The Society of Toxicology (SOT) Component Groups (Regional Chapters, Special Interest Groups, and Specialty Sections) and committees host 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 June 2018 are listed below.
Inhalation and Respiratory Specialty Section (IRSS)
Topic: 3D Organ-on-Chip Framework and Translational Research by Environmental Exposures in Inhalation Toxicology
Date and Time: Thursday, June 21, 2018, 12:00 pm–1:00 pm Eastern Time
Event address for attendees
Development of new therapeutics for pulmonary disorders and advancement in our understanding of inhalational toxico-pathology have been significantly hindered by challenges to study organ-level complexities of human lung in vitro. Moreover, clinical relevance of widely used animal models of respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which poses a huge public health burden, is questionable. The webinar will provide information about how Organ-on-Chip framework can be used to detect synergistic tissue-tissue communication, identify new biomarkers of disease exacerbation, and measure responses to anti-inflammatory compounds that inhibit cytokine-induced recruitment of circulating neutrophils. Importantly, by connecting the Small Airway Chip to a custom-designed electromechanical instrument that "breathes" whole cigarette smoke in and out of the chip microchannels ("Breathing-Smoking Lung-on-a-Chip"), we successfully recreated smoke-induced oxidative stress, identified new ciliary micropathologies, and discovered unique COPD-specific molecular signatures. Additionally, this platform revealed a subtle ciliary damage triggered by acute exposure to electronic cigarette. Thus, the human Small Airway-on-a-Chip offers a powerful complement to animal models for studying human lung pathophysiology.
Registration is required.
Hispanic Organization of Toxicologists Special Interest Group (HOT)
This webinar will be presented in Spanish.
Topic: Alzheimer's Disease: Role of Blood-Brain Barrier
Date and Time: Thursday, June 21, 2018, 1:00 pm–2:00 pm Eastern Time
Event address for attendees
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder that leads to a progressive loss of cognitive function and it represents one of the largest global public health problems. Overproduction and accumulation of the amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) is a hallmark pathological feature of AD where its accumulation induces the formation of the neuritic plaques (NP). The rare familial forms of AD are characterized by increased production of Aβ. In AD of unknown etiology, which represents most cases of AD, it is postulated that a decrease in the clearance of cerebral Aβ might be the cause of this pathology. Several mechanisms function in synchronization to effectively clear Aβ from the brain, active transport through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is the most involved in this process. The BHE is a highly selective barrier that regulates the transport of molecules between the central nervous system and the rest of the body. The integrity of BBB is maintained by structural protein complexes called tight junctions (TJs), including the proteins zonula occludens-1, claudin-5, and occludin. It has been shown that Aβ alters the integrity of the TJs; as a result of the binding of the Aβ and the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), this interaction triggers several intracellular events including inflammation and oxidative stress, which finally compromise the integrity of the BBB. Despite evidence suggesting that RAGE plays a role in the Aβ-induced-toxicity to the BBB observed in AD, little is known about the mechanism (s) involved and whether this is a cause or effect of AD. Therefore, one of the lines of research in our laboratory is to study the role of the BBB in this pathology. Examples of experiments that help us to understand this phenomenon will be presented during the webinar.
Registration is required.
Non-SOT Webinar of Potential Interest:
FASEB (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology)
Topic: Know Before You Go: Tips for Foreign Scientists Traveling to U.S. Meetings
Date and Time: Thursday, June 21, 2018, 2:00 pm–3:00 pm Eastern Time
Event address for attendees
FASEB member societies host a number of meetings and conferences each year, many of which are attended by scientists visiting from countries outside the US. An experienced immigration attorney will discuss existing and new policies affecting visas for non-US citizens who wish to attend scientific meetings in the United States. Webinar presenters will share practical advice to help scientific societies hosting conferences involving foreign visitors, such as answering questions about visa requirements and other pertinent information.
Speaker:
Brendan Delaney, Attorney, Frank & Delaney Immigration Law, LLC