IMMUNOTOXICOLOGYSpecialty Section
Pre-SOT Edition
2017-2018
Executive Committee

President’s Message

Greeting ITSS Members! I trust by now that everyone has
solidified plans for attending the 57th Annual Meeting of the Societyof Toxicology in San Antonio. The meeting is right around the corner
and will be upon us before we know it. There are a number of great
Vice President
Immunotoxicology session to be presented at this year’s SOTJamie DeWitt
meeting including a CE course, symposium, and poster sessions.
An update on the program will be provided later in thisVice President-Elect
newsletter by Dr. Jamie DeWitt, Program Chair for the 2018 SOT
Emanuela Corsiini
meeting. On behalf of ITSS, big thanks go out to Jamie and theProgram Committee for their efforts to build a great program. I also
Secretary/Treasurer
send thanks to the members who devoted time and effort to submit
Stacey Anderson
program proposals. Please take this as a reminder to get your best
science together and submit a program proposal for the 2019
Past President
meeting.
Send
proposals
toDr.
EmanuelaCorsini
L. Peyton Myers(emanuela.corsini@unimi.it). See the think tank update from the
ITSS Scientific Advisory Board later in the newsletter.
Senior Councilor
I encourage everyone to attend the ITSS Business Meeting
Rodney Prelland mixer that will be held on Tuesday, 13 Mar 18, from 6-7:30pm in
the Grand Hyatt Texas F room. This meeting provides an opportunity
Junior Councilor
for networking and discussions with friends and colleagues. You will
Jessica Lynch
also be able to meet the new incoming ITSS Executive Committee
members (VP Elect and Junior Councilor) following the recent
Postdoc Representativeelections in January. Join me in welcoming Mark Collinge (Pfizer) as
Angela Grovesincoming VP Elect and Jennifer Wheeler (Bristol-Myers Squibb ) as
incoming Junior Councilor; congratulations and welcome aboard. I
Student Representative
would like to share a tip for everyone regarding elections. If you have
Jiajun (Brian) Zhou
not completed your membership renewal prior to release of theballot, you will not receive the notification from SOT. Please
The Immunotoxicology Specialty Section
remember to renew your membership in December so that we have
(ITSS) Newsletter is published three times
a year (Summer, Fall, and Winter). If you accurate representation of the membership for voting.
The ITSS Business meeting is also a time to celebrate
would like to share an item of interest withmembers of the ITSS, please send it to the successes of colleagues and present awards to our members.
President
Victor J. Johnson

Communications Committee Chair. Allcomments and suggestions are welcome.

Jiajun (Brian) Zhou
zhoujiaj@msu.edu
Angela Groves
Angela_Groves@URMC
Rochester.edu
Jessica Lynch
jlynch18@ITS.JNJ.com

February 2018

President’s Message…………..………………………………….……1
Science Corner................................................................................3
ITSS Program at SOT......................................................................4
Student Post-doctoral Report ……............................……....….…..6
Immunotoxicology @ SOT 2018..........………...….…….......….......6
Member Spotlight......................………..............….…….......….......9
Announcemnet..............................................................................12
Report from JSIT..................…......................................................13
Endowment Fund Established.......................................................16
Job Opportunity.............................................................................17
Recent Immunotoxicology Publications.........................................18
1

Immunotoxicology Specialty Section

President’s Message
Thanks to all of the nominators and applicants, the awards committees were busy this year with all of thestellar candidates. The results of ITSS awards will be revealed at the Business meeting. SOT National
awards have been announced so please join in congratulating fellow immunotoxicologists Dr. Judy Zelikoff(SOT Education Awardee) and Dr. Linda Birnbaum (Arnold J. Lehman Awardee), great work!
Speaking of awards, I would like to make a very special announcement, the Mitzi and Prakash
Nagarkatti Research Excellence in Immunotoxicology Award Fund was established in 2017 and has been
growing. We are proud to inform the Nagarkatti’s and ITSS membership that this fund was able to provide a
travel award to a very talented graduate student and budding young immunotoxicologist. Each year, SOT will
match all endowment fund contributions dollar-for-dollar, up to the first $60,000 (July to July is the cycle,
information available at https://www.toxicology.org/endowment/). As of Feb 19th, $52,257 of this pot has
been committed. That means there is still an opportunity to get your contribution to the ITSS endowment
funds matched, let’s make them grow!
I won’t take any more of your time as this newsletter is packed with great reading for you to enjoy! I
look forward to seeing everyone at the SOT meeting in San Antonio.
Best regards,
Vic Johnson, PhD
Burleson Research Technologies

