ToXchange 
November 2–4, 2016 | Tysons, Virginia
Co-Sponsored by the US Environmental Protection Agency
The epigenome is a dynamic regulatory framework that controls the use of genomic information to govern the response of cells, tissues, organs, and individuals to their environment. As a master regulator of gene expression, the epigenome is responsive to a diverse range of environmental factors including toxicant exposure, diet, stress, and socioeconomic circumstances. Traditional toxicological paradigms have relied on factors such as age, genetic polymorphisms, and disease status to identify variability in responsiveness to environmental toxicant exposure; however, these factors are neither sufficient to faithfully identify differentially responsive individuals, nor are they modifiable factors that can be leveraged to mitigate adverse health effects of toxicant exposures. An individual’s epigenome, on the other hand, is malleable and shaped by interactions with chemical and nonchemical aspects of the environment, giving it potential as a tool for the promotion of public health.
While it is common to refer to this field as “epigenetic toxicology,” we believe it is more appropriate to use the term “toxicoepigenetics” because the former connotes a narrow focus on epigenetic mechanisms underlying toxicity. We are using toxicoepigenetics as a more inclusive term to refer to the particular type(s) of epigenetic alterations at specific loci in the genome that might arise following environmental exposures, including chemical and nonchemical stressors and their possible interactions, and the role of the epigenome as a possible mediator of exposure effects. We will also explore the emerging field of toxicoepigenomics, which refers to attempts to understand toxicoepigenetic data with regard to the global role of epigenetic alterations across the genome with respect to adverse outcomes and risk of exposure effects. Emphasis is placed on discerning if and how particular epigenetic states might contribute to the ability of a potential toxicant to cause adverse health outcomes. During this meeting we will discuss both toxicoepigenetic and toxicoepigenomic approaches to give attendees a comprehensive view of the interactions between the epigenome and the environment at different biological levels.
The field of toxicoepigenetics is rapidly evolving to provide novel insights into the mechanisms underlying exposure-related susceptibility and disease; however, the utility and practicality of using epigenetic data in public health and risk assessment remains unclear. Thus, it is critical to examine the “state of the science” and discuss potential applications and predictable limitations facing the integration of epigenetic data into human health risk assessment paradigms. Toxicoepigenetics has the potential to address critical needs in both basic science and applied fields of toxicology, including: (1) identification of predictors of inter-individual variability in exposure responsiveness within traditional risk groups; (2) providing insight into the mechanisms underlying acute, chronic, and multi- and trans-generational exposure effects; (3) identification of modifiable factors that may be leveraged as interventions to mitigate the risk of exposure effects; and (4) development of epigenetic biomarkers of exposure and effects. This conference will take an intuitive approach to presenting cutting-edge research on the role of the epigenome as a central mechanism linking environmental exposures to adverse health outcomes. Following a summary of current data, the focus will shift to presentations outlining both a model for the use of epigenetic and epigenomic data from mechanistic studies and identifying current limitations to the incorporation of epigenetic data into future risk assessment paradigms.
The CCT: Toxicoepigenetics: The Interface of Epigenetics and Risk Assessment will be held at the Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner Center, November 2–4, 2016.
Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner Center
7901 Tysons One Place
Tysons Corner, Virginia
November 2–4, 2016
A limited number of rooms will be available for conference attendees at the Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner Center at a special rate of $199/night. Attendees can reserve a room online at passkey.com.
If you encounter any difficulties with your housing reservations, or have any questions, please contact Heidi Prange.
If you are interested in sharing a room at the Hyatt Regency for the CCT meeting, please contact Shaun McCullough. Be sure to include TEG CCT Room Share in the subject line of your message.
- Shaun D. McCullough, Chair, US Environmental Protection Agency, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Dana C. Dolinoy, Chair, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Andrea Baccarelli, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
- Marie Fortin, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Rebecca Fry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Jay Goodman, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Ronald N. Hines, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
- Jessica LaRocca, Dow AgroSciences, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Igor Pogribny, US Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR, USA
- Ken Ramos, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
- Ruth Roberts, Council Contact, Apconix, Cheshire, United Kingdom
- J. Craig Rowlands, CCT Committee Contact, Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI, USA
- John Vandenberg, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
- Cheryl Walker, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX, USA
Late-breaking abstract submissions are now closed.
