January 2014 – LEGACY ISTT blog

Requesting proposals to host the 13th Transgenic Technology (TT2016) meeting

Dear ISTT members,

We are pleased to invite your proposals for hosting the 13th Transgenic Technology Meeting (TT2016) in February-March 2016. The updated ISTT bylaws, which were approved at the TT2013 meeting in China, now allow proposals to be received from anywhere in the world, without the requirement for a rotation between regions. Therefore, ISTT members from all continents are encouraged to consider hosting the TT2016 meeting in their city, with the support of their institution(s).

Please note that only ISTT members are entitled to submit proposals to host a TT meeting.

Important points to be addressed in any submitted proposal:

The proposal must have the support of the hosting institution(s). Letters of support from the corresponding director(s) of organizing institution(s) must be provided.
The hosting institution(s) are fully liable for the organization of the meeting, including all economic aspects.
A proposed preliminary budget should be included in the proposal, along with suggested registration fees.
A preliminary program for the TT2016 meeting, including topics (not necessarily speakers) and proposed workshops should be provided. This program should take into account the topics and speakers invited at previous TT meetings, avoiding unnecessary repetition. Full information regarding previous TT meetings organized is available at the members-only area, within the “meetings” tab.
Proposed venue and dates for the TT2016 should be indicated. Exact sites and dates might be subjected to change later, if required, after obtaining the approval from the ISTT council. Information regarding the venue and/or the city where the TT2016 meeting would take place is always desirable as is proof that the venue will be available at the scheduled dates.
Proposed committees should be presented, which should include at a minimum: Organizing Committee, Scientific Advisory Committee.
A meeting Chair (who must be ISTT member) should be clearly identified.
Since TT meetings are the most important activity of the ISTT, the President and other members of the ISTT Council have to be involved in committees and collaborate with local organizers in defining the final program.
Upon selection, a contract will have to be signed between the hosting institution(s) and the ISTT
Information regarding suggested accommodation facilities (and prices) for participants should be provided.
The expected organization of a hands-on workshop on a selected topic, to take place immediately before or after the meeting, is always desirable.
The involvement of a professional meeting organizer is desirable but not essential if there are viable alternatives, such as institutional meeting support staff.
Information on accessibility of the city from international airports as well as between the conference venue and accommodation should be provided. A list of hotels close to the conference including price range is desirable.
Finally, an outline of the proposed social activities should be included.

We look forward to receiving interesting proposals from all over the world. Please submit your proposal (ideally all information organized into a single PDF document) to istt@transtechsociety.org by Friday 27 June 2014. The evaluation committee might contact any proponent in order to request any additional/missing information that would be required to better assess the proposal. The selected venue will be announced by September 30, 2014, and the Chair of the selected proposal will be kindly invited to introduce the highlights of the TT2016 meeting at the closing ceremony of the TT2014 meeting in Edinburgh.

Thanks for your due consideration of this message,

Boris Jerchow
Jorge Sztein
Karen Brennan

ISTT Council sub-committee
in charge of evaluating TT2016 proposals

We are seeking your input for the Round Table Discussion at the TT2014 meeting

We are seeking your input for the next ISTT meeting, TT2014, Round Table Discussion. To set the scene, we would like to inform you, on behalf of the Organizing Committee of the TT2014, about a new update in the scientific program for this meeting, regarding the traditional round-table discussion on “How to Run a Transgenic Unit?“ that is regularly scheduled at every single TT meeting. This is one of our fundamental ISTT-related activities, run by and meant for ISTT members.

In Edinburgh, the TT2014 Organizers, kindly asked ISTT member James Bussell (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK) to chair this round table, and to lead the discussion entitled “The Future of Transgenic Core Facilities“. James Bussell has invited the following four ISTT members as panelists, representing new and well-established transgenic facilities, from both academic and private institutions.

Inken Beck, Institute of Molecular Genetics, Prague, Czech Republic
Lynn Doglio, Feinberg School , Northwestern University, Chicago, USA
Sarah Johnson, MRC NIMR, Mill Hill, London, UK
Xin Rairdan, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, California, USA

At the TT2014 meeting, these panelists will first prepare a brief presentation on the topic, with their view on the subject to be discussed and thereafter will be happy to respond to any questions or comments from the audience. In this regard, and in order to promote efficient discussion, we would like to encourage you, as ISTT members, to send James Bussell potential questions or issues you would like to hear discussed in this round table, regarding the future of transgenic facilities. Thanks in advance.