February 2018

2

Immunotoxicology Specialty Section

Science CornerIn our first edition of Science Corner, we are pleased to highlight an exciting symposium sponsoredby the Immunotoxicology Specialty Section at the upcoming SOT meeting: “Novel Insights on Chemical-Induced Immunotoxicity: Microvesicles and microRNA Dysregulation”, chaired by Emanuela Corsini andco-chaired by Stacey Anderson. This session will provide insight into the world of microvesicles and microRNAs (miRNAs), believed to play a central role in multiple physiological and pathological processes, including inflammation, autoimmunity, atherosclerosis, and cancer. The miRNA-mediated coordinated control ofgene expression has been shown to be crucial in immunity, promoting and fine-regulating appropriate
immune responses. In addition, both microRNA and microvesicles are very promising tools in identifying
early alterations induced by chemical exposure, which can revolutionize both monitoring and toxicologicalassessment. The aim of this symposium is to provide novel insights on the mechanisms of action of immunotoxic compounds focusing on microRNA and microvesicles.
George Calin, the first speaker, will provide an introduction to the world of microRNAs, including theirdiscovery, roles in physiological and pathological conditions, and use as biomarkers. Andrea Baccarelli, thesecond speaker, will present data showing influences of environmental exposures on EV-encapsulatedRNAs and potential links with several adverse health outcomes, including immunotoxicity. Kelan Tantisiraand Stacey Anderson, the last two speakers, will focus on the role of microRNAs in allergic phenomena
both in humans and in experimental models. Challenges, limitations, and opportunities in this emerging fieldin environmental health sciences will be discussed.
We would like to invite and encourage the ITSS membership to attend this wonderfully informationaland remarkably relevant session!
If you are interested in learning more about this topic, the following articles are recommended forsupplemental reading:• Bailey WJ, Glaab WE. Accessible miRNAs as Novel Toxicity Biomarkers. Int J Toxicol. 2018 Jan 1:1091581817752405. doi:
10.1177/1091581817752405.
• Alivernini S, Gremese E, McSharry C, Tolusso B, Ferraccioli G, McInnes IB, Kurowska-Stolarska M. MicroRNA-155-at theCritical Interface of Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Arthritis. Front Immunol. 2018 Jan 5;8:1932. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2017.01932.
• Drury RE, O'Connor D, Pollard AJ. The Clinical Application of MicroRNAs in Infectious Disease. Front Immunol. 2017 Sep
25;8:1182. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2017.01182.
• Self-Fordham JB, Naqvi AR, Uttamani JR, Kulkarni V, Nares S. MicroRNA: Dynamic Regulators of Macrophage Polarization
and Plasticity. Front Immunol. 2017 Aug 31;8:1062. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01062.
• Foster PS, Maltby S, Rosenberg HF, Tay HL, Hogan SP, Collison AM, Yang M, Kaiko GE, Hansbro PM, Kumar RK, Mattes J.
Modeling T(H) 2 responses and airway inflammation to understand fundamental mechanisms regulating the pathogenesis ofasthma. Immunol Rev. 2017 Jul;278(1):20-40. doi: 10.1111/imr.12549.
• Wang Z, Lu Q, Wang Z. Epigenetic Alterations in Cellular Immunity: New Insights into Autoimmune Diseases. Cell Physiol
Biochem. 2017;41(2):645-660. doi: 10.1159/000457944.
• Smolle MA, Calin HN, Pichler M, Calin GA. Noncoding RNAs and immune checkpoints-clinical implications as cancer therapeutics. FEBS J. 2017 Jul;284(13):1952-1966. doi: 10.1111/febs.14030.

Stefanie Burleson, Ph.D.
Burleson Research Technologies

February 2018

3

Immunotoxicology Specialty Section

ITSS Programs at SOT
Please contribute a program proposal
for the SOT 2019 Annual Meeting!
Dear members of the ITSS,
For the 2018 Annual Meeting, the ITSS endorsed
a continuing education course on “The Basics of
Immunotoxicity Testing.” Over 160 Annual Meeting
attendees have registered to attend this course,which highlights that SOT members want programs
focused on issues in immunotoxicology!
We need your contributions and new ideas for attractive and winning roundtables, workshops,
symposia, and continuing education programs (the competition is very robust)! Your active participation in theSpecialty Section is vital for the section itself. Please start thinking about what topics you would like to see atthe 2019 Annual Meeting and lead the team of presenters for that topic! Send your proposals to the Chair of2019 ITSS Program Committee, Emanuela Corsini (emanuela.corsini@unimi.it) by April 15th, 2018, so that
we may help you to submit the most competitive proposal possible.
SOT is already gearing up for the 2019 Annual Meeting. They rolled out an alternative session format
http://toxchange.toxicology.org/p/bl/et/blogid=9&blogaid=2542 and hosted a Webinar on how to develop
competitive scientific session proposals on 2/15/18. Detailed directions for developing and submitting
proposals will be available in the near future, so look for an email from us via SOT shortly after the 2018
Annual Meeting.
In addition, we would like to encourage your proposals for immunotoxicology sessions at the 2019
SOT Annual Meeting. Session/symposium proposals need to be in the SOT system by April 30. In order foryour proposal to be reviewed for endorsement by ITSS, please submit your title and abstract to Emanuela
Corsini (emanuela.corsini@unimi.it), by the ITSS internal deadline of April 15th. This will allow ITSS Program
Review Committee time to provide feedback and get ITSS endorsement prior to the SOT deadline of April 30.
Don't miss the opportunity to contribute to a program by submitting your scientific proposal! Thank you
in advance for your continuous support and contribution. We look forward to receiving your proposal!
In addition to the scientific strength of the session, please consider the following as you prepare yourproposals:• The session presentations should be designed to provide a cohesive thread throughout the session. The
design of the session should create a narrative around a theme, rather than a seemingly random collectionof presentations.
• The session should address a topical issue of broad general relevance, rather than a narrow topic of highinterest to fewer scientists.
• The session presenters should reflect a diversity of opinions/backgrounds to reflect perspectives fromindustry/regulators/academics.
• CE courses have a better chance of acceptance, as do roundtables – think about these formats as apossibility.
Emanuela Corsini
ITSS Vice President-Elect
Chair of 2019 ITSS Program Committee
Jamie DeWitt
ITSS Vice President

