ASCEPT October E-news 2007

October 2007 E-Newsletter

of the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists

Welcome to the October edition of ASCEPT eNews.

In this issue we congratulate Geoff Isbister and Arthur Christopoulous for winning 2007 Cosmos Bright Sparks Awards.

The closing date for nominations for the new ASCEPT awards is 2^nd November, awards will be presented at the 2007 AGM in Adelaide.

We bring to your attention the latest issue of the British Journal of Pharmacology, where Michael Lew has published articles to promote good statistical practice in pharmacology.

Several meetings are advertised including the 4^th National Symposium on Advances in Urogenital Research, the World Conference on Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, the National Forum on Education in Biomedical Sciences and a reminder that the joint SEAWP-ASCEPT meeting early bird registrations close October 31^st.

We congratulate members who have successfully obtained funding from recently announced NCG schemes and are seeking feedback from ASCEPT members who have been successful in obtaining awards or grants.

We continue to encourage members to seek sponsorship for seminar programs and remind you that the 2007 Australian Medicines Handbook is still available at a discounted rate.

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

ANNOUNCING AUSTRALIA'S TOP 10 YOUNG SCIENTISTS

Winners of the 2007 Cosmos Bright Sparks Awards

26 September 2007

Plants that extract gold from soil … chips that accelerate the Internet by 1,000 times … a malaria vaccine targeting pregnant women … nano-materials that remove pollutants from the environment … super-drugs that treat cancer and eliminate side-effects. These are just some of the stunning innovations by this year's Cosmos Bright Sparks, the country's top 10 scientists under 40 as selected by Cosmos magazine.

Each of the 10 winners – selected by the editors and the magazine's stellar Editorial Advisory Board (including Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin) – are profiled in the Oct/Nov 2007 issue of Cosmos, on sale nationally on Wednesday 26 September.

"Australia produces some of the finest scientists in the world, and many of them show exceptional talent early in their careers. The Bright Sparks Awards is our way of giving this excellence the recognition it deserves," said Wilson da Silva, Editor-in-Chief of Cosmos. "These young men and women will have a resounding impact on society for generations to come."

The 2007 Cosmos Bright Sparks Award winners are:

Christopher Barner-Kowollik	Polymer chemistry	University of New South Wales
Stuart Batten	Chemistry & crystals	Monash University, Melbourne
James Beeson	Prevention & control of disease	Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne
Barry Brook	Ecology & climate change	University of Adelaide
Rachel Caruso	Chemistry & solar energy	University of Melbourne
Arthur Christopoulos	Pharmacology	Monash University, Melbourne
Ben Eggleton	Silicon photonics	University of Sydney
Alex Hamilton	Semiconductor nanoelectronics	University of New South Wales
Andrew Harris	Sustainable technology	University of Sydney
Geoff Isbister	Pharmacology	Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin

NEW ASCEPT AWARDS - CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

ASCEPT council are delighted to announce the following 4 new awards:

1. ASCEPT Early Career Best Paper Award in Pharmacology and Toxicological Science

2. ASCEPT Mid Career Best Paper Award in Pharmacology and Toxicology Science

3. The ASCEPT Achievement award (for outstanding service to Australasian pharmacology or Toxicology), and

4. the ASCEPT Teaching Excellence Award

We are now calling for applications and nominations for these 4 awards

1. ASCEPT members who are more than 3 years and less than 7 years post PhD are eligible for the ASCEPT Early Career Best Paper Award in Pharmacology and Toxicological Sciences. We will consider one original (not review) research paper per nominee only, published in the previous calendar year (ie Jan 1 2006 - Dec 31 2006 for the 2007 award). Your application is to include a copy of the paper, a statement addressing the significance of the paper within pharmacology and toxicology (100 words). Applications will be judged by the SAC. These awards will be called for once a year. Applications for the 2007 award are now open and are due COB Friday November 2nd 2007. The successful candidate will be awarded a plaque and $1,000 at the 2007 AGM.

2. ASCEPT members who are more than 7 years and less than 13 years post PhD are eligible for the ASCEPT Mid Career Best Paper Award in Pharmacology and Toxicological Sciences. We will consider one original (not review) research paper per nominee only, published in the previous calendar year (ie Jan 1 2006 - Dec 31 2006 for the 2007 award). Your application is to include a copy of the paper, a statement addressing the significance of the paper within pharmacology and toxicology (100 words). Applications will be judged by the SAC. These awards will be called for once a year. Applications for the 2007 award are now open and are due COB Friday November 2nd 2007. The successful candidate will be awarded a plaque and $1,000 at the 2007 AGM.

