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December 2007 E-Newsletter of the Australasian
Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists
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Welcome to the December edition of ASCEPT eNews. In this issue we invite applications from student members to
become part of ASCEPT council and we congratulate all the prize winners from
the joint SEAWP-ASCEPT meeting. We have a report from Arthur Christopoulos who was the 2007
ASCEPT visitor to the British Pharmacological Society, from Karen Kerr who
attended the ASMR professional development program and Rima Caccetta who
attended the Pharmaceutical Sciences World Congress in Amsterdam. We also bring to your attention several International
Pharmacology conferences occurring early next year. We would also like to officially announce your new Councillors: President - A/Professor Kathie Knights Past President - Professor Andrew Somogyi Treasurer - Dr San Ventura Secretary - Dr Rebecca Ritchie Councillors - Professor Elizabeth Burcher, Dr Grant Drummond, Dr
Lynette Fernandes, Professor George Lees (NZ), Dr Roselyn Rose'Meyer, Dr
Scott Smid. As the ASCEPT Constitution states "not more than three
members of the Council shall be domiciled in any one State or Territory
of the Commonwealth of Australia" Dr Lynette Fernandes is elected to
Council. A/Professor Emilio Badoer will serve as a co-opted Councillor for
2008. We have a number of copies of abstract books from the joint SEAWP – ASCEPT Meeting in Adelaide 2007.
If you would like a copy please email Athina Patti at Meetings First. Finally, I wish all ASCEPT members a happy and safe holiday
season. If any would like to contribute any items to eNews, please send
it along to Meetings First for consideration.
Roselyn Rose'Meyer ASCEPT Newsletter Editor |
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CALL FOR A STUDENT
MEMBER TO BE CO-OPTED ON TO ASCEPT COUNCIL Applicants for the above-mentioned position should be a
post-grad student and have been a member of ASCEPT for the last 2 years and
attended the ASCEPT meeting for the last 2 years. Applicants should provide a written statement of no more than 1
paragraph indicating their reasons for seeking nomination to Council and
email to ascept@meetingsfirst.com.au. Supervisors – Please encourage your students to nominate!! |
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JOINT
SEAWP – ASCEPT MEETING 2007
The Annual Scientific Meeting of ASCEPT was
held with SEAWP last week in Adelaide from December 1-6, the meeting proved
the to be a great success. The meeting had 425 delegates in attendance,
with 130 of these delegates from overseas. There were 315 abstracts submitted
of these 204 were posters and 111 were orals which include invited speakers. On behalf of ASCEPT Council the ASCEPT President Kathie Knights
congratulates all winners of prizes at the meeting in Adelaide. SEAWP POSTER PRIZES Research Higher Degree Prize Runner up: Vijay Raj – University of Malaya Winner: Ching-Yi
Tsai – National Sun Yat-sen University Post-doctoral prize Runner up: Dr Oranun
Kerdpin – Naresuan University Winner: Dr Verawan
Uchipichat – Khon Kaen University ASCEPT PRIZES Whelan The Whelan Prize was
established in memory of Professor RF Whelan, one of the co-founders of the
Society. The prize is awarded annually to a BSc(Hons), BMedSci or equivalent
honours student for a poster presentation. Joint winners: Henry
Diep – Monash University and Stephanie Catus – Monash University Percy The Percy Prize was
established in memory of Dr Neville Percy, who was one of the founding
members of the steering committee that founded the society, now known as
ASCEPT, in 1966/67. Winner: Katherine
Jackman – Monash University ASCEPT oral prize – The ASCEPT Oral
prize is open to higher degree students and encourages high quality
presentations. Special mention to
Prajni Sadananda – University of New South Wales Winner: Ben Lewis –
Flinders University Clinical Special Interest Group Generously donated
by Therapeutic Guidelines – 12 month subscription to eTG Winner: John Maddison for Best Clinical
Pharmacology Trainee presentation TOCRIS prize Special mention: Shiwei
Huang – University of Sydney Winner: Karen
Gregory – Monash University Peter Meffin prize in Drug Disposition Formally the Drug
Metabolism and Pharmacokentics section of ASCEPT. Since the sections are no
longer this award has been renamed the Peter Meffin Drug Disposition award
and is now awarded under the new Special Interest Group. This award was
sponsored by Applied Biosystems and has been taken over by TetraQ. Special mention:
Fabrizio D’Espostio – University of Sydney Winner: Andrew
Rowland – Flinders University Sponsor/Exhibitors
raffle - Winner Adinstruments Tanya Turner Student raffle -
Winner Nitya Jani - University of Melbourne |
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2007 ASCEPT VISITOR TO THE
BRITISH PHARMACOLOGICAL SOCIETY
REPORT BY ARTHUR CHRISTOPOULOS Earlier this year I had the
honour and privilege of being selected as the 2007 ASCEPT Visitor to the
BPS. Upon arriving in London on Wed,
June 27th, I had the rest of the day to get over the jet lag,
which was a good thing given that the next day I had my meeting with the
Nobel Laureate, Sir James Black. Sir
James is a giant in the field of analytical pharmacology and a major
influence on my work, so it was wonderful to spend some quality time with him
over a great lunch at his local pub in Dulwich discussing receptors,
allosterism and drug discovery. I was
particularly grateful for Sir James’s insights into the nuances and caveats
associated with translating cell-based and in vitro pharmacological findings
to the clinical setting. This was
certainly a fantastic way to start my trip. After bidding farewell to Sir
James, I caught the train to Reading, where I was hosted on the 28th
and 29th by Prof. Philip Strange, Director of Pharmacology in the
School of Pharmacy, University of Reading.