February 2018

4

Immunotoxicology Specialty Section

Student & Postdoctoral Report
The 57th annual Society of Toxicology (SOT) meeting is approaching and we hope that you are
excited to attend present your research at the meeting. We would like to kindly point out some of the many
exciting and amazing activities and networking events offered by SOT and ITSS for students and postdocs,
so that you can take full advantage of them!
On Sunday March 11th, refresh your immunology knowledge by attending the Continuing Education Courses, chaired by Dr. Jamie DeWitt. The course title is “An introduction to basics of immunotoxicity
testing”. In addition, from 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. on Sunday at the convention center, you can learn more about
specialty sections/regional chapters and catchup with fellow students and postdocs at the Student/Postdoctoral Scholar Mixer. This is an amazing opportunity to get more information about a number of
networking and educational events chaired by the Graduate Student Leadership Committee (GSLC) and
Postdoctoral Assembly, including: Chat with an Expert, Mentoring Breakfast, Trainee Discussions with
Plenary Session Presenters, and Poster Tours. If you are a postdoc, don’t miss the Postdoctoral
Assembly Luncheon on Tuesday, March 13th, 12:20 - 1:20 p.m.
Looking to learn more about career options in the field of toxicology? Attend the Career Exploration
through Speed Informational Interviews on Tuesday, March 13th, 1:25 - 2:45 p.m. Also, be sure not to missout on the always entertaining quiz show “Tox Showdown” on Tuesday, March 13th, 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Finally, please mark your calendars for the 4th annual ITSS Networking/mentoring Event on Tuesday, March 13th, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. at the Texas Ballroom F of the Grand Hyatt. At the event, you will be able
to sit down with experts from a variety of work sectors who will discuss their careers and answer any questions related to career development. Please stop by our poster at the Student/Postdoc mixer for more information.
If you would like to get involved in any of the ITSS committees, please contact Angela Groves (Angela_Groves@URMC.Rochester.edu) or Jiajun (Brian) Zhou (zhoujiaj@msu.edu).
We look forward to seeing you in San Antonio!
Angela Groves, Ph.D.
Jiajun (Brian) Zhou

February 2018

5

Immunotoxicology Specialty Section

Member Spotlight
When did you begin your career in immunotoxicology and what do you currently do?
I began my career in Immunotoxicology during my Ph.D research when I joined a lab studying themechanism by which dioxins affect human B cell function. I am currently working as an Immunotoxicologist
and a Study Director at Covance Laboratories.
How did you make the transition from Graduate Student/Post-doc to your current job?
Towards the end of my Ph.D, I was inclined towards working in the industry as the dynamism of thework that a toxicologist conducts appealed to me. I pursued a short postdoc and worked on a collaborative
project with Dow Chemical Company for two years. The project gave me a taste of toxicology studies
conducted in the industry. I conducted 28 day and 90 day in-life toxicology studies through which I received
training in protocol development and execution of these large rodent studies and increased myunderstanding of the different aspects of toxicological assessments including immunotoxicology,
histopathology, clinical chemistry etc. I think this project was instrumental in introducing me to the industry
culture and provided an understanding of different study designs, timelines and deliverables in the industry.
This bridge project involving collaboration between an academic lab and an industry sponsor helped me
make the industry transition.
How has having mentors and participating in mentoring events impacted your career growth
A lot of what I have learnt and the decisions that I have taken thus far, have been shaped by myinteractions with mentors. SOT has numerous mentoring initiatives and I took advantage of those to get
introduced to scientists across different sectors of the industry. For example: in contract research,
pharmaceutical industry, chemical and petrochemical industries. Each mentoring event has something new
to offer and each mentor has a different perspective. So getting introduced to these perspectives early on
helped steer decision making.
Why did you decide to pursue a career in industry?
Toxicology as a scientific discipline has an impact on day-to-day lives and this has always inspired me
to pursue a career in the industry which has direct widespread impact. I work in preclinical drug safety anddevelopment and I deal with studies on new therapeutics that must undergo safety testing before reaching
the clinic. The contribution of my work towards the larger goal of bringing safer drugs to the clinic was asignificant push towards my career choice.
When did you start participating in the ITSS?
I started participating in ITSS in 2010, approximately, during the second year of graduate school as avolunteer for the communications committee.
What has been the largest benefit, for you, of being an active participant in an SOT SS like the ITSS
or ITCASS?
Volunteer activities in scientific societies such as SOT not only satisfy your passion for service but offer
an equally enriching experience to know about the field in aspects that you cannot learn about by being a
graduate student in the laboratory. Therefore, it is difficult to pinpoint the largest benefit, however, the network
built through these volunteer activities in ITSS has helped identify mentors and given me an opportunity tomeet several peers in immunotoxicology and know more about their careers and their contributions.
Do you have any advice for someone who is considering becoming more involved in an SS?
I would encourage students and postdocs to consider being involved, not just for the sake of being
involved, but actually contribute to the Specialty section with the goal of making a difference. In the end, it is
all about balancing your time and work- graduate school or postdoctoral project responsibilities and yourlarger career goal.
February 2018

6

Immunotoxicology Specialty Section

Member Spotlight
What do you like the most about working in industry?
I like the dynamic and challenging work environment along with the work-life flexibility. The breadth of
exposure in working on different projects and the cross-functional teams fits my personality and satisfies mycareer interests.
Do you have any suggestions for students/postdocs that are interested in working in industry?
Seek mentors, keep a broad mind, network and be proactive.
What is one fun fact about yourself that you would like to share with others?
Most of my non-work time is spent playing with my daughter. Otherwise, I like to travel, hike, explore
the outdoors and practice my culinary skills in the kitchen.
Ashwini Phadnis-Moghe, Ph.D.
CovanceFebruary 20187

