Past Winners

VOS Award—Career Achievement in Immunotoxicology

2000 Dr. Jack Dean
2001 Dr. Michael Luster
2002 Dr. Albert Munson
2003 Dr. Jeff Vos
2004 No Award
2005 Dr. Ian Kimber
2006 Dr. MaryJane Selgrade
2007 Dr. Nancy Kerkvliet
2008 Dr. Henk Van Loveren
2009 Dr. Michael Holsapple
2010 Dr. Jacques Descotes

Young Investigator Award

2000 Dr. Michael McCabe
2001 Dr. Petia Simeonova
2002 Dr. Ian Gilmour
2003 Dr. Rebecca Dearman
2004 Dr. Dori Gemolec
2005 No Award
2006 Dr. Greg Ladics and Dr. Paige Lawrence
2007 Dr. Jean Pfau
2008 Dr. Emanuela Corsini
2009 Dr. David Shepherd and Dr. Timothy Reilly
2010 Dr. L. Peyton Myers

Best Postdoc Presentation

2000 No Award
2001 Dr. Yanli Ouyang
2002 Dr. Mike Viana
2003 Dr. Islam Zahidul
2004 Dr. Lucy Gildea
2005 No Award
2006 Dr. Maoxing Li (1st) and Dr. Fei Wang (2nd)
2007 Dr. Dr. Venkatesh Hedge (1st) and Dr. Lewis Shi (2nd)
2008 Dr. Cheryl Rockwell
2009 Dr. Patrick Shaw
2010 Dr. Guangbi Jin

Best Doctoral Student Award

2000 Susan McKarns (1st),  Erik Carlson (2nd), Ji-Eun Lee (3rd)
2001 Michael Laiosa (1st), Carmen Booker (2nd)
2002 Ladan Fakhrzadeh (1st), Jared Brown (2nd)
2003 Iris Camancho
2004 Jacintha Shenton
2005 Gautham Rao (1st), Sabine Teske (2nd), Castle Funatake (3rd)
2006 No Awards
2007 Lauren Tarantino (1st),  Alice Ng (2nd), Ava Rhule (3rd)
2008 Nivedita Banerjee (1st), Haitian Lu (2nd), Sheung Ng (3rd)
2009 Jaishree Bankoti (1st), Haitian Lu (2nd), Chidozie Amuzie (3rd)
2010 Jennifer L. Head (1st), Katryn Allen (2nd), Haitian Lu (3rd)

Best Manuscript of the Year

2000 Dong, W., Simeonova, P. P., Gallucci, R., Matheson, J., Flood, L., Wang, S., Hubbs, A., Luster, M.I.
2001 Kamath,  A.B., Camacho I., Nagarkatti P.S., and Nagarkatti M.
2002 Shepherd, D., Dearstyne, E.,  and Kerkvliet, N.
2003 Pruett, S., Fan, R., Zheng, Q., Myers, L. P., and Hebert, P.
2004 Zhou, H.R., Islam, Z., and Pestka, J.
2005 Laiosa, M.D., Wyman, A., Murante, F.G., Fiore, N.C., Staples, J.E., Gasiewicz, T. A., and Silverstone, A. E.
2006 Funatake, C., Marshall, N., Steppan, L., Mourich, D., and Kerkvliet. N.
2007 Camacho, I.A., Singh, N., Hegde, V.L., Nagarkatti, M., Nagarkatti, P.S.
2008 Lawrence, B.P., Roberts, A.D., Neumiller, J.J., Cundiff, J.A., Woodland, D.L.
2009 Laiosa, M.D., Eckles, K.G., Langdon, M., Rosenspire, A.J., and McCabe, M.J. Jr.
2010 Yucesoy B., Johnson V.J., Fluharty K., Kashon M.L., Slaven J.E., Wilson N.W., Weissman D.N., Biagini R.E., Germolec D.R., Luster M.I.