3. We are now also seeking nominations (not applications, you can't put your own hand up) for the ASCEPT Achievement Award (for outstanding service to Australasian pharmacology or toxicology). Nominees can be at any career stage (young or less young, working or retired), but have made a significant (beyond-the-call of-duty) contribution to the society itself or to the disciplines of pharmacology or toxicology. Each nominee should be nominated and seconded by two ASCEPT members, rather than individuals applying. Please include in the nomination a summary statement illustrating why you think this person should be recognised by ASCEPT in this way, a brief CV of the nominee, and of course an indication that the nominee is willing to be nominated. Nominations for the 2007 award are now open and are due COB Friday November 2nd 2007. The ASCEPT Executive will select the successful candidate from the nominees, and they will be awarded a plaque and $1,000 at the 2007 AGM.

3. We are now also seeking nominations (not applications, you can't put your own hand up) for the ASCEPT Teaching Excellence Award (for outstanding service to Education in the fields of Australasian pharmacology or Toxicology). Each nominee should be nominated and seconded by two ASCEPT members, rather than individuals applying. Please include in the nomination a summary statement illustrating why you think this person should be recognised by ASCEPT in this way, a brief CV of the nominee, and of course an indication that the nominee is willing to be nominated. Nominations for the 2007 award are now open and are due COB Friday November 2nd 2007. The ASCEPT Executive will select the successful candidate from the nominees, and they will be awarded a plaque and $1,000 at the 2007 AGM.

Please send applications and nominations (as appropriate) for these awards to the team at Meetings First ascept@meetingsfirst.com.au

We look forward to being inundated with these!!

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact Angela, Athina or Jennifer.

Rebecca Ritchie

ASCEPT Secretary

STATISTICS IN PHARMACOLOGY

The commentary “Reviews on Statistical Practice in Pharmacological Experiments” by D Spina is available free online, from the Website; http://www.nature.com/bjp/index.html.

The British Journal of Pharmacology has commissioned a series of articles, which give helpful advice for pharmacologists regarding uses and abuses of statistics. In the first two articles of this series, Michael Lew provides important examples, which demonstrate how presentation of data in certain guises can be potentially misleading, the importance of using data transformation to normalize variance across treatment groups and how to employ analysis of variance for data analysis.

M Lew. REVIEW: Good statistical practice in pharmacology. Problem 1. British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 152, 295-298

M Lew. REVIEW: Good statistical practice in pharmacology. Problem 2. British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 152, 299-303

4TH NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ADVANCES IN UROGENITAL RESEARCH

Date: 23rd November, 2007

Location: Victorian College of Pharmacy, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VICTORIA

Registration deadline: 12^th November, 2007

Abstract submission deadline: 12^th November, 2007

The 4th Advances in Urogenital Research Symposium will be held in Melbourne. The purpose of this scientific meeting is to bring together basic and clinical scientists with interests in urogenital physiology, pharmacology and disease to address the recent advances in their areas of basic and clinical research. The meeting also aims to promote improved collaboration in the area of urogenital research and medicine amongst scientists and clinicians in universities, research institutes and hospitals.

The one-day symposium will cover advances in bladder research, as well as female and male reproductive health. Free poster communications will also be a feature of the symposium. Registration will be free for all students. Travel support will be available to interstate students and eligible post-doctoral fellows.

For information regarding registration or abstract submission, please contact Liz Burcher (e.burcher@unsw.edu.au) or Sab Ventura (sab.ventura@vcp.monash.edu.au), respectively.

Please click here to download the registration/abstract form.

Confirmed speakers and chairs include:

- Anna Rosamilia (Melbourne)

- Helen O’Connell (Melbourne)

- Helena Parkington (Melbourne)

- Jocelyn Pennefather (Melbourne)

- Russ Chess-Williams (Gold Coast)

- Kate Moore (Sydney)

Local Organisers:

- Sab Ventura

- Betty Exintaris

- Jocelyn Pennefather

- Elizabeth Burcher

Congratulations to all ASCEPT members who were successful in receiving a grant.

