The Society of Toxicology (SOT) Component Groups (Regional Chapters, Special Interest Groups, and Specialty Sections) host many webinars throughout the year. Webinars are an effective distance-learning method intended to impart scientific knowledge to members of their group as well as the SOT membership at large. These webinars are just one of the many benefits of SOT membership.
Upcoming webinars for October 2016 are listed below.
In Vitro and Alternative Methods Specialty Section (IVAM)
Topic: Career Opportunities Related to In Vitro and In Silico Toxicology
Date and Time: Tuesday, October 11, 2016, 1:00 pm–2:00 pm Eastern Time
Event address and registration for attendees:
Many graduate students are interested in furthering the field of alternatives to animal testing, but do not know what career options are available to them or how to prepare for such a career. With this in mind, the In Vitro and Alternative Methods Specialty Section and Graduate Student Leadership Committee (GSLC) are teaming up to provide this information to students interested in pursuing a career focused on alternatives to animal testing. The types of careers that will be highlighted include in vitro method developers (for example, working to develop reconstructed three-dimensional human tissues or organs-on-chips) and in silico method developers (for example, working to develop in vivo to in vitro extrapolation (IVIVE) software). Careers at government agencies, non-governmental organizations, trade associations, and contract research organizations also will be mentioned. Webinar attendees will have an opportunity for discussion with the speakers during the webinar. Following the webinar, the IVAM SS and GSLC will serve to provide additional information to interested students and be able to connect these students with SOT IVAM member mentors.
Registration is required.
Association of Scientists of Indian Origin (ASIO) Special Interest Group
Topic: Inflammation: Can We Silence the Secret Killer?
Date and Time: Friday, October 21, 2016, 12:00 noon–1:00 pm Eastern Time
Event address and registration for attendees:
The ASIO Special Interest Group is proud to announce a webinar on the new developments in immunotoxicology. The webinar will highlight the role of Aryl hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR) in the inflammatory pathway and will provide insights on the use of dietary supplements that act via AhR and contribute towards suppressing inflammation. The speaker is Dr. Prakash Nagarkatti who serves as vice president for research at the University of North Carolina. Dr. Nagarkatti has extensive experience on inflammation mechanisms and his recent research focuses on cannabinoids and AhR ligands as potential anti-inflammatory agents. Inflammation is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it is critical for protecting the host from infections and plays a key role in wound healing, while on the other hand, chronic inflammation can trigger a variety of clinical disorders including allergies, autoimmune diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, and obesity. There are more than 80 autoimmune diseases that result from the immune attack against specific organs and tissues. Because of such wide implications of the involvement of inflammation in disease, it is not only critical to uncover as-yet-unknown immune mechanisms and mediators of inflammation but also to find novel treatment modalities. Currently, there is no effective treatment against chronic inflammation. The inflammation also is impacted by exposure to environmental chemicals, toxins, nutrition, and stress. Such factors may influence inflammation through alterations in the microbiome or causing epigenetic changes. In the webinar, basic mechanisms of inflammation triggered by innate and adaptive immune system will be introduced. While AhR was identified for its role in the regulation of the biochemical and toxic effects of environmental chemicals, recent studies demonstrated that AhR ligands also can play a key role in suppressing inflammation. In the webinar, dietary compounds that can act as AhR ligands and suppress inflammation will be discussed.
Registration is required.
Biological Modeling Specialty Section
Topic: Application of Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling to Explore the Role of Kidney 2 Transporters in Renal Reabsorption of Perfluorooctanoic Acid in the Rat
Date and Time: Tuesday, October 25, 2016, 11:00 am–12 noon Eastern Time
Event address and registration for attendees:
Renal elimination and clearance of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from the serum exhibit pronounced sex differences in the adult rat. The literature suggests that this is largely due to hormonally regulated expression of organic anion transporters on the apical and basolateral membranes of the proximal tubule cells that facilitate reabsorption of PFOA from the filtrate into the blood. Previously developed Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic ( PBPK) models of PFOA exposure in the rat have not been parameterized to specifically account for transporter mediated renal elimination. The model presented here explores the role of Oat1, Oat3, Oatp1a1 in sex-specific renal reabsorption and excretion of PFOA in adult male and female rats. Descriptions of the kinetic behavior of these transporters were extrapolated from in vitro studies and the model was used to simulate time-course serum, liver, and urine data for IV and oral exposures in the male and female rat. Predicted concentrations of PFOA in the liver, serum, and blood showed good agreement with experimental data for both male and female rats indicating that physiological descriptions of transporter-mediated renal reabsorption can successfully predict sex-dependent excretion of PFOA in the rat. This study supports the hypothesis that sex-specific serum half-lives for PFOA are largely driven by transporter expression in the kidney and contributes to the development of PBPK modeling as a tool for evaluating the role of transporters in renal clearance. Efforts are ongoing to apply a similar technique in the development of a PBPK model for human PFOA exposure, which will allow for improved evaluation of biomonitoring data.
Registration is required.