2010 Award Winners

VOS Award for Career Achievement in Immunotoxicology

Jacques Descotes, M.D., Pharm.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Descotes began his career in toxicology as a medical student in the Lyon Poison Control Center in 1973. He earned an M.D. and was appointed Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, both in 1976, at Claude Bernard University in Lyons. In addition, he was appointed as a physician in the Medical Emergency and Clinical Toxicology Department of Edouard Herriot Hospital where a Post-Marketing Drug Surveillance (Pharmacovigilance) Center was being established. While serving in these academic and clinical positions, Dr. Descotes realized the importance of drug allergies, which began his interest in immunology and immunopathology.

In 1980, Dr Descotes earned a Pharm.D. in Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology from Claude Bernard University and developed a firm commitment to immunotoxicology as he moved to new research facilities. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1982, and served as the Scientific Director of a new INSERM Laboratory (the French equivalent of National Institutes of Health) in 1986. Since then, he was the Principal Investigator for several research programs in immunotoxicology funded by French and European grants. He served as an academic advisor for 23 M.S., Pharm.D., Ph.D., and M.D. candidates. These students worked on several aspects of preclinical and clinical immunotoxicology, with a special focus on the popliteal lymph node assay.

Dr Descotes published his first book on immunotoxicology in 1986, followed by seven others. In addition, Dr. Descotes has published five books on clinical and preclinical toxicology. In 1988, he earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Pharmacology from Claude Bernard University and was appointed Medical Director of the Lyon Poison Center and Professor of Pharmacology in 1990. In 1992, he founded the nonprofit association Summerschool in Immunotoxicology and has served as Scientific Director of 18 annual summer schools held in France. The Summerschool is the longest existing scientific event entirely devoted to immunotoxicology in the world. In 1999, he was appointed Head of the Poison Center and Pharmacovigilance Department at Lyon University Hospitals and currently holds this position.

Throughout his career, Dr. Descotes has remained committed to both clinical and nonclinical toxicology and immunotoxicology. In recent years, Dr. Descotes has become increasingly involved in the immunotoxicity and safety evaluation of therapeutic proteins and innovative medicines, including nanomaterials and gene therapies. Over the years, he has served on various scientific and regulatory committees at the national and international level. He was the first Chairperson of Eurotox Immunotoxicology and Chemical Allergy Specialty Section (ITCASS). In 2002, he was the recipient of the Eurotox Gerhard Zbinden Annual Award and has been a Fellow of the US Academy of Toxicological Sciences since 2001. He has published over 360 manuscripts and chapters, including 182 papers in various aspects of immunotoxicology.  Dr. Descotes is widely recognized as one of the founders of the science of immunotoxicology and he is a most deserving recipient of the Vos Award.   

Outstanding Young Investigator

L. Peyton Myers, Ph.D.

Best Presentation by a Postdoctoral Trainee
Guangbi Jin, Ph.D.

1st Place Student Presentation Award
Jennifer L. Head

2nd Place Student Presentation Award
Katryn Allen

3rd Place Student Presentation Award
Haitian Lu

Best Paper of the Year Award: Yucesoy B, Johnson VJ, Fluharty K, Kashon ML, Slaven JE, Wilson NW, Weissman DN, Biagini RE, Germolec DR, Luster MI., Influence of cytokine gene variations on immunization to childhood vaccines. Vaccine. 2009 Nov 23;27(50):6991-7.

2009 Award Winners

VOS Award for Career Achievement in Immunotoxicology

Dr. Michael P. Holsapple
International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI).

Dr. Holsapple received his undergraduate degree in biology from Purdue University in 1974. Prior to entering graduate school, he worked as a technician in the laboratory of Dr. Shigehiro Nakajima, a world-class investigator in neurophysiology in the School of Biology at Purdue University. He ultimately received his graduate training in Pharmacology and Toxicology at Purdue working in the laboratory of Prof. George K.W. Yim, a colleague of Prof. Nakajima, whose primary interest was in neuropharmacology. He earned an M.S. in 1978, and a Ph.D. in 1981 from Purdue University.

