The SOT-Sponsored and SOT-Hosted Meetings described below may be of interest to you. For additional information, please contact the organizers of these meetings directly.
MiRNA Biomarkers for Toxicology, March 12, 2016, New Orleans, Louisiana
The SOT miRNA Biomarkers for Toxicology Contemporary Concepts in Toxicology (CCT) conference will be held Sunday, March 12, 2016, from 9:00 am‒5:30 pm, in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have recently shown great promise as non-invasive biomarkers of cell injury. Several consortia efforts have been established to discover and validate miRNA biomarkers that: provide insight into injury mode of action, distinguish the specific injury location and affected cell type, and are more sensitive for detection than “gold standard” protein biomarkers. The goal of this meeting is to communicate recent discoveries and promote discussion of miRNA biomarker research efforts between consortia partners and independent researchers as a critical step toward the streamlined utilization of promising biomarkers for nonclinical and clinical safety assessment. For addition information and to register, please go to this CCT conference website.
Society of Toxicologic Pathology Modular Education Course: Toxicologic Pathology of the Cardiovascular System, April 10–13, 2016
The Society of Toxicologic Pathology (STP) is pleased to announce its spring 2016 modular education course, Toxicologic Pathology of the Cardiovascular System, which will be held April 10–13, 2016 at the Hilton San Francisco Financial District in San Francisco, California. This course will provide a venue for interactive discussion and practical sessions of the current state of knowledge on the principles of toxicologic pathology of the cardiovascular system, with an emphasis on the heart. Course lectures by subject experts will include a review of spontaneous and induced proliferative and nonproliferative lesions in the cardiac system of rodents, dogs, primates, and mini-pigs, mechanisms and patterns of toxicity of the cardiac system associated with small and large molecule therapeutics, in vitro and in vivo assessments of the cardiac and by extension the vascular system, and regulatory/drug safety perspective on cardiovascular safety. The STP is pleased to offer the STP Modular Course Scholarship to eligible students and trainees with demonstrated interest in the field of toxicologic pathology. Visit the Modular Course website for course registration, course content, lodging, and other course information.
Annual Meeting of the Genetic Toxicology Association May 4-6, 2016
The upcoming Annual Meeting of the Genetic Toxicology Association (GTA) is a 2.5 day event that includes a workshop, keynote address, six symposia, and a poster reception. It will be held at the University of Delaware on May 4–6, 2016. Symposia topics include: case studies on current issues within the field of genetic toxicology, exploring the role of DNA damage in epigenetics, recent advances in screening technologies, and the Pig-a gene mutation assay, as well as new techniques for identifying rare genotoxic events. Registration includes all meals, with a cocktail reception and banquet dinner on Day 1 and the optional pre-meeting workshop entitled “Using In Silico Software to Generate an ICH M7 Submission and Expert Review.” Continuing with a recent addition to the meeting is a “speed session” where poster presenters give a brief description of their work at the podium prior to the poster reception to increase traffic during their presentations. There are four GTA travel awards currently available as well as an Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics (EMGS) “Emerging Scientist” travel award to be used to attend this year’s annual EMGS meeting. Abstracts from students and new investigators received by March 4, 2016, will automatically qualify for potential travel awards. Please visit the conference website for additional information.
Teratology Society 56th Annual Meeting: Abstract Deadline February 21
The 56th Annual Meeting of the Teratology Society will be held June 25‒29, 2016, at the Grand Hyatt, San Antonio, Texas. The abstract and travel award deadlines are extended to February 21. The theme of the 2016 meeting is “New Horizons in Birth Defects Research” and will highlight that preventing and treating birth defects and developmental disabilities is dependent on: a) developing and integrating the latest information and technology into research; and b) recruiting, training, and mentoring the next generation of birth defects researchers. Symposia topics include early prenatal diagnosis of birth defects, testicular dysgenesis syndrome, and thrombosis during pregnancy. There will be numerous career development events designed specifically for students and new and early stage investigators. For additional information and to register, please visit the Teratology Annual Meeting website.
Society of Toxicologic Pathology 35th Annual Symposium: June 26–30, 2016
The 2016 Society of Toxicologic Pathology (STP) Annual Symposium will be held June 26–30, 2016, in San Diego, California, The symposium will focus on the basis and relevance of variation in toxicologic responses. Talks will describe key factors that impact the interpretation of nonclinical discovery and development studies. The symposium will kick off with “Real World Toxicology Outcomes: Impact of Species and Strain Selection on Drug Development Programs.” Sessions will delve deep into topics that influence the accuracy of toxicology translatability to human health, including species and strain differences, animal model selection and disease predictability, genetics and epigenetics, hormones, age, drug metabolism, the microbiome, gene-environment interactions, formulations, study design (including special points to consider when designing developmental and reproductive toxicology studies), and much more. An interactive pre-meeting National Toxicology Program (NTP) Satellite Symposium will be held on Saturday, June 25, and four Continuing Education (CE) Courses will be offered on Sunday, June 26. Visit the 2016 STP Annual Meeting website for registration and additional meeting information.
Ocular Toxicology, Pharmacology and Drug Delivery: An Eye on the Future CCT
Ocular Toxicology, Pharmacology and Drug Delivery: An Eye on the Future CCT will be held June 27‒28, 2016, in South San Francisco, California. This conference will provide a forum for communication and interactions between toxicologists, pathologists, clinicians, pharmacologists, basic scientists, and other professionals working in the field of ocular toxicology. The main focus will be two-fold: to improve our understanding of ocular toxicology, pharmacology, and safety assessment; and to increase our understanding of the challenges associated with development of the next generation of ocular drugs and devices. In particular, the committee has focused on the two challenges that were considered to be of the highest importance in the field. The first is immunogenicity of intravitreal therapeutics, which has become a significant issue across the industry as more intravitreal protein (or protein/polymer combination) therapeutics advance to clinical trials. Immunogenicity of these therapeutics is a significant confounding factor and often makes nonclinical risk assessment difficult. The second key issue is the development of locally administered complex long-acting delivery technologies, including polymer, device, gene, and/or cell-based therapies. The development of these technologies is complicated by their complex and novel composition, the local cellular response often observed against these systems within the eye, and a lack of clear regulatory guidance in the field. For additional information and to register, go to the Ocular Toxicology conference website.