Philip is a world leader in the study of dopamine and CCR5 receptor
pharmacology, mechanisms of receptor-G protein interaction, receptor
dimerisation, and antipsychotic drug effects. Prior to my seminar in the School of Pharmacy on the 29th,
I spent a few hours in a stimulating conversation with Philip on various
aspects of receptor pharmacology and the intricacies in quantifying agonist
affinity and efficacy (far more exciting than you might think!). This was followed by my talk, “Allosterically engendering novel GPCR
phenotypes”, which was well received by both staff and students, and then
a lunch in the staff club with Philip and senior members of the School,
including the Head of Pharmacy, Prof. Gavin Brooks. I was then able to take a
tour of the Dept. and talk to various laboratory heads about a number of
interesting projects underway in Pharmacology at Reading, such as the work of
Dr. Cornelius Krasel, who is using fluorescence microscopy methods to study
mechanisms of receptor desensitisation in real time at the molecular level,
and Dr. Gary Stephens, who is doing some very interesting work, together with
Dr. Ben Whalley, on cannabinoid signalling in the CNS. The day was then topped off with a
wonderful dinner at a local Italian restaurant where we all found a little time
to talk about things other than science. The next day, June 30th,
I made my way to Nottingham where I was hosted by last year’s ASCEPT BPS
Lecturer, Prof. Stephen Hill. Steve
and I spent Sunday (July 1st) visiting Warwick castle, where I got
to see a flaming catapult in action (talk about great balls of fire!), and
then capped it off with an evening of fine ale and talk of all things that
couple to G proteins (as one does, of course). As an added bonus, the same day marked the arrival of another
visitor to Nottingham, Prof. Paul Insel from the University of California,
San Diego. Paul is no stranger to
molecular pharmacologists, having made many seminal contributions to the
study of adrenoceptors and adenylyl cyclases, receptor and effector compartmentalisation,
pharmacogenomics of G protein signalling pathways and, more recently,
nucleotide receptors. So the next
day, Monday July 2nd, my visit to Steve’s Institute of Cell
Signalling (Univ. of Nottingham) was a busier than anticipated affair as both
Paul and I met with various members of Steve’s Institute (including Dr. Steve
Briddon, a very talented scientist and fellow Split Enz fan to boot) and
worked on a number of research grant proposals that were also due at that
time. There were a number of additional
highlights of this particular visit.
First, I got to see firsthand some of the cutting edge science being
performed in Steve’s lab, in particular the application of fluorescence
correlation spectroscopy (FCS) to the study of ligand-receptor interactions
at the single-cell (and single-molecule) level; one particularly impressing
achievement of the Nottingham group has been the demonstration of
simultaneous agonist binding and functional responses in single cells and
membrane microdomains. Second, I got
to catch up with a recent PhD graduate from my lab, Dr. Lauren May, who is
now pursuing postdoctoral studies in Steve’s laboratory; one of the most
satisfying feelings for a supervisor is to see the development of their
students into independent young scientists who take their science into new
and exciting territories, and Lauren is doing just that! On Wednesday, July 4th,
I bid farewell to my Nottingham colleagues and continued my trek up north to
Scotland, where I visited Dr. Ruth Ross and Prof. Roger Pertwee of the
University of Aberdeen’s Institute of Medical Science. Cannabinoid receptor pharmacologists the
world over are more than familiar with the work of Ruth and Roger, who have
made many significant contributions to our understanding of both exogenous
and endogenous cannabinoid ligands and the targets on which they act. A particularly important recent finding
from Ruth’s group, and one in which I have a vested interest, is the
identification of the first allosteric modulators of the cannabinoid CB1
receptor, a finding that promises to pave the way for new and more selective
cannabinoid receptor therapeutics.
Although the department was rather depleted of people due to an
overlapping conference and holiday period, I nonetheless had a very enjoyable
time delivering a seminar on “Complex
pharmacology” (i.e., the pharmacology of complexes) to an enthusiastic
core of biologists and chemists.