During his graduate career, Dr. Holsapple developed a firm commitment to communicating his results, observations, and interpretations, and published twelve original peerreviewed papers. During his graduate career, he also developed an interest in the control of inflammation at the level of the brain-immune ‘crosstalk’—and decided to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship in immunotoxicology with Professor Al Munson at the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University (MCV/VCU) in Richmond, VA. After completing his postdoctoral training, Dr. Holsapple decided to stay at MCV/VCU, and in 1983 was appointed an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. He was tenured and promoted to Associate Professor in 1989, and served as the Director of his department’s graduate program from 1987 until 1991.

During his academic career at MCV/VCU, Dr. Holsapple served as the advisor for 8 Ph.D. and M.S. candidates–Robert Dooley, Helen Haggerty, Dale Morris, Neil Snyder, Jim Karras, Denton Freeman, Ray Matulka and Ric Stanulis. These students worked on some important immunotoxicants during their graduate work, and provided some seminal observations on the mechanisms of action of dioxin, dimethylnitrosamine and cocaine. Dr. Holsapple also had the privilege of serving as a member of the doctoral dissertation committees for 20 other students at MCV/VCU, at Michigan State University, and at Louisiana State University. Dr. Holsapple continued to publish and was successful in securing grant support throughout his academic career.

He was the Principal Investigator on three NIH R01 grants when he decided to leave academics in 1994 to pursue a new challenge as an industrial toxicologist. He joined the Toxicology, Environmental Research and Consulting Laboratories at the Dow Chemical Company in Midland, MI, in June of 1994. Although he was hired to develop a laboratory-based expertise in immunotoxicology at Dow, his responsibilities ultimately included leading both the Immunotoxicology and the Respiratory Toxicology groups at Dow. He continued to publish throughout the industry phase of his career, and was promoted to Scientist in June of 2000.

Dr. Holsapple left Dow in 2002 to join the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) as the Executive Director, his current position. During his time at HESI, a not-for-profit scientific organization based in Washington, DC, he has had opportunities to work on a global scale within a scientific portfolio that is characterized by much breadth and depth in some critical areas of toxicology and risk assessment. He notes that one of the most rewarding aspects of his position at HESI is the fact that he has been able to continue to work with friends and colleagues on HESI’s Immunotoxicology Technical Committee.

Throughout the most recent phase of his career, he has sustained his commitment to communicating his results, and has now published over one hundred and sixty manuscripts and chapters, including 138 papers in various aspects of immunotoxicology, which were co-authored with 136 colleagues. During his acceptance speech in Baltimore, he offered special thanks to Drs. Norb Kaminski, Al Munson and Kimber White, and noted that he has co-authored over 20 papers with each of these individuals. Dr. Holsapple has previously served on the Councils for both the American College of Toxicology (ACT) and the Society of Toxicology (SOT). He currently serves as the Vice President of the SOT.

Outstanding Young Investigator

Dr. David Shepherd
Associate Professor, Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Dept. of Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Univ. of Montana.

Dr. Shepherd’s research program at the University of Montana encompasses two somewhat distinct areas of immunotoxicology. The primary focus of his laboratory centers on defining the role of the man-made environmental chemicals such as dioxins and dioxin-like chemicals on dendritic cells (DCs), which are considered to be the “professional” antigen presenting cells in the immune system. His research is aimed at elucidating the mechanisms of immune suppression by these toxicants by addressing the role of Aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation in DCs and the functional consequences of these alterations. The second area of investigation by this research group aims to define the efficacy and/or toxicity of natural chemicals in the immune system. Specifically, studies are being conducted to define the potential for several nutraceuticals such as notoginseng and Echinacea to modify inflammatory and adaptive immune responses. These studies utilize both in vitro and in vivo models of innate and adaptive immunity.

