, Project Coordinator. Nobel Prize Winning Scientist Elected as Future President of the International Council for Science Editor’s Note: IUTOX is one of 30 Scientific Union members of the International Council for Science (ICSU) and benefits by its association with this respected institution. ICSU’s mission is to strengthen international science for the benefit of society and to mobilize the knowledge and resources of the international science community. Professor Yuan Tseh Lee, a Nobel Prize winning chemist from China: Taipei has been elected as the future President of the International Council for Science (ICSU). A world leader in the field of chemical dynamics, Lee was elected by representatives from ICSU’s 114 National Members and 29 International Scientific Unions at the 29th General Assembly in Maputo, Mozambique, October 21–24. He will take up the appointment in April 2010 and will succeed the current ICSU President, Catherine Bréchignac, in October 2011. Professor Lee was born and educated in China: Taipei, before moving to the U.S. where he obtained a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1965. In the ensuing years, his career flourished, both as a creative scientist and an inspiring teacher. In 1986, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his seminal contribution to the development of reaction dynamics—a new field of research in chemistry at the time. His use of crossed molecular beams allowed the study of complex reaction mechanisms beyond the capability of previous methods. Lee returned home in 1994, taking up the position as President of the Academy of Sciences located in Taipei. Under his 12-year leadership the institution was transformed into a world class research centre, attracting scholars and creative young scientists from around the world. His achievements have been recognized with many awards and professional memberships including the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS). He has been involved with ICSU for 15 years and served on the Standing Committee on Freedom in the Conduct of Science from 1996 to 2005. ‘I am honoured and excited to be elected the next President of ICSU, an organization that has been at the forefront of international science for more than 75 years,’ said Lee. ‘As a child I was inspired by Madame Curie who believed that scientific knowledge belonged to all mankind. It is my strong belief that ICSU will pave the way in ensuring that scientific knowledge is available to all—a critical factor in providing the solutions for sustainable development, climate change mitigation, global human health issues and alleviating poverty.’ Lee’s demonstrated leadership qualities and extensive experience in international academic cooperation, will serve ICSU well as the organization forges ahead to strengthen international science for the benefit of society. Summer Reading List—World Health Organization Bookshop has Something for Everyone! WHO publications and documents—in multiple languages—are available for free download from the WHO Library database. Printed copies can be ordered from the WHO Bookshop, which offers discounts on orders from developing countries. The Bookshop also offers priced subscriptions to periodicals, book series and thematic packages. WHO Book of the Month
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