Afterwards, Ruth and Roger treated me to one of the best curry house
experiences I have had – and I got to sample some very fine local scotch
too. So, overall, a great time was
had in Aberdeen. Finally, on July 7th
I started working my way back south again via Glasgow, where I attended the
Life Sciences 2007 meeting and delivered my Plenary Lecture entitled “New tricks for old dogs: Allosteric
modulation of G protein-coupled receptors”. The Life Sciences meeting was a large joint meeting of the BPS,
the Physiological Society and the Biochemical Society, and thus was
characterised by a very high calibre of both science and choices from start
to finish. During this meeting, I was
hosted by Prof. Graeme Henderson (President of the BPS) and Steve Hill (who
was also Chair of the Organising Committee), and was fortunate to have caught
fantastic presentations from some of the biggest names in the field,
including Roger Tsien, Graeme Milligan (kilt and all), Mark von Zastrow,
Michel Bouvier, Morley Hollenberg, Eamonn Kelly and our very own Roger
Summers (sterling as always). A
personal highlight for me was when David Colquhoun, one of the most eminent
receptor and ion channel pharmacologists of our time, presented me with an
unpublished manuscript, entitled “Why
the Schild method is better than Schild realised”, just before I
delivered my Plenary lecture. This
paper is, in essence, a follow up to David’s classic 1973 paper “The relation between classical and
cooperative models for drug action”, and I am especially grateful to him for sharing
this with me. I would like to conclude by thanking ASCEPT for
selecting me as this year’s Visitor to the BPS and for financial assistance
towards the trip. I would also like
to thank the BPS for hosting me, with a special mention to Steve Hill, Graeme
Henderson and Marie Lusty at the BPS office, as well as all the wonderful hosts
at the different institutes I visited, who really went out of their way to
make me feel welcome. This has
definitely been a career highlight for me, and I wish the scheme continued
success for many years to come. |
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ASMR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM –
MELBOURNE AUGUST 2007 REPORT BY KAREN KERR I was kindly sponsored by ASCEPT
to attend the Australian Society for Medical Research professional
development program in Melbourne this year. I found it inspiring to listen
to talks by talented and experienced speakers. There were 4 sessions, facilitated by Dr Moira Clay. She got us to stand up at one point and
asked questions with those getting the answer incorrect, sitting down until
there was only one person left standing, who got a prize. I found this a good thing to do as a break
during a 3 hour practical class! The sessions – ‘The road to a
successful career in medical research’, ‘Attracting grants and fellowships’,
and ‘How to run a successful research group’ - were all informative, interesting and relevant. ‘How to translate your discovery into a
clinical outcome’ was the least interesting to me as I have not made a
discovery. The programs in Brisbane
and Sydney were different and I appreciated that the power points of these
presentations were made available to me by e-mail, so I did not feel that I
was missing out on anything worthwhile.
The venue (Marriott Melbourne, Exhibition St) was easy to get to by
tram. Another useful venue would be
the Treacy Conference Centre, 126 The Avenue, Parkville, which is opposite
the Victorian College of Pharmacy (another potential venue) in Walker
St. There is plenty of parking at the
Zoo which is a 10 min walk away.
Otherwise the venues are easily accessible from the city by tram. I particularly enjoyed the
opportunity to mix with and meet other researchers. I actually met a collaborator from another campus that I have
been working with for over a year for the first time face to face. I also got some information about finding
out about philanthropic grants from someone that I was chatting to during
lunch time. This workshop was advertised for
mid-career scientists. I only wish
that I had attended such a workshop as an early-career scientist. I would definitely recommend that others
attend this type of workshop. I feel
that the opportunity to network is as important as the content of the
sessions. I think it would be a good
idea if there could be regular meetings such as a 30 min talk followed by a
wine and cheese at a city location where a range of researchers from
different institutions could meet and network. This could take place every 2-3 months. I would like to express my
thanks to ASCEPT for sponsoring me to attend this Development Program. |
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PHARMACEUTICAL
SCIENCES WORLD CONGRESS 2007 REPORT BY RIMA CACCETTA The
meeting attracted over 1500 delegates, 29 participants were from Australia.
There were 6 parallel sessions plus poster sessions each day and a total of 6
keynote presentations. Please click here
to view a brief program of the meeting. I
presented two posters one on 23 April (Increased transdermal delivery of
local anaesthetics by the novel penetration enhancement technology
Dermaporation; in vitro and in vivo assessment) and the other
on 25 April (Particle bone contaminants: skin exposure following penetration
of the personal protective equipment and effective decontamination
protocols). The posters are available on the Curtain University, School of
Pharmacy website (http://pharmacy.curtin.edu.au/home/news.cfm#news_605).