A poster session and reception will occur on both Wednesday and Thursday evenings. There will also be sessions on Wednesday and Thursday morning for five selected abstracts to be presented orally, in addition to poster form. Late-breaking abstracts will not be considered for the oral presentations. If you would like your abstract to be considered for an oral presentation, then please indicate that on the submission form. We welcome both junior and senior scientists to present and share their research. Please contact SOT Headquarters if you have any questions regarding the meeting abstracts.
| 7:30 AM | Registration Opens |
| 8:30 AM–8:45 AM | Greeting and Opening Comments Shaun D. McCullough, Chair, US Environmental Protection Agency, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA Dana C. Dolinoy, Chair, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA |
| 8:45 AM–9:30 AM | Keynote Lecture
The Epigenome As a Mediator of Environmental Effects on Development and Implications in Disease Development |
| 9:30 AM–12:00 Noon |
Session I—Epigenomic Effects of Environmental Exposures
Presentations will discuss effects of environmental exposures on the epigenome and their implications on human and public health outcomes. Additionally, the presentations will incorporate the epigenetic outcomes of exposures as molecular initiating events and the role of the epigenome in directing key event relationships in adverse outcome pathways. Chair: Andrea Baccarelli, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; and Epigenetic Effects of Air Pollutant Exposure and Perspective on the Future of Epigenetic Data in Risk Assessment Epigenetic Mechanisms Underlying Metals-Induced Toxicity Epigenomic Effects of the Environment on Human Development and Carcinogenesis What Are the General Principles for Indicating Whether an Epigenetic Change is Adverse or Adaptive? |
| 12:00 Noon–12:30 PM | Session II—Presentations of Selected Abstracts ChIP Deconstructed: Increasing Accessibility, Utility, and Reproducibility when Exploring the Role of Histone Modifications from In Vitro to Epidemiological Studies Doan On, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, US EPA, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA Overlapping Effects of Valproic Acid, Garcinol and DZNep Exposure on the Transcriptome in Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Cheryl Hobbs, Integrated Library Systems, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA |
| 12:30 PM–2:00 PM | Lunch |
| 2:00 PM–4:45 PM | Session III—Epigenetic Impact of Diet and Lifestyle Factors
Presentations will discuss how lifestyle, diet, stress, and environmental cues interact with the epigenome to modulate exposure effects and susceptibility. Presenters will highlight how diet and lifestyle-induced changes in the epigenome can modulate key events, such as the expression of specific genes, in adverse outcome pathways. Chair: Dana Dolinoy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; and Inter-Individual Variability in the Epigenome Interactions between Diet, Epigenome, and Susceptibility Interactions between Stress and Epigenotoxic Exposure Environmental Epigenomics in Developmental Reprogramming |
| 4:45 PM–6:00 PM | Poster Session and Networking Social |
| 8:30 AM–10:15 AM | Session IV—Using Model Systems to Reduce the Complexity of Human Studies in Environmental Toxicoepigenetics
Presentations will discuss the use of in vitro and animal models to reduce the complexity of human studies by identifying candidate epigenetic modifications and targets within the genome. Chair: Shaun McCullough, US Environmental Protection Agency, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA In Vitro Approaches to Modeling the Role of the Epigenome in Effects of Environmental Exposures on Disease Applications of Unique Screening Methods for Transgenerational Epigenetic Effects Epigenetic Mechanisms of Genotoxicity and Carcinogenesis |
| 10:15 AM–10:30 AM | Break |
| 10:30 AM–11:15 AM | Session IV—Panel Discussion
Discussant: Cheryl Walker, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA |
| 11:15 AM–12:00 Noon | Session V—Presentations of Selected Abstracts Longitudinal Effects of Developmental Bisphenol A Exposure, Variable Diet, and Physical Activity on Epigenetic Drift in Mouse Blood Joseph Kochmanski, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA Early Life Exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA) Results in Dose-, Generation-, and Sex-Specific Adverse Physiological Outcomes in Adulthood Frances Xin, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Tobacco Smoke Exposure Demethylates Enhancers, Activates and Upregulates Enhancer eRNAs in Distinct Leukocyte Cell Types Douglas Bell, NIEHS-NIH, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA |
| 12:00 Noon–1:30 PM | Lunch |
| 1:30 PM–3:45 PM | Session VI—Practical Considerations for the Incorporation of Epigenetic Data into Public Health and Risk Assessment
Presentations will discuss considerations for the future use of toxicoepigenetic data in hazard identification, adverse outcome pathway development, and risk assessment. Presentations and discussion will focus on developing principles and studies that will be valuable to the basic science community while addressing whether the incorporation of epigenetic data will alter risk assessment and if so, how it can be accomplished. Chair: Ron Hines, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA What Do We Need to Know to Incorporate Toxicoepigenetic Data into Risk Assessment Case Study: Does the Incorporation of Epigenetic Data Improve Risk Assessment? Epigenetics: Therapeutic Targets, Comparative Safety Analysis and Viral Reactivation Potential Epigenomics—Impact for Translational Safety Sciences |
| 3:45 PM–4:00 PM | Break |
| 4:00 PM–4:45 PM | Session VI—Panel Discussion
Discussant: Jay Goodman, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA The discussion will include distinguishing between benign epigenetic changes and those that are associated with adverse effects; differentiating between normal inter-individual variability and differences associated with effects; and the rationale that should be used for selecting specific epigenetic parameters to evaluate as biomarkers. |
| 4:45 PM–6:00 PM | Poster Session and Networking Social |
| 8:30 AM–10:00 AM | Session VII—Break-out Group Discussion
Focus on strategies for overcoming challenges in the application of toxicoepigenetic data in applied toxicology that were brought up in the roundtable discussion in Day #2. Group discussion will be directed with questions that are both pre-determined, derived from the panel discussions during the meeting, and from the ToXchange community that will be established for meeting participants. Discussions will highlight how epigenetic exposure outcomes fit into adverse outcome pathways. |
| 10:00 AM–10:15 AM | Break |
| 10:15 AM–11:45 AM | Session VII—Break-out Group Reporting and Discussion
Facilitator: Lisa Chadwick, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA |
| 11:45 AM–12:00 Noon | Closing Remarks |
| Registration Type | Early Bird | Standard | Final |
| January 31–September 1, 2016 | September 2–October 3, 2016 | After October 3, 2016 |
|
| SOT Member | $400 | $450 | $500 |
| Government Employee | $400 | $450 | $500 |
| Scientific Liaison Coalition (SLC) Member* | $400 | $450 | $500 |
| Nonmember | $500 | $550 | $600 |
| Student/Postdoc Member |
$200 | $250 | $300 |
| Student/Postdoc Nonmember |
$250 | $300 | $350 |
Fees include all general sessions, program materials, and refreshments throughout the course of the meeting.
Registration fees may be paid by check (please list all registrants on the check stub), money order, credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Diner’s Club, or American Express), or by a US Government Purchase Order (check must be drawn from the US Department of the Treasury). Please use the registration form. All wire transfers should include an additional $40 processing fee.
Note: For individuals who are not members of SOT, participation in SOT’s Toxicoepigenetics CCT is available only to bona fide individuals who are engaged in or promote the field of toxicology or biotechnology research and support the growth and development of the toxicology field. For organizations, participation in the SOT’s Toxicoepigenetics CCT is available only to bona fide organizations with public policy positions and business practices that are generally consistent with SOT’s mission, goals, reputation, and its policies and principles as determined by SOT. SOT reserves the right to review applications for participation at SOT’s Toxicoepigenetics CCT to confirm that the applicant meets these criteria and may, at the SOT’s sole discretion, reject a registration by an individual or business or withdraw registration privileges at any time if any individual or organization is found to be inconsistent with SOT’s principles and interests.
- Mail/USPS Express packages:
Toxicoepigenetics CCT, Society of Toxicology
11190 Sunrise Valley Dr, Suite 300
Reston, VA 20191 - Fax: 703.438.3113
NOTE: To prevent double-billing, if you are registering by fax, DO NOT mail your original registration form. SOT needs only one copy for processing.
Registration Cancellation Refund Policy: All requests for cancellations and/or refunds must be received in writing to SOT Headquarters by September 28, 2016. These refunds will be processed, less a $30 fee, following the Meeting.
Disabled Attendees: If you need special assistance for this meeting please contact SOT Headquarters at 703.438.3115.
*Scientific Liaison Coalition (SLC)
- American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
- American Academy of Clinical Toxicology (AACT)
- American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT)
- American College of Toxicology (ACT)
- The Endocrine Society (ENDO)
- Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society (EMGS)
- International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics (ISSX)
- Safety Pharmacology Society (SPS)
- Society for Risk Analysis (SRA)
- Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC)
- Society of Toxicologic Pathology (STP)
- Society of Toxicology (SOT)
- Teratology Society (Teratology)
Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner Center is 200 yards away from the Tysons Corner Silver Line metro stop. It is accessible from both Washington Reagan National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport via Metro.
