Newswise — Reston, Va.; March 3, 2015 — Research related to cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurodegenerative diseases; cancer; food safety; biotechnology; and pharmaceuticals, among others, will be presented and discussed from March 22–26, 2015, at the San Diego Convention Center as part of the 54th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo of the Society of Toxicology (SOT).

Toxicology intersects a variety of disciplines — chemistry, biology, pharmacology, engineering, neurology, immunology, ophthalmology, and more — and at the SOT Annual Meeting, more than 6,500 toxicologists from around the world will gather and discuss scientific studies that could impact human, environmental, and animal health, as well as government policies and regulations.

Renowned biologist J. Craig Venter, PhD, will deliver the opening plenary lecture, while Royal Society Fellow Brigitta Stockinger, PhD, will discuss environmental influences on the immune system during the Keynote Medical Research Council (MRC) Lecture.

More than 160 scientific sessions will take place during the meeting. Sessions of note include:

  • New and Emerging Tobacco Products — Biomarkers of Exposure and Injury,” which will discuss research into evidence of exposure and harm in relation to alternative tobacco products, such as e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and hookah. (Monday, March 23, 2015; 9:15 a.m. PDT)
  • Environmental Exposures and Alzheimer’s Disease: Epidemiology, Mechanisms, and Future Strategies,” which will look at cutting-edge research into how genetics and environmental exposures might contribute to neurodegenerative diseases. (Monday, March 23, 2015; 9:15 a.m. PDT)
  • Immunostimulant Cancer Treatments: Toxicology Programs with an Autoimmmune ‘Twist,’” which will explore emerging research on drugs used to stimulate cellular immunity to diseases like cancer and how to prevent or minimize their adverse effects. (Monday, March 23, 2015; 2:00 p.m. PDT)
  • Local and Systemic Toxicity from Cobalt and Chromium-Containing Hip Protheses,” which will focus on the clinical concern of adverse reactions to metal exposures as a result of failed hip prostheses, aggregating the most recent studies and information available to date. (Tuesday, March 24, 2015; 9:00 a.m. PDT)
  • An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure: How 21st Century Toxicology Can Transform Product Safety Assessments and Design of Lower Toxicity Products,” which will emphasize the scientific and economic benefits of partnerships between toxicologists, chemists, pharmacologists, and others in the early stages of product development to discover and reduce the potential for adverse health effects before products enter the marketplace. (Tuesday, March 24, 2015; 1:30 p.m. PDT)
  • Some Like It Hot: Impacts of Wildfires on Human Health,” which will explore the health effects associated with wildfire smoke, who is more likely to suffer adverse effects from the smoke, and which public health interventions can limit exposure risks. (Wednesday, March 25, 2015; 9:00 a.m. PDT)
  • Role of the Gut Microbiome in the Host Response to Xenobiotics,” which will examine how toxicants impact the trillions of bacteria in the body and the potential health effects. (Wednesday, March 25, 2015; 9:00 a.m. PDT)
  • Adult Neurogenesis in Chemical-Induced Neurotoxicities: A New Frontier in Toxicological Mechanistic Investigations, Biomarker Research, and Therapeutic Targeting,” which will feature research on how cells in the adult brain regenerate and how this regeneration may impact or be impacted by environmental exposures and risk factors. (Wednesday, March 25, 2015; 1:30 p.m. PDT)
  • The Future of Carcinogenicity Testing,” which will be a roundtable discussion on how approaches to carcinogen hazard testing are changing and where the future of carcinogen identification for human risk assessment lies. (Wednesday, March 25, 2015; 4:30 p.m. PDT)

The SOT Annual Meeting also features ToxExpo, which will bring together more than 340 exhibitors, including laboratories, manufacturers, suppliers, researchers, and more. During ToxExpo, which runs March 23–25, exhibitors will debut the latest products and services in toxicology to scientists, executives, and industry leaders. Alongside the exhibiting booths, ToxExpo will host most of the more than 2,400 scientific posters being presented at this year’s meeting.

Registration for the meeting is currently open. All working press — defined as an individual who writes or broadcasts for a verifiable news entity on a regular basis — are eligible for a free registration to SOT’s 54th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo in San Diego, California.

For up-to-date information on the SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo, use the free SOT 2015 Annual Meeting Mobile Event App and Mobile Planner.

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About SOTFounded in 1961, the Society of Toxicology (SOT) is a professional and scholarly organization of more than 7,700 scientists from academic institutions, government, and industry representing the great variety of individuals who practice toxicology in the US and abroad. SOT is committed to creating a safer and healthier world by advancing the science of toxicology. The Society promotes the acquisition and utilization of knowledge in toxicology, aids in the protection of public health, and has a strong commitment to education in toxicology and to the recruitment of students and new members into the profession. For more information about SOT and toxicology, visit the Society online at www.toxicology.org, follow us on Twitter @SOToxicology, and like us on Facebook.