Some initial thoughts for this round table:

What does the future of our GA facilities look like. We have asked 4 facilities of varying size and funding to share their outlook on trends that will affect them in the medium and long term and would likely include areas such as production, supply and use of GA animals. We are seeing the continual evolution of the technologies surrounding our field with the ability to create mutations and editing of the genome becoming accessible to all facilities who want to invest in the technologies. Many components of the process are now common place and utilised throughout the various stages of a colonies life. For example implantation of embryos is used for rederivation of embryos, reimplantation of thawed cryopreserved stocks etc. However as per the ‘Bred but not used‘ meeting sponsored by the Dutch Government, questions around efficiency, wastage and good practice remain to be answered. Over the past years we have seen global consortia target the mouse genome via ES cells making the resources available to requesters. Furthermore National and International funding bodies such as the NIH and the EU have funded large scale production and phenotyping programs with the aim of creating a knockout for every protein coding gene. We now see new technologies that again can speed up access and refine the ability to edit the genome applying very discreet or multiple mutations to the mouse and other species where early stage embryos can be utilised.

From the panel of presenters perspective we seek their opinion on what does the future look like to them.

Some initial questions that could be posed :

• Should we be looking to large production centres to create and distribute the colonies.
• Could more dedicated facilities better use their funds by removing elements of their production or archiving.
• Would this cause a loss of key skills from within the community.
• If so how should knowledge be shared or disseminated.
• How do commercial groups see their place within the community.
• If the genome editing technologies become so accessible do we need large scale consortia.
• How do researchers engage with funding bodies to access support for their research.

Thanks in advance for providing your questions or items for discussion (send the questions/items for discussion to: James Bussell) .

See you all in Edinburgh!

ISTT Registration Awards for the TT2014 meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, 6-8 October 2014

A minimum of six Registration Awards will be sponsored by the International Society for Transgenic Technologies for ISTT members wishing to attend the 12th Transgenic Technologies (TT2014) meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, on 6-8 October 2014. Selected applicants will be awarded funding to cover registration fees plus attendance at all social events. However, the award does not cover travel expenses, hotel accommodation or attendance at pre-meeting events.

Applicants who are not yet members of the ISTT may join the ISTT and simultaneously submit their Registration Award application. Only those applications from members who have paid their current (2014) annual fees will be considered.

Procedure:

Applicants must first register for the TT2014 meeting and select, as a payment method, “Application for Registration Awards.” The ISTT will send the registration fee of those selected directly to the TT2014 meeting organizer.

Applications and additional required documents (see below) should be sent, along with the meeting registration confirmation, to the official ISTT email address, istt@transtechsociety.org, by June 30, 2014.

Additional documentation required:
a) Applicant’s CV
b) For ordinary members, a letter from the applicant describing how he/she will benefit from attending the TT meeting
c) For technician/student members, a letter of support from the applicant’s PI or supervisor stating how attendance will benefit the applicant’s career.

Selection Process:
Registration Awards will be selected by a subset of ISTT Council members, with preference given to:
1) Student/Technician ISTT Members
2) ISTT Members submitting an abstract for presentation as a poster/short-oral communication at the TT meeting
3) Any other ISTT Member

Decision:
Awards to six selected applicants will be announced by July 15, 2014 and awardees will receive a diploma marking the event at the end of the TT2014 Meeting.

Updated scientific and workshop programmes for the TT2014 meeting in Edinburgh

Upades scientific and workshop programmes for TT2014 meeting in Edinburgh: Please, register today!.

The scientific and zebrafish transgenesis hands-on workshop programmes prepared for the 12th Transgenic Technology (TT2014) meeting, to be held in Edinburgh (Scotland, UK), on October 6-8 (workshop on October 8-10) 2014, have been recently updated by the Organizers, chaired by Douglas Strathdee (Glasgow, UK). These rewarding updates further increased the already high quality and interest for this popular conference series, promoted from the International Society for Transgenic Technologies (ISTT), the most important forum where to discuss the state-of-art of animal transgenic technology, to share new developments, to review the deployment of the new methods that have recently being devised and, in summary, an excellent arena where to easily meet, face-to-face, the most relevant key-players in the field while providing a wonderful excuse to gather and ex-change experiences with the entire ISTT family of members.

The updated list of confirmed invited speakers attending the TT2014 meeting (6-8 October 2014) includes:

David Adams, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
Ignacio Anegon, Center for Research in