ASCEPT council congratulates all our members who were successful in the recent NHMRC/ARC funding announcements. Commiserations are offered to all those who were unsuccessful, and we wish you luck for next year. As part of Council assessing the impact of our research, what we offer to our members (and how we can add to this) and to allow us to highlight our success when promoting the society we request information from members with successful grant applications. If you have received a grant, fellowship or award, we would be very pleased if you could please let us know - a list of CIs, the grant title and the type of grant/award would be fantastic.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Commiserations are sent to all those who were unsuccessful and we wish you luck for next year.

WESTERN PHARMACOLOGY SOCIETY – ANNUAL MEETING 2008

On behalf of the Western Pharmacology Society, I welcome you to 51^st Annual WPS Meeting at the Marriott Resort on Hawaii’s beautiful Kona Coast from January 27 to 31, 2008.

The WPS is one of the oldest Pharmacology societies, holding its first meeting in San Francisco in 1958. WPS is an international Society with major membership from the western regions of the United States, Canada, and Mexico with many other countries represented. Over the years, the Society has extended a welcome to those who have attended the annual meetings from Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. This year, we are delighted to have a joint symposium with Australian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, which brings scientists from Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom to the meeting.

The goal of the meeting is to share current science and promote the success of future pharmacologists. This is reflected by this year’s scientific program, which includes five focused symposia: Estrogen and Woman’s Health, Fetal Origins of Cardiovascular Disease, DNA Methylation and Cancer Therapy, Pharmacogenomics, and Emerging Understanding in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. In the tradition of the society, symposia will be held in the morning with afternoons free for golf, swimming, sightseeing and all around fun and relaxation. The poster sessions will be conducted in the evenings; wine and cheese will be served. These sessions are invariably well received as they give our students an opportunity to present their work and receive constructive criticism and suggestions from many expert scientists in attendance. I would like to encourage all participants, especially graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, to take advantage of this and other opportunities during the meeting for informal collegial interaction and exchange of ideas.

WPS honors two of its past members who were instrumental in the growth and success of the Society. The meeting will begin with the Tom Burks Memorial Award Lecture on Sunday evening at 6:00 pm followed immediately by a hosted reception. I am delighted that Nobel Laureate, Professor Louis Ignarro from the University of California Los Angeles will deliver the Tom Burks keynote lecture describing the history and discovery of nitric oxide as a signaling molecule. This year’s Keith Killam Award Lecture will be given on Wednesday.

I am certain that you will enjoy the meeting scientifically and socially, and will be pleased with the nature beauty of the Kona Coast. Please join us, and we look forward to seeing you in Hawaii!

http://www.westernpharmsoc.org/

Aloha!

Lubo Zhang, PhD

Professor of Pharmacology & Physiology

Center for Perinatal Biology

Department of Pharmacology and Physiology

Loma Linda University

School of Medicine

Loma Linda, CA 92350

Linda Hedley, WPS Secretary

lindahedley@sbcglobal.net

NATIONAL FORUM ON EDUCATION IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES – DECEMBER 2007

A warm invitation is extended to all those interested to participate in the National Forum on Education in Biomedical Sciences at Monash University on 11 December 2007.

The School of Biomedical Sciences at Monash University is hosting this forum, which will deal with some key issues of Biomedical Science Education in its broadest context. The topics covered will be relevant not only to education in degree courses in biomedical science, as such, but will also encompass tertiary education in science, biotechnology and other areas where the biomedical sciences play a central role.

The National Forum on Education in Biomedical Sciences has received sponsorship from the Australian Academy of Science and a number of discipline societies, as follows:

Australian Physiological Society
Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Australian Society for Microbiology
Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists
Endocrine Society of Australia
Genetics Society of AustralAsia

The keynote speaker will be Trevor Anderson from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, whose expertise is in the area of concept learning. The forum is an exciting continuation and extension of the cross-disciplinary dialogue in Biomedical Education begun by Jeff Schwartz in Adelaide in 2004 and I hope many of you will be able to attend our Forum at Monash.

There will be a range of presenters from both from overseas and from all round Australia.

Could I please ask that you not only consider attending yourself but that you also bring the Forum to the attention of staff in your University involved in teaching in the Biomedical/Medical Sciences area.

The website for the Forum can be found at:

http://www.med.monash.edu.au/sobs/

The registration form and a draft program are available within that webpage. There is no registration fee for the Forum.