Outstanding Young Investigator

Dr. Timothy P. Reilly
Director of Toxicology, Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Dr. Reilly received his bachelor’s degree in Pre-professional/Science from the University of Notre Dame (1995) and his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacology/Toxicology) from Wayne State University (1999). Subsequently, he was a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Lance Pohl (recipient of the 2009 Distinguished Toxicology Scholar Award) in the Molecular and Cellular Toxicology Section at the National Institutes of Health, where his worked aimed to elucidate mechanisms and predisposing factors for drug-induced liver injury (DILI). In particular, he and his colleagues have used animal models to identify numerous cytokines and other factors that may play a role in determining susceptibility to DILI, including those factors that may help prevent drug-protein adducts in the liver from causing allergic reactions through induction of immunological tolerance. In late 2002, Tim joined the Department of Immunotoxicology within the Drug Safety Evaluation organization at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), where he was a key member and/or leader of a team that investigated the mechanism(s) underlying unique toxicological/ immunotoxicologic effects of drug candidates and that developed, validated and conducted a battery of immunotoxicology assays to understand the potential immunologic liabilities of other drug candidates. Tim has also been a leader in a wide array of other projects including the design, execution and defense of safety assessment packages for small molecule and peptide/antibody therapeutics in immunology, oncology, virology, metabolic diseases and/or cardiovascular indications. Currently, Tim is Director of Toxicology in the Drug Safety Evaluation organization at BMS in Syracuse, New York. He is also board-certified Diplomate® of the American Board of Toxicology (2004) and an Adj. Assistant Professor of Environmental Medicine (Toxicology Graduate Training Program) at the Univ. of Rochester.

Best Postdoctoral Presentation Award
Dr. Patrick J. Shaw, Trovafloxacin and Tumor Necrosis Factor Synergize to Cause Liver Injury in a Murine Model of Idiosyncratic Toxicity

1st Place Student Presentation Award
Jaishree Bankoti, Generation of Novel Regulatory Dendritic Cells via AhR Activation

2nd Place Student Presentation Award
Haitian Lu, Establishment of an IgM Antibody Forming Cell Response Model for Evaluating Immunotoxicity in Human Primary B Lymphocytes: TCDD as a Model Compound

3rd Place Student Presentation Award
Chidozie Amuzie, SOCS3 and IGF1 are Potential Biomarkers for Deoxynivalenol-Induced Growth Inhibition in the Mouse

Best Paper of the Year Award: Laiosa, MD; Eckles, KG; Langdon, M; Rosenpire, AJ; and McCabe, MJ Jr., Exposure to Inorganic Mercury In Vivo Attenuates Extrinsic Apoptotic Signaling in SEB Stimulated T-Cells. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 2007, 225: 238–250.

2008 Award Winners

VOS Award for Career Achievement in Immunotoxicology

Henk van Loveren Ph.D.
Professor of Immunotoxicology
Laboratory for Health Protection Research
National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, the Netherlands

Dr. Henk van Loveren did a postdoc at Yale in the early eighties, where he worked in the Section Clinical Immunology of Phil Askenase on contact sensitivity. After this postdoctoral period, he entered the field of immunotoxicology when he joined Jeff Vos at RIVM in 1983. At RIVM, he has been able to pursue his interest in sensitization to low molecular chemicals, with studies on respiratory sensitization in the mouse, studies on potency evaluation of sensitizers based on adaptations of the LLNA, and currently with in vitro work on effects of sensitizers on keratinocytes.

The main objectives for his employment at RIVM in 1983, however, were investigations of effects of air pollutants on pulmonary resistance to infections. From this work, he further spread his interests to systemic immunotoxicity, and devoted time in developing host resistance models. The experience with host resistance models was used for work his group did on effects of UV on resistance to infection.

Over the years, he extended his work to not only include studies in laboratory animals, but also in vitro work in human cells and rodent cells, to help extrapolation, and in addition studies in human volunteers and finally epidemiology. In human volunteer studies he included investigation of effects on vaccination, an idea that was pushed by him in an international workshop he organized in Bilthoven in 1998, on epidemiology of direct immunotoxicity. Later on, this model was included in studies of immune effects of occupational pesticide exposure in several European countries, which he coordinated.