Immunotoxicology Specialty Section

Member Spotlight
When did you begin your career in immunotoxicology and what do you currently do?
I began my career in Biologics around 2 years ago as a study monitor. Given the nature of biologics
and targeted therapy, this also began my career in immunotoxicology.
How did you make the transition from Graduate Student/Post-doc to your current job?
The transition from graduate school to my current job took a lot of patience and research. I learned in
my research that there are certain skills the industry looks for in an ideal candidate. The challenge is, manyof those skills aren’t always a priority during your graduate training. I focused on speaking in public andpresenting science as much as I could, as well as working in groups and committees on campus so I could
get really good at working in teams. I made good use of LinkedIn and tried to learn from people who were
doing what I wanted do. Most importantly, I maintained good relationships with my network within the industry.
How has having mentors impacted your career growth?
Having mentors and career champions are critical especially because I’m early in my career.
Immunotoxicology and biotechnology is constantly evolving and we can learn so much from others who havebeen in the business. I rely on my mentors to give honest advice and feedback so I can learn to be an
impactful and effective scientist in this business.
Why did you decide to pursue a career in industry?
I knew early I wanted to pursue a career in industry. I interned in the industry during my bachelor’s
degree training and almost immediately fell in love with the blend of science, business and helping others. It
was the first time I saw three things I was passionate about, work so well together and I knew this was a good
fit for me.
When did you start participating in the ITSS?
2018
What do you hope to gain by participating in the ITSS?
Connect and learn from other immunotoxicologists.
What do you like the most about working in industry?
The collaborative nature of research and development and the impact we have on changing people’s lives.
Do you have any suggestions for students/postdocs that are interested in working in industry?
Do your homework. Learn the industry, the culture of the company you’re interested in and makemeaningful connections with people. Not so they can get you a job but so you can understand the field andhow their role plays a key part in the business. The more you understand the industry and the specific area
you’re interested in, the easier it is to prepare yourself and acquire or learn the appropriate skills to succeed.
What is one fun fact about yourself that you would like to share with others?
I’m a tap dancer. I trained in tap dancing for 12 years and took sporadic classes during graduate
school. I love to dance in general but I absolutely love tap dancing and making music with my feet. It’s also agreat workout which is a bonus!
T]ynisha Glover Ph.D.
Janssen BioTherapeutics

February 20188

Immunotoxicology Specialty Section

Announcement

Immunotoxicology Specity Section

Networking/Mentoruing Event
2018 information:
Date: Tuesday, March 13th
Location: Texas Ballroom F of the Grand Hyatt
Time: 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

NETWORKING

February 2018

9

Immunotoxicology Specialty Section

Immunotoxicology @ SOT 2018:
Sunday March 11th
CE Course
8:15 AM to 12:00 NOONAn Introduction to the Basics of Immunotoxicity Testing
Chairperson(s): Jamie DeWitt, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC;
and Sarah Blossom, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little
Rock, AR.

Monday March 12th
Opening Plenary Session
8:00 AM to 9:00 AM

Developing Genome-Edited Stem Cells for Therapy of Patients:
Assessing Efficacy and Toxicology.
Lecturer: Matthew H. Porteus, Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Symposium
9:15 AM to 12:00 NOON

Novel Insights on Chemical-Induced Immunotoxicity: Microvesicles
and microRNA Dysregulation.
Primary Endorser: Immunotoxicology Specialty Section.
-Introduction. George Calin, University of Texas, Houston, TX.
-Effects of Environmental Exposures on Microvesicles Release and Their
Contents. Andrea Baccarelli, Columbia University, New York, NY.
-Circulating microRNAs and Prediction of Airway Hyperresponsiveness.
Kelan Tantisira, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
-microRNA in Experimental Models of Chemical Sensitization. Stacey
Anderson, NIOSH, Morgantown, WV.

Symposium
9:15 AM to 12:00 NOON

Toxicological Implication of Copper in Neurodegenerative Diseases.
-Multifactorial Role of Copper Toxicity on Modulating Amyloid-Beta
Clearance Via microRNA and Inflammation. Masashi Kitazawa,
University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA

Symposium
9:15 AM TO 12:00 NOON

Understanding the Molecular Mechanisms of Zika Virus
Reproductive and Developmental Toxicity.
-Introduction: A Brief Overview of Zika Virus Infection and Current
Magnitude of Infection. Pedro Del Valle, US FDA, Silver Spring, MD.
-The Role of the Host Ubiquitin System in Zika Virus Replication andTissue Tropism. Ricardo Rajsbaum, University of Texas Medical Branch,
Galveston, TX.
-Zika Congenital Syndrome in Murine Experimental Model. Jean
Pierre S. Peron, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
-Mouse Model of Zika Virus Infection in Testis and Its Potential
Relevance to Mechanism of Infection in Human Testis and Male
Infertility. Prabagran Esakky, Washington University School of Medicine
in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO.
-Protective Efficacy of Multiple Vaccine Platforms against Zika Virus
Challenge in Rhesus Monkeys. Rafael Larocca, Harvard Medical
School, Boston, MA.
-Integrated Pest Management: A Multifaceted Approach to Vector
Control. Elizabeth Mendez, US EPA, Washington, DC.

February 201810

Immunotoxicology Specialty Section

Immunotoxicology @ SOT 2018:
Monday March 12th
Symposium
1:45 PM to 4:30 PM

Decoding Oxidative Stress from Inflammation: Implications for
Exposure, Toxicity, and Disease.
-Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress. Maria Kadiiska, NIEHS, Research
Triangle Park, NC.
-Role for NF-κB p50 in the Regulation of Chronic Neuroinflammation
by Free Radicals. Michelle Block, Indiana University School of Medicine,
Indianapolis, IN.
-Overcoming Bias in F2-Isoprostane Oxidative Stress Measurement:
Quantifying the Contribution of Inflammation. Thomas van’t Erve,
NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, NC.
-Inflammation Differentiated from Oxidative Stress in Reproductive
Epidemiology: Understanding the Environmental Impact on Birth
Outcomes. Kelly Ferguson, NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, NC.
-Emerging Indications of Biomarkers for Use in Humans within a
Cluster of Redox-Related Diseases: Relevance of Biomarkers of
Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, Antioxidants, and Redox Signaling.
Harald Schmidt, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.

