Society of Toxicology 2010

49th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo

Salt Lake City, Utah, is the host-city for the Society of Toxicology’s 49th Annual Meeting. Scientific Sessions will be held at the Salt Palace Convention Centre during the week of 7-11 March 2010.

The Society of Toxicology (SOT) Annual Meeting is the largest toxicology meeting and exhibition in the world, attracting approximately 6,500 scientists from industry, academia, and government. The program includes several plenary and other special lectures, symposia, workshops, roundtable discussions, and platform and poster presentations. The meeting also offers Continuing Education courses ranging from basic to advanced levels. In addition, the Society presents annual awards to recognise outstanding achievements in toxicology.

Sponsors involved so far include:

• Hoffman-La Roche Inc. (Diamond Sponsor)
• Pfizer (Diamond Sponsor)
• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Diamond Sponsor)
• Eli Lilly and Company (Platinum Sponsor)
• BioReliance (Gold Sponsor)
• Brock Scientific Consulting, LLC (Silver Sponsor)
• Chevron Corporation (Silver Sponsor)

The Scientific Program Committee has developed a slate of informative symposia, workshops, roundtables, and other special sessions that span the spectrum of topics of interest to their diverse membership.

The 2010 scientific themes illustrate the core contributions toxicology makes to these areas, as well as lists the sessions that will be highlighted within these themes. This year’s scientific themes will be:

• Cell Signalling Theme – Cell signalling encompasses the broad range of pathways involved in how cells detect and respond to external stimuli and communicate with other cells. Key cellular responses regulated by cell signalling include cell death, differentiation, and cell motility. Understanding the contribution of cell signalling pathways to toxicity is often key to determining mechanisms of toxicity or the pathogenesis of biological responses elicited by chemicals or pharmaceuticals. Sessions in this theme highlight mechanistic roles for cell signalling pathways in toxic responses and disease pathogenesis.
• Gene-Environment Interactions Theme – It is clear that disease susceptibility cannot be attributed only to variations in the human genome. The environment is major among the additional variables that define individual susceptibility to disease. A more precise determination of the influence of environmental exposures within a given genetic background on disease processes will be required to significantly improve the ability to predict, detect, treat, and monitor disease progression and disease response. The Gene-Environment Interaction theme has been selected to highlight recent advances in this field that are relevant to the toxicological sciences.
• Metabolic Disease Theme – Metabolic dysfunction, either acquired or inherited, affects biochemical reactions resulting in metabolic diseases. The incidence of acquired metabolic diseases is rising at an alarming rate. Perturbation of lipid and glucose metabolic pathways increases the risk of developing a number of chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, fatty liver disease, and cardiovascular disease. While genetic variability plays a role in individual susceptibility, environmental agents, drugs, and other toxicants are contributing factors. This theme will focus on the mechanistic changes in glucose and lipid metabolism induced by toxicants and the relationship to disease progression.
• Mitochondrial Basis of Disease Theme – Mitochondrial dysfunction has been found to be an important component in the progression of numerous human disease states. In addition, the mitochondrial genome is susceptible to oxidative stress and mutation due to the high percentage of coding DNA and its small size. Therefore, the mitochondria are a suspected target organelle of xenobiotics in different model organisms. This thematic area will highlight studies that evaluate the effect of xenobiotic exposure on mitochondrial function and the connection to the progression of disease.
• Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century Theme – The NRC’s 2007 report “Toxicity Testing in the Twenty-first Century: A Vision and a Strategy” articulated the critical need for development and validation of predictive high-throughput assays to replace current expensive and time-consuming animal tests. This theme includes applications of genomics and in vitro tests to identify pathways of toxicity and methods for using advanced computer power that make it feasible to analyze large volumes of complex data and use common data platforms to link existing and new exposure and effects databases.
• Translational Toxicology Theme – In most settings, translational science is described by the term “Bench to Bedside.” Translational Toxicology can be described as the transition of basic toxicology related-research into strategies to improve the performance of the science of toxicology. Thus, translational toxicology may be best described by the term “discovery to application.” Sessions involving the translation of fundamental mechanistic observations into bioassays, biological models and other novel approaches that can be applied to toxicology research, and studies that describe the supporting biologic or mechanistic qualification of endpoints and detailed assay validation are highlighted in this theme.

Symposium sessions include:

• Aging As a Determinant of Xenobiotic Toxicity
• Faster Science for Better Decisions: Characterising Environmental Contaminant Risk from High-Throughput Data
• Mechanisms of Chemical-Induced Liver Cancer: Putting the Pieces Together
• Mechanistic Role of Reactive Intermediate Protein Covalent Binding in Target Organ Toxicity: Past, Present, and Future
• Neurological Responses after Exposure to Inhaled Metal Particles
• Ovarian Toxicity: Current Concepts in Toxicology, Pathology, and Mechanisms
• Zebrafish Models for Developmental Neurobehavioral Toxicology.

Workshop sessions include:

• Blood-Based Genomic Profiles As Biomarkers of Exposure and Effect
• Determination of the Contributions of Individual Stressors in Cumulative Risk Assessments
• Immunotoxicity and Other Safety Considerations in the Development of Therapeutic Vaccines
• Minerals and Metals: Pros and Cons of Deliberate Exposure
• The Process of Defining Risk for Environmental Chemicals Having Significant Skin Exposure and Absorption Potential
• Toxicological Challenges in Green Product Development

Roundtable sessions include:

• Combination Toxicology Studies for Pharmaceutical Agents: Design Considerations and Impact on Clinical Development
• Melamine Contamination of Infant Formulas: Lessons Learned
• Overview of Current Regulatory Expectations for Oligonucleotide-Based Therapeutics: Case Studies for Different Classes of ONDs
• Weighing Complex Data in Risk Decisions: Concepts of Evidence-Based Toxicology
• Women’s Health: Toxicology and Safety of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Continuing Education Courses

The Continuing Education Program offers a wide range of courses that cover established knowledge in toxicology, as well as new developments in toxicology and related disciplines. Courses can be applied toward certifying and licensing board requirements and may also be used for recertification with the American Board of Toxicology (ABT). Both basic and advanced course topics are offered. The basic course is intended to provide a broad overview of an area or to assist individuals in learning new techniques or approaches. The advanced course is intended to be of interest to individuals with previous knowledge of the subject or already working in the field.

All courses will be held on Sunday 7 March 2010, at the Salt Palace Convention Centre.

For more information please visit www.toxicology.org/ai/meet/ am2010/ce.asp