Thematic Approach

Scientific Program Overview (dates and times)

The Scientific Program Committee has developed a slate of timely and highly informative Symposium Sessions, Workshop Sessions, Roundtable Sessions, and other special sessions that span the spectrum of topics of interest to our diverse membership.

The 2012 scientific themes listed here illustrate the core contributions toxicology makes to these areas and the sessions that will be highlighted within these themes are indicated.

Theme Overviews

Aberrant Gene Expression in Toxicity and Disease—Epigenetics and MicroRNAs

Over the past decade, considerable effort has been expended in demonstrating that gene expression is altered in disease states and following exposure to pharmaceuticals and environmental agents. In many cases, the endpoint of interest has been mRNA levels; however, to more fully understand the etiology of disease, especially the timing and the role of toxicity in pathogenesis, it may be important to investigate the mechanisms which govern mRNA expression. Increasing evidence suggests that microRNAs may play a significant role in determining expression patterns, frequently in a highly temporal- and tissue-dependent manner. Accordingly, microRNAs are also being studied as highly specific biomarkers of target organ injury. Epigenetic variables such as DNA methylation and histone modifications can influence gene expression in an inheritable fashion. Furthermore, there is growing interest in discovering chemical/biological modulators of epigenetic targets for disease intervention yet little is currently known regarding the potential toxicological consequences of such modulation.

• Circulating MicroRNAs: A New Class of Biomarkers for Tissue-Specific Toxicity—Symposium
• Epigenetic and miRNA Regulations in Carcinogenesis: Toxicological Implications—Symposium
• Toxicological Considerations of Epigenetic Targets in Product Development—Symposium

Characterizing Toxic Modes of Action and Pathways to Toxicity

Toxicants induce their effects via interactions with biological targets, triggering a cascade of key events that culminate in adverse health conditions. Knowledge of the temporal- and dose-dependency determinants of the key events defined through laboratory animal and in vitro studies, coupled in context with consideration of their relevance to the human mode of action and target context, will improve the accuracy and scientific basis for risk and safety assessments. In keeping with contemporary, post-genome concepts, identification and integration of mechanisms of chemically induced biological activity to develop more predictive models of in vivo biological response are being accomplished by using in vitro biochemical- and cell-based assays. Pathways of toxicity are being identified with the use of results from these medium and high-throughput assays integrated with in silico techniques for data extraction, biologically-based dose response and virtual tissue modeling.

• Caught in the Act: Free Radical Detection and Implications in Pathways to Toxicity—Workshop
• Cell Death Signaling Pathways and Mechanisms of Toxicity—Symposium
• Cross-Species Analysis of Toxicogenomics Data: Approaches for Assessing Differences in Sensitivity and Conservation of Mode of Action—Symposium
• Discovering Novel Hypotheses for Mechanisms of Toxicity from High-Content Data Sets—Workshop
• DNA Damage Responses and Repair—Symposium
• How Useful Are Liver In Vitro Models for Toxicity and Mode-of-Action Prediction?—Workshop
• Molecular Basis for Prevention of Cardiotoxicity—Symposium
• New Visions in Toxicology: Lysosomes—Roles in Disease, Toxicity, and Drug Development—Symposium
• Novel Topics in Environmental Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Metabolism Leading to Carcinogenesis—Workshop
• Realizing the Vision of 21st Century Toxicity Testing: Genetic Approaches to Pathway Analysis—Symposium
• State of the Science and the Future for the Predictive Power of In Vitro and In Vivo Models for Nanomaterials Toxicity Testing—Workshop
• The Epididymis: The Forgotten Target Of Toxicants—Workshop
• The Thick and Thin of Nuclear Receptors and Nrf2 in Diabetes and Obesity—Symposium

Clinical Toxicology from Bedside to the Bench and Back

The overarching aim of clinical toxicology is to provide direction and insight from the clinical setting to drive discoveries in the research laboratory that will have meaningful consequences for the individual patient. Insights from the emergency department or the intensive care unit, for the acutely ill patient, as well as other clinical situations such as poison centers and occupational and environmental medical toxicology clinics can provide direction for additional and complementary fundamental and translational studies. By working together around a set of clinically relevant issues it will be possible to demonstrate the deep and important connection between clinical care and fundamental research and emphasize the potential for improved clinical trial design and individual health outcome.