Symposium
1:45 PM to 4:30 PM

Revising Biology: Using Genomic and Epigenomic Editing to Gain
Novel Insight into the Molecular Mechanisms of Toxic Exposure
Effects and Susceptibility.
-Use of CRISPR/Cas9 to Elucidate the Role of Nrf2 in the Responseof T Cells to Electrophilic and Oxidative Stress. Cheryl Rockwell,
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.

Poster
3:00 PM to 4:30 PM

Immunotoxicology
Inflammation

February 201811

Immunotoxicology Specialty Section

Immunotoxicology @ SOT 2018:
Tuesday, March 13th
Platform
8:00 AM to 10:45 AM

Immunotoxicity

Symposium
1:30 PM to 4:15 PM

Stressors from Within: Neuroendocrine Regulation of Air
Pollution-Induced Pulmonary and Systemic Health Effects.
-Neuroendocrine-Immune Effects of Stress in Health and Disease.
Firdaus Dhabhar, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami,
FL.

Poster
1:30 PM to 3:00 PM

Autoimmunity/Hypersensitivity
Oxidative Injury and Redox Biology

Wednesday, March 14th
Platform
8:00 AM to 10:45 AM

Autoimmunity/Hypersensitivity/Inflammation

Symposium
1:30 PM to 4:15 PM

Atherosclerosis as a Model to Understand the Combined Effects ofEnvironmental Chemical and Non-Chemical Stressors.
-Diet and Physical Activity as Modifiers of Pollutant-Induced
Inflammatory Diseases: Implications in Atherosclerosis. Bernhard
Hennig, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

Poster
1:30 PM to 3:00 PM

Nanotoxicity: Immunology

Thursday, March 15th
Informational
8:30 AM to11:15 AM

February 2018

The NIEHS Nanotechnology Health Implications Research (NHIR)
Consortium.
-Toxicological Profiling of Engineered Nanomaterials in theMononuclear Phagocyte System in the Liver and the Immune
System. Tian Xia, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

12

Immunotoxicology Specialty SectionReport from JSIT
Report from the 24th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Immunotoxicology
September 4th -5th, 2017 at School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University35-1 Higashi-23-bancho, Towada, Aomori 034-8628, Japan

Main theme of the meeting
New perspective of “immunoenhancement” and “immunosuppression”
Aim of the meeting
Autoimmunity or allergy is not necessarily initiated by immunoenhancement, but can be caused by evenimmunosuppression or normal immunity recognizing altered-self antigen or MHC.
Physiologicalimmunosuppression during pregnancy may be impaired by xenobiotics. Immunoenhancement andimmunosuppression as the phenotype of immunotoxicity need to be redefined. In this meeting,immunotoxicity will be discussed from new perspectives.
Program
Lecture open to local citizens
Fujio Kayama (Jichi Medical University) - Safety of rice as a staple food: Findings derived from nationwide
epidemiological study in cadmium intake
Special lectures
1. Danuta Herzyk (Merck Research Laboratories) - Immunotoxicity assessment of biopharmaceuticals– Past President of the SOT Immunotoxicology Specialty Section (ITSS) and selected delegate of ITSS,
sponsored by the International Exchange Committee program between ITSS and JSIT
2. Tsuyoshi Yokoi (Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine) - Involvement of immune-related factors
on idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury
Educational lecture
Takeharu Minamitani (National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition) - Autoimmune
diseases induced by virus infection
Symposium
Reproductive immunotoxicology: Immunological mechanism of pregnancy and its breakdown
1. Yosuke Maeda (Kitasato University) - Immunological changes during pregnancy in cows
2. Yoshie Kametani (Tokai University School of Medicine) - Immune tolerance in placenta
3. Tomoko Shima, Akitoshi Nakashima, Shigeru Saito (University of Toyama) - Regulatory T cells areimportant for implantation and maintainance of pregnancy
4. Koumei Shirasuna1, Nao Tanikawa1, Ayae Ozeki1, Akihide Ohkuchi2, Masafumi Takahashi2 (1Tokyo
University of Agriculture, 2Jichi Medical University) - Mechanisms of pregnancy complications caused bynanoparticles: possible role of sterile inflammation (inflammasomes) during pregnancy