However, we do need to receive a completed registration from all participants well in advance of the meeting (by 12 November, please), so we can arrange catering and name badges, as well as being able to attend to other aspects of the Forum that depend on the numbers attending.

Information about the Monash University Clayton Campus, how to get there, and accommodation information is also directly accessible from the webpage.

Kind regards

Phillip Nagley

JOINT SEAWP – ASCEPT MEETING 2007

On behalf of the Southeast Asian Western Pacific (SEAWP) Regional Federation of Pharmacologists and the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists (ASCEPT), we would like to invite you to participate in the combined Scientific Meeting of the two societies.

Apart from ASCEPT, the SEAWP Federation includes the national pharmacological societies of Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines. Thus, the conference will truly be regional in nature.

To be held at the Hilton Adelaide from December 2 - 6, the theme of the SEAWP-ASCEPT meeting is 'Drug and chemical safety'. In this regard, we are delighted that Dr William Evans will open the meeting with a presentation on 'personalised medicine'. Other distinguished plenary speakers include Professor Masao Endoh (Japan), Professor Samuel Chan (Taiwan), and Professor Munir Pirmohamed (Rand Anglo-Australian visitor). The program includes eleven symposia and several workshops that include high quality speakers and cutting edge science.

We are also collaborating with the High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia, who will be holding their Annual Scientific Meeting at the same venue from December 5 - 7. There will be two joint cardiovascular symposia, and Professor Ian Frazer will present a plenary lecture to all societies.

For further information please click here.

Please mark these three key dates into your diaries!

October 31 - Early bird registrations close

This month we would like to feature the following nine speakers of the ASCEPT-SEAWP meeting. Click on the names below to view their biographies.

Rob Vandenberg

ASCEPT Scientific Advisory Committee, Chair

Principal Sponsor

Gold Sponsor

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.

The conference will be held July 27 to August 1, 2008 in Quebec City and the celebration of 400 years of Québec history will provide an outstanding backdrop to sizzling science.

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

AHMRC 2008

The 4th Australian Health and Medical Research Congress will be held November 16-21, 2008 in the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. The 2008 ASCEPT Annual Scientific meeting will run within the Congress. Organisers have commenced preparation of the congress program, so please send any ideas for symposia to Rob Vandenberg (robv@med.usyd.edu.au), Chair of the ASCEPT Scientific Advisory Committee.

Roselyn Rose’Meyer

Queensland member on Council

SPONSORSHIP FOR PHARMACOLOGY/TOXICOLOGY SEMINAR SERIES

ASCEPT is offering sponsorship for pharmacology seminar series.

As announced at the 2006 AGM, ASCEPT will offer an incentive to departments to encourage or invite members to present.

When 5 members within an institution renew their membership, the institute will be able to apply for $500 for use in their seminar program. The seminars must have the ASCEPT logo appear at the start and end of the seminar, by using a PowerPoint slide provided by the Secretariat and have membership brochures provided available on the day. Up to 10 members from each institute may apply with a maximum of $1000 available.

ASCEPT will advertise the seminar programs on the ASCEPT website/e-news. The Institute should nominate a contact person. They can be student or full members, but their fees must have been paid for 2007. Please click here and complete the form.

AUSTRALIAN MEDICINES HANDBOOK

ASCEPT Members can save up to $77 when they buy AHM, the independent medicines reference preferred by Australian health professionals.

Australian Medicines Handbook has become the preferred independent, evidence-based medicines reference for Australian health professionals.

The print version of our 2006 edition went to a second printing less than six months after its release – and still sold out in record time.

AMH has tens of thousands of users throughout the health-case system, including pharmacies, medical practices, hospitals, aged care facilities, universities (including medicine, pharmacy and nursing facilities) and a wide range of health professionals with an interest in the Quality Use of Medicines.

Our independence provides assurance in an uncertain world. AMH has no advertising, sponsorship or editorial input from drug manufacturers or any other commercial organisations.

Our editorial staff, reviewers and Editorial Advisory Board members are all Australia-based pharmacists, medical practitioners, scientists, researchers and academics.

AMH includes information on drug classes, as well as individual drug monographs containing new/revised evidence and comparative data covering indications, dosage information, formulations, adverse effects, practice points, special populations, etc. The appendices include a substantial drug interactions guide.

AMH is a joint project of the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists (ASCEPT), the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).

Please visit www.amh.net.au or email amh@amh.net.au to order.