He has led several European consortia carrying out immunotoxicological studies, funded by the EU. Two pertained to development of immunotoxicological methodologies, three to effects of ultraviolet radiation, and one to immunotoxilogical effects of pesticides in the population. Currently he is involved in an EU consortium on assessment of immunotoxic effects in children, and one on validation of in vitro immunotoxicity testing.

Currenly, a main focus of his research is on implementing toxicogenomics in immunotoxicology, and on developing in vitro alternatives for immunotoxicity testing. This work is done in collaboration with Maastricht University, TNO Quality of Life, and the RIKILT food institute. These institutes have formed the Dutch “Toxicogenomics Centre Netherlands”, and Henk van Loveren participates in the management of this Centre.

Guidelines for immunotoxicology Henk van Loveren has been an important player in discussions on guidelines for immunotoxicity: for instance in updating of guideline OECD407 to include immunotoxicity testing, and in the designation of the EMEA guidelines for preclinical safety evaluation, that demanded functional immunotoxicity testing. Under auspices of ICH, guidelines for immunotoxicity testing of drugs were harmonized between Japan, the US, and the EU, and led to the decision that drugs need to be tested for immunotoxicity using functional assays according a cause for concern approach. He took active part in these discussions as a delegate from EU/EMEA.

Main advisory functions Henk van Loveren is Head of the WHO/IPCS International Collaborative Centre of Immunotoxicology and Allergic Hypersensitivity. Under auspices of this Centre three Environmental Health Criterium Documents were made over the last ten years. 1: Principles and Methods for Assessing Direct Toxicity to the Immune System Associated with Exposure to Chemicals; 2: Principles and Methods for Assessing Allergy Associated with Exposure to Chemicals; and 3: Principles and Methods for Assessing Autoimmunity Associated with Exposure to Chemicals. In addition to co-author, he was rapporteur of the first, vice chairman of the second, and chair of the third task force that produced these books. These books have covered all the aspects in the field of immunotoxicology. Currently, a new program for this Collaborative Centre is being developed, and will comprise risk assessment of immunotoxicity and developmental immunotoxicity.

Other advisory bodies where he serves as an advisor as a member of expert committees are OECD (sensitization), EU (sensitization), the European Food Safety Authority (Panel of Nutrition, Dietetic Products, and Allergies), and the Dutch Health Council (Committees on UV, Pesticides, Carcinogenesis, and Allergies).

Teaching Immunotoxicology In 2003 Henk van Loveren was appointed Professor of Immunotoxicology at Maastricht University, which is the only chair of immunotoxicology in the country. He combines this duty with his work at RIVM.

Since he joined immunotoxicology in the eighties, he guided 17 Ph.D. students to their thesis. Many of these got important positions at various institutions (Industries such as Numico, Organon/Akzo, Universities such as Wageningen, Utrecht, Maastricht, or Research Institutions such as TNO and RIVM. A majority of these Ph.D.’s is still active in the field of immunotoxicology or in related fields. One of his former students (Johan Garssen) has been appointed as full professorship (Immunopharmacology) at Utrecht University.

He is responsible, within the Dutch Postdoctoral Toxicology Curriculum for the course on Immunotoxicology, and also is lecturer at the Post-academial Training in Toxicology in the Netherlands, which serves to advance scientists already engaged in the field, mainly in industries. He has given lectures at several Continuing Educational Courses on Immunotoxicology at SOT, IUTOX, and EUROTOX, and in Immunotoxicology courses in the UK, Germany, and France.

In conjunction to his activities in educating immunotoxicology, Henk van Loveren was for many years active as Secretary of the Foundation for Education of Medical-Biological Researchers, which is aimed at developing postdoctoral curricula for various fields (e.g. immunology, toxicology, pharmacology, etc), and ensuring their quality. The foundation issues certificates for those researchers that qualify. Currently, he is member of the Concilium Toxicologicum, a council concerning education in toxicology for the Dutch Toxicological Society.