February 201813

Immunotoxicology Specialty SectionReport from JSIT
Workshop
The latest developments in the safety evaluation method of biopharmaceuticals (protein formulations)
1. Akiko Ishii-Watabe (National Institute of Health Sciences) - Outline and Points to Note on the Safety
Evaluation Method of Biopharmaceuticals
2. Kazushige Maki (Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency) - Consideration for preclinical Safety
Evaluation of Biotechnology-Derived Pharmaceuticals
3. Chiyomi Kubo (Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) - Characteristic test methods in biopharmaceutical
nonclinical evaluation -Evaluation methods using human cells
4. Tetsuo Aida (Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.) - Nonclinical safety assessment of antibody-drug conjugates
Luncheon seminar
Day 1: Vanessa Peachee (Charles River Laboratories Ashland) - Unraveling immunotoxicological assays forpharmaceutical and agrochemical industries
Day 2: Asako Uchiyama (Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories, Ltd.) - Evaluation methods for cell and genetherapy products in SNBL
Meeting Reception
Main highlights included two video presentations:
1.
Dr. Jack Dean (Research Professor, University of Arizona, Department of Pharmacology and
Toxicology) – 30-year History and Perspectives on Immunotoxicology Field
2.
Dr. Victor Johnson (current President of ITSS) – Message from the ITSS Executive Committee,
including Postdoctoral and Student representatives
JSIT interview about personal impressions from Dr. Danuta Herzyk
Q1. What was the most impressive event for you in your trip to Japan this time?
Response: The whole trip was very enjoyable and memorable. The most impressive was the weekend prior
to the conference, when I (with my family members) had a chance to tour and stay around beautiful Lake
Towada and Aomori region. I am truly grateful to Dr. Kazuichi Nakamura and Dr. Ryo Kamata for their efforts
and time spent on arranging and accompanying us on trips to Oirase Mountain, Hakkoda Mountain, Samurai
Castle, Sannai-Maruyama Historical Site, Nebuta Museum, and Asamushi Sakura Kano. In addition to thebeauty of the region, the accommodations in traditional Japanese hotels allowed us to experience local
culture and customs, including amazing dinners with delicious and beautifully prepared and served food (Ionly regret that I do not know Japanese language and cannot read menus and names of Japanese dishes).
The second most impressive event was the Conference Banquet. Apart from the beautiful setting at Sun
Royal Towada and very tasty food, the wonderful jazz concert prepared and performed by the Student Band
from Kitasato University was unforgettable. These supposedly amateur musicians were incredibly good! At
the same time, I was pleasantly surprised by remarkably high energy, happy atmosphere and much laughter
among the immunotoxicologists attending their annual conference. This was in contrast to my previous
perception that Japanese people were quite serious-minded all the time. Sometime it feels good to be provenwrong (big smile here).

February 201814

Immunotoxicology Specialty SectionReport from JSIT
Q2. What is the most exciting thing in your career to date?
Response: My background is in immunology and I had to learn toxicology sciences “on the job” after I started
working in the pharmaceutical industry, initially at SmithKline Beecham (currently GlaxoSmithKline) and thenat Merck. Therefore, I am not a typical immunotoxicologist and have not been exposed to the environmental
immunotoxicology field in contrast to my many esteemed colleagues in the US, Japan and other countries.
The opportunity to work in the pharmaceutical industry in drug development has been the most exciting thing
in my career. A broad spectrum of scientific challenges involving both immunopharmacology andimmunotoxicology as two sides of the same coin is fascinating and most interesting to me.
Q3. What are the things you are doing energetically, right now?
Response: I have had the privilege of working in the immuno-oncology area, including the development of
the cancer drug, KEYTRUDA®. This is a breakthrough therapy, using anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, and is
the most important and energizing work I have done in my career. Research related to immune therapies incancer is growing and evolving, and we are discovering and learning a lot about tumor biology and regulationof immune responses to tumors. At the same time, we face new challenges in the evaluation of safety ofthese novel anti-cancer therapies that present very different profiles than traditional chemotherapy drugs
used to treat cancer diseases for decades. The need to better understand this new therapeutic class andwork on new approaches to their safety evaluation stimulates my creative thinking and takes the highest
priority in my current work.
Q4. What is required for breakthrough in immunotoxicology research in the future, do you think?
Response: From my perspective, immunotoxicology research in the future will focus on characterizing
relationships between autoimmunity and immune responses to tumors at different stages of thecancer-immunity cycle. In this new era of immune therapies in cancer treatment, the idea of an association
between autoimmune toxicity and therapeutic anti-cancer response has become a topic of debate and weneed to address this idea as we move forward. With the availability of novel technologies, models andapproaches, including humanized immune system mice and genomic and cellular biomarkers of immune
interactions, we have new opportunities to move immunotoxicology research to a different level of scientificthinking.
Danuta Herzky Ph.D.
Merck Research Laboratories

February 201815

Immunotoxicology Specialty Section

Endowment Fund Established
Mitzi and Prakash Nagarkatti
Research Excellence in Immunotoxicology Award Fund
Established in January 2017, the goal of Mitzi and Prakash Nagarkatti Research Excellence in
Immunotoxicology Award Fund is to encourage and recognize graduate students and postdoctoral scholars
for their excellence in research involving mechanisms of immunomodulation in health and disease. The
proceeds of the fund will be used to provide travel awards to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars toattend the SOT Annual Meetings based on best research conducted. The Fund is aligned with the
Immunotoxicology Specialty Section.Use the online giving system or download the Donation form to make agift to the Mitzi and Prakash Nagarkatti Research Excellence in Immunotoxicology Award Fund.
Contributors:
Prof Emanuela Corsini, PhD
Vic Johnson
Mitzi and Prakash Nagarkatti
Thermo Fisher ScientificFebruary 201816

Immunotoxicology Specialty Section

Job Opportunity
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States
Assistant/Associate Professor-Tenure System
Position Description:
The Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology at Michigan State University seeks to fill two academic-year,
tenure-system Assistant/Associate Professor positions. (Both positions are available at the Assistant or
Associate Professor rank depending on qualifications and experience.) For one position, applicants withexpertise in toxicology or a related research area are particularly encouraged to apply. For the other position,
the ideal candidate will have expertise in one of the broad areas of current research in the department,
including, but not limited to neuropharmacology, neurotoxicology, cardiovascular pharmacology,
inflammation, cancer, and drug discovery. For both positions, mechanistic research that utilizes cutting-edge
molecular methodology, e.g., gene editing and/or genetic manipulation by viral vectors, epigenetic analyses
and single-cell approaches is highly desirable.
The successful applicant will be expected to maintain an extramurally-funded research program, engage in
MSU's highly collaborative research environment and contribute to the teaching mission of the department.
Please apply at:
http://www.careers.msu.edu/cw/en-us/job/498342/assistantassociate-professortenure-system