• Advances in Bridging Nonclinical Cardiovascular Data to the Clinic—Symposium
• Chelation Therapy: A Focus on the Risks and Benefits—Roundtable
• Dietary Supplement Adulteration and Impact on Human Health—Symposium
• Muscle Toxicity—Current Challenges in Translatable Biomarkers—Workshop
• Nonclinical and Clinical Applications of Translational Organ-based Imaging—Workshop
• Progress in Developing New Biomarkers of Drug-Induced Liver Injury (DILI): What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You—Workshop

Influence of Global Climate Change on Environmental Health Issues

It is expected that climate change will have potentially adverse effects on human health through several mechanisms such as extreme weather events, water level rises, malnutrition increase, ecosystem services impact, and spread of disease. For toxicologists, it will be important to study and predict the nature of adverse effects and the types of pollutant that will have their health effects altered by climate change and the magnitude of those alterations in order to minimize adverse public health effects. Droughts and floods can have effects through mobilization of carcinogens from agricultural soils and drinking water. Temperature increases may synergize air pollution mediated increases in deaths due to respiratory and cardiovascular effects. The effect of temperature increases on susceptibility to air and water pollution is a poorly understood area of concern; as are the impacts on ecosystems. Ecosystem services and other ecological evaluations may serve to identify important pathways.

• Emerging Mechanistic Targets in Lung Injury Induced by Combustion-Generated Particles—Symposium

Regulatory Science: Bridging the Gap between Discovery and Product Availability

Recent breakthroughs in science and technology—ranging from sequencing of the human genome to advances in the application of nanotechnology to new medical products—have the potential to transform our ability to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. These developments will result in moving treatment strategies towards approaches that are tailored or personalized to individual patients, thus maximizing the benefit of treatments while decreasing their safety risks. Similarly, advances in research and information technologies are enabling us to more efficiently identify microbial pathogens, track food contamination outbreaks and determine where foods and other products are produced or manufactured, how they are transported, where they go and, who uses them. These tools also can play an important role in protecting human health by enabling more comprehensive countermeasure strategies, especially in the face of emerging pandemics or chemical and biological threats. Green chemistry initiatives are promoting the development of sound scientific screening strategies to support the design of better performing chemical products and manufacturing processes that minimize the use and generation of hazardous substances and pose lower risks to humans and the environment. Together, these approaches show how regulatory science is providing the pathway for better chemistries and products by developing new tools, standards and approaches to assess safety, efficacy, and performance.

• 21st Century Validation Strategies—One Size No Longer Fits All—Symposium
• Advancing Food Safety in a Global Marketplace—Workshop
• Bridging the Green Chemistry Gap between Product Discovery and Availability—Regional Interest
• Concepts Critical to the Next Generation of Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment—Workshop
• Development of Biosimilar Products: Overview of Standards and Regulations—Symposium
• Evaluation of Allergenicity across Biotechnology Industries—Challenges and Opportunities—Workshop
• Evolving the EPA Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program: From Using High-Throughput Screening Assays for Prioritization to Reducing Reliance on Whole-Animal Tests—Roundtable
• High-Throughput In Vitro Toxicity Testing: A Mid-Course Assessment of Predictive Accuracy for In Vivo End-points and Use in Decision Making—Workshop
• Improving Chemical Safety Assessment through Harmonization: Why, How, and When?—Roundtable
• Scientific, Regulatory, and Public Perspectives on the Credibility and Use of Alternative Toxicological Test Methods in a Legislative Framework—Roundtable