Other functions From 2000–2003 he served as president of the EUROTOX Speciality Section on Immunotoxicology and Chemical Allergy, that he helped erect. This section is involved in designing Immunotox sessions in EUROTOX meetings. In addition, the section organizes biannual immunotoxicology conferences especially for younger immunotoxicologists in Europe to present their work, and meet. The first such meeting was held in Bilthoven, year 2000.

He has (co-)authored over 450 publications.

Outstanding Young Investigator

Dr. Emanuela Corsini
Associate Profressor., Laboratory of Toxicology, Dept. of Pharmacological Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy.

Dr. Corsini’s research program at the Faculty of Pharmacy encompasses three somewhat distinct areas of immunotoxicology. At present, the primary focus of her laboratory centers on the refinement of alternative in vitro tests to identify and discriminate contact allergens from irritants and respiratory sensitizers, based on the use of DC-like cells and keratinocytes, and to classify allergens according to their potency. 

The other area of research centers on the understanding at the molecular level the mechanism of action of immunotoxic/immunomodulatory compounds (i.e. perfluorinated compounds, pesticides, vegetal extracts) on innate and adaptive immunity. Finally, immunosenescece represents the other area of interest of her laboratory. Specifically, studies are being conducted to define the role of RACK-1 and protein kinase C in the decline or remodeling of the immune responses associated with aging, and to identify compounds able to reverse such changes (i.e. DHEA, natural extracts).

(In the figure, Dr Corsini with her mentors Mike Luster, Henk Van Loveren and Ian Kimber at the end of the Award’s ceremony).

Best Postdoctoral Presentation Award
Dr. Cheryl Rockwell (University of Kansas Medical Center), Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) inhibits cytokine production by activated murine T cells

1st Place Student Presentation Award
Nivedita Banerjee

2nd Place Student Presentation Award
Haitian Lu

3rd Place Student Presentation Award
Sheung Ng

Best Paper of the Year Award: Lawrence BP, Roberts AD, Neumiller JJ, Cundiff JA, Woodland DL, Aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation impairs the priming but not the recall of influenza virus-specific CD8+ T cells in the lung. J Immunol. 177 (9) 5819-28.

2007 Award Winners

VOS Award—Career Achievement in Immunotoxicology

Young Investigator Award

Dr. Jean Pfau, Assistant Professor, Center for Environmental Health Sciences in the Dept. of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Montana, was awarded with the prestigious Young Investigator Award in Immunotoxicology. Dr. Pfau’s research interests concern environmental health with a primary focus on the relationship between asbestos or silica exposure and the risk of pulmonary fibrosis and autoimmune disorders. Dr. Pfau states that “Although inflammation and apoptosis associated with damage in the lung have been implicated in the autoimmune responses, we are studying the underlying mechanisms that lead to the production of autoantibodies. One project is focusing on the ability of silicates to cause cellular damage and to drive self-antigen presentation of apoptotic debris, driving a loss of tolerance in certain B cell subsets. We think this might happen when the polyanionic surface of the silicates is mistaken for highly inflammatory microbial antigens. Subsequently, we are showing that once produced, some of the autoantibodies can cause further damage and activation of fibroblasts, exacerbating the ultimate pathology. Although it is unlikely that treatments can halt the initial damage caused by inhaled dusts, it is our hope that our work will lead to interventions at the level of the persistent and chronic processes of systemic autoimmunity.”

Best Paper of the Year Award: Camacho IA; Singh, N; Hedge, VL; Nagarkatti, M; Nagarkatti, PS  (University of South Carolina), Treatment of mice with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin leads to aryl hydrocarbon receptor-dependent nuclear translocation of NF-?B and expression of Fas ligand in thymic stromal cells and consequent apoptosis in T cells. J. Immunol. 2005 Jul 1; 175(1):90-103.

Postdoctoral Awards

1st place—Dr. Venkatesh Hedge, University of South Carolina

2nd place—Dr. Lewis Shi, University of Wisconsin

Student Awards

1st place—Lauren Tarantino, NYU School of Medicine

2nd place—Alice Ng, NYU School of Medicine

3rd place—Ava Rhule, University of Montana

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