February 201817

Immunotoxicology Specialty Section

Recent Immunology Publications
Compiled by Angela Groves and Jiajun (Brian) Zhou. Anytime you have a new fully-published orelectronically available article to report, please send the citation to Angela atangela_groves@urmc.rochester.edu.
Asthma, Allergy, Autoimmunity & Hypersensitivity
Jensen‐Jarolim, E.R.I.K.A., Bax, H.J., Bianchini, R., Crescioli, S., Daniels‐Wells, T.R., Dombrowicz, D.,
Fiebiger, E., Gould, H.J., Irshad, S., Janda, J. and Josephs, D.H., 2018. AllergoOncology: Opposite outcomesof immune tolerance in allergy and cancer. Allergy, 73(2), pp.328-340.
Zeller, K.S., Johansson, H., Lund, T.Ø., Kristensen, N.N., Roggen, E.L. and Lindstedt, M., 2018. An
alternative biomarker-based approach for the prediction of proteins known to sensitize the respiratory tract.
Toxicology in Vitro, 46, pp.155-162.
Developmental Immunotoxicolgy
Dong, X., Zhang, Z., Meng, S., Pan, C., Yang, M., Wu, X., Yang, L. and Xu, H., 2018. Parental exposure tobisphenol A and its analogs influences zebrafish offspring immunity. Science of the Total Environment, 610,
pp.291-297.
Mak, A., Kato, R., Weston, K., Hayes, A. and Uetrecht, J., 2017. Editor’s Highlight: An Impaired Immune
Tolerance Animal Model Distinguishes the Potential of Troglitazone/Pioglitazone and Tolcapone/Entacapone
to Cause IDILI. Toxicological Sciences, 161(2), pp.412-420.
Malaisé, Y., Ménard, S., Cartier, C., Lencina, C., Sommer, C., Gaultier, E., Houdeau, E. and Guzylack-Piriou,
L., 2018. Consequences of bisphenol a perinatal exposure on immune responses and gut barrier function in
mice. Archives of toxicology, 92(1), pp.347-358.
Roy, R.Y., Peterson, D.R., Seemann, F., Kitamura, S.I., Lee, J.S., Lau, T.C., Tsui, S.K. and Au, D.W., 2017.
Immune competence assessment in marine medaka (Orzyias melastigma)—a holistic approach for
immunotoxicology. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 24(36), pp.27687-27701.
General Immunotoxicology
Abdollahi, E., Momtazi, A.A., Johnston, T.P. and Sahebkar, A., 2018. Therapeutic effects of curcumin in
inflammatory and immune‐mediated diseases: A nature‐made jack‐of‐all‐trades?. Journal of cellularphysiology, 233(2), pp.830-848.
da Silva, F.H., Ribeiro, A.A.L., Deluque, A.L., Cotrim, A.C.D.M., de Marchi, P.G.F., França, E.L. andHonorio-França, A.C., 2018. Effects of barium chloride adsorbed to polyethylene glycol (PEG) microsphereson co-culture of human blood mononuclear cell and breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7). Immunopharmacology
and immunotoxicology, 40(1), pp.18-24.
Dong, M., Seemann, F., Humble, J.L., Liang, Y., Peterson, D.R., Ye, R., Ren, H., Kim, H.S., Lee, J.S., Au,
D.W. and Lam, Y.W., 2017. Modification of the plasma complement protein profile by exogenous estrogens isindicative of a compromised immune competence in marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma). Fish & shellfish
immunology, 70, pp.260-269.
Echeverría, S., Leiguez, E., Guijas, C., do Nascimento, N.G., Acosta, O., Teixeira, C., Leiva, L.C. andRodríguez, J.P., 2018. Evaluation of pro-inflammatory events induced by Bothrops alternatus snake venom.
Chemico-biological interactions, 281, pp.24-31.
February 201818

Immunotoxicology Specialty Section

Recent Immunology Publications
General Immunotoxicology
Gallardo-Vera, F., Tapia-Rodriguez, M., Diaz, D., Fortoul van der Goes, T., Montaño, L.F. and Rendón-Huerta,
E.P., 2018. Vanadium pentoxide increased PTEN and decreased SHP1 expression in NK-92MI cells,
affecting PI3K-AKT-mTOR and Ras-MAPK pathways. Journal of immunotoxicology, 15(1), pp.1-11.
Gibbs, S., Kosten, I., Veldhuizen, R., Spiekstra, S., Corsini, E., Roggen, E., Rustemeyer, T., Feilzer, A.J. andKleverlaan, C.J., 2018. Assessment of metal sensitizer potency with the reconstructed human epidermis
IL-18 assay. Toxicology, 393, pp.62-72
Herzyk, D.J. and Haggerty, H.G., 2018. Cancer Immunotherapy: Factors Important for the Evaluation of
Safety in Nonclinical Studies. The AAPS Journal, 20(2), p.28.
Kado, S., Chang, W.W., Chi, A.N., Wolny, M., Shepherd, D.M. and Vogel, C.F., 2017. Aryl hydrocarbon
receptor signaling modifies Toll-like receptor-regulated responses in human dendritic cells. Archives of
toxicology, 91(5), pp.2209-2221.
Ledda, C., Caltabiano, R., Loreto, C., Cinà, D., Senia, P., Musumeci, A., Ricceri, V., Pomara, C. andRapisarda, V., 2018. Prevalence of anti-nuclear autoantibodies in subjects exposed to natural asbestiform
fibers: a cross-sectional study. Journal of immunotoxicology, 15(1), pp.24-28.
Lefebvre, D.E., Ross, N., Kocmarek, A.L., Cowell, S., Dai, S., Qiao, C., Curran, I., Koerner, T., Bondy, G.S.
and Fine, J.H., 2017. In vitro immunomodulation of splenocytes from DO11. 10 mice by the food colouring
agent amaranth. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 110, pp.395-401.
Liu, M., Wang, H., Zhang, J., Yang, X., Li, B., Wu, C. and Zhu, Q., 2018. NF-κB Signaling Pathway-enhanced
Complement Activation Mediates Renal Injury in Trichloroethylene-sensitized Mice. Journal of
Immunotoxicology. 36(2), pp. 271-84.
Malaisé, Y., Menard, S., Cartier, C., Gaultier, E., Lasserre, F., Lencina, C., Harkat, C., Geoffre, N., Lakhal, L.,
Castan, I. and Olier, M., 2017. Gut dysbiosis and impairment of immune system homeostasis inperinatally-exposed mice to Bisphenol A precede obese phenotype development. Scientific reports, 7(1),p.14472.
Park, E.J., Khaliullin, T.O., Shurin, M.R., Kisin, E.R., Yanamala, N., Fadeel, B., Chang, J. and Shvedova, A.A.,
2018. Fibrous nanocellulose, crystalline nanocellulose, carbon nanotubes, and crocidolite asbestos elicit
disparate immune responses upon pharyngeal aspiration in mice. Journal of immunotoxicology, 15(1),pp.12-23.
Malaisé, Y., Menard, S., Cartier, C., Gaultier, E., Lasserre, F., Lencina, C., Harkat, C., Geoffre, N., Lakhal, L.,
Castan, I. and Olier, M., 2017. Gut dysbiosis and impairment of immune system homeostasis inperinatally-exposed mice to Bisphenol A precede obese phenotype development. Scientific reports, 7(1),p.14472.
Park, E.J., Khaliullin, T.O., Shurin, M.R., Kisin, E.R., Yanamala, N., Fadeel, B., Chang, J. and Shvedova, A.A.,
2018. Fibrous nanocellulose, crystalline nanocellulose, carbon nanotubes, and crocidolite asbestos elicit
disparate immune responses upon pharyngeal aspiration in mice. Journal of immunotoxicology, 15(1),pp.12-23.

February 201819

Immunotoxicology Specialty Section

Recent Immunology Publications
General Immunotoxicology
Tavasolian, F., Abdollahi, E., Rezaei, R., Momtazi, A.A., Henrotin, Y. and Sahebkar, A., 2018. Altered
Expression of MicroRNAs in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Journal of cellular biochemistry. 119(1), pp. 478–87.
Vogel, C.F. and Haarmann-Stemmann, T., 2017. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor repressor–More than asimple feedback inhibitor of AhR signaling: Clues for its role in inflammation and cancer. Current opinion in
toxicology, 2, pp.109-119.
Yadav, N. and Chandra, H., 2018. Modulation of alveolar macrophage innate response in proinflammatory-,
pro-oxidant-, and infection-models by mint extract and chemical constituents: Role of MAPKs.
Immunobiology, 223(1), pp.49-56.
Yamamoto, M., Khan, N., Muniroh, M., Motomura, E., Yanagisawa, R., Matsuyama, T. and Vogel, C.F., 2017.
Activation of interleukin‐6 and‐8 expressions by methylmercury in human U937 macrophages involves RelA
and p50. Journal of Applied Toxicology, 37(5), pp.611-620.
Yang, L., Wang, B., Qin, J., Zhou, H., Majumdar, A.P. and Peng, F., 2018. Blockade of CCR5-mediatedmyeloid derived suppressor cell accumulation enhances anti-PD1 efficacy in gastric cancer.
Immunopharmacology and immunotoxicology, 40(1), pp.91-7.
Methods/Models
Corsini, E., Casula, M., Tragni, E., Galbiati, V. and Pallardy, M., 2018. Tools to investigate and avoid
drug-hypersensitivity in drug development. Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery, pp.1-9.
Frombach, J., Sonnenburg, A., Krapohl, B.D., Zuberbier, T., Peiser, M., Stahlmann, R. and Schreiner, M.,
2018. Lymphocyte surface markers and cytokines are suitable for detection and potency assessment ofskin-sensitizing chemicals in an in vitro model of allergic contact dermatitis: the LCSA-ly. Archives of
toxicology, pp.1-11.
Reviews/Books/Commentaries
Aleksandrov, A.P., Mirkov, I., Ninkov, M., Mileusnic, D., Demenesku, J., Subota, V., Kataranovski, D. andKataranovski, M., 2018. Effects of warfarin on biological processes other than haemostasis: A review. Foodand Chemical Toxicology, 113, pp. 19-32.
Corsini, E., Ruffo, F. and Racchi, M., 2018. Steroid Hormones, Endocrine Disrupting Compounds and
Immunotoxicology. Current Opinion in Toxicology. In Press.
McQueen, C., 2017. Comprehensive toxicology. Volume 11: Immune System Toxicology. Elsevier.
Venkatesh, Y.P., 2018. Immunomodulatory Attributes of Aged Garlic Extract and Its Components.
Immunology, Volume 1: Immunotoxicology, Immunopathology, and Immunotherapy pp. 203-24.

February 201820

Immunotoxicology Specialty Section