The posters attracted interest and I benefited enormously from the
interaction with the other researches in the area. Thank you
for your support. |
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22nd MALASIAN SOCIETY
OF PHARMACOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY 2008 It is
with great pleasure that we invite your participation at the 22nd Scientific
Meeting of the Malaysian Society of Pharmacology and Physiology (MSPP). This meeting will be held at the
University of Malaya and members of the organising committee both
Pharmacologists and Physiologists have accepted the challenge and privilege
of organising this meeting. We have
put together, it is hoped, a very interesting and exciting scientific
programme for both our local and international delegates. We have even endeavoured, within the
constraints of the budget, to invite eminent investigators from around the
globe to share their reservoir of scientific knowledge, particularly in the
area of translational research, hence the theme of the conference– ‘from
molecule to man.’ We have not lost
sight of the fundamentals of pharmacology and physiology research and
education, and thus we have organised pre-
and post-conference workshops in these areas. These include workshops
on the applications of PowerLab for life science research and PCR technology
as well as a PBL cum Computer-Aided Learning workshop. It is an expression of
the MSPP commitment to excellence in the teaching and learning of
Pharmacology and Physiology. With the
enormous advances in research technologies and strategies, investigators and
teachers alike are increasingly faced with many challenges. It is our fervent hope that this meeting
will provide an excellent opportunity for participants to interact with local
and international peers in productive scientific discourse. With this note, on behalf of the
organising committee, I would like to extend my warmest invitation to all delegates
to the 22nd Scientific Meeting of the MSPP 2008, in Kuala Lumpur. Josephine Mok Shiueh Lian Chairperson of the Organising Committee The MSPP Scientific meeting will
be in Kuala Lumpur, April 5-6, 2008. Please
visit the website at www.mspp2008.org to register and
upload your abstracts. |
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WESTERN
PHARMACOLOGY SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING 2008
The Western Pharmacology Society annual meeting will be on
the Kona Coast of Hawaii January 27th through the 31st of 2008. Please join us!!! The
deadline of early registration for WPS2008 has been extended to 17 December
2007 and the abstract submission deadline to 30 December 2007. Please visit the website at www.westernpharmsoc.org to
register and upload your abstracts. We have travel support available for students that
otherwise cannot afford to attend and there will be awards for the best
student presentations. We have a terrific program in store for you, please visit
the website and check it out. |
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WORLD CONFERENCE ON
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY AND THERAPEUTICS - CPT2008 The Organizing Committee, the Canadian
Society for Clinical Pharmacology (CSCP) and the International Union of
Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology (IUPHAR), look forward to welcoming in
2008 a broad cross-section of those interested in clinical pharmacology,
clinical pharmacy, pharmacology and toxicology and improved therapeutics to
support better health outcomes. The Scientific Committee has put together an
exciting program that will appeal to attendees whose interests range from the
molecular to community health. New sciences of pharmacogenomics and
proteomics will be well represented.
ACCOMMODATION A limited
number of rooms have been reserved on behalf of participants in several
hotels located in downtown Québec City and in the vicinity of the Québec City
Convention Centre. Reservations will be managed through the Central Housing
Bureau of Québec City Tourism, to take advantage of the special rates
negotiated for the Conference. You are
reminded to reserve your accommodation early. July is a peak tourist season
in Québec City. Also, due to the 400th Anniversary of the Founding of Québec
City, hotel rooms may be more difficult to find. BOOK YOUR ROOM NOW FOR CPT 2008 Map
(location of the hotels) MORE INFORMATION For the
meeting website, please click here For the
current program at a glance, please click here For the full
list of symposia, please click here |
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ASCEPT 2008The 2008 ASCEPT
Annual Scientific meeting will run within the 4th Australian Health and
Medical Research Congress will be held November 16-21, 2008 in the Brisbane
Convention and Exhibition Centre. Organisers have commenced preparation of
the congress program, so please mark these dates in your 2008 diaries. Roselyn
Rose’Meyer Queensland member on Council |
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FORTHCOMING CONFERENCES Please click here for a list of
meetings that may be of interest to members. These are displayed on the
ASCEPT website. |
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NEWS FROM OTHER ORGANISATIONS Please click on the relevant links for any news from other
organisations that may be of interest to ASCEPT members. Australian Society for Medical Research Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies
(FASTS) Elections for
FASTS Executive 2008
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INFORMATION FROM PREVIOUS ISSUESPlease click here for more news, jobs and information that have appeared in past
issues of the ASCEPT newsletter that are now displayed on our ASCEPT website. |
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The next E-News will be sent out in the new year. If there is
information you would like to include, please email it to athina@meetingsfirst.com.au.
ASCEPT Newsletter Editor
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Please do not hesitate to contact Meetings First, our ASCEPT
Secretariat, if you have any queries: Angela, Athina and Jennifer Phone +61
3 9739 7697 Fax +61
3 9739 7076 Email ascept@meetingsfirst.com.au
Web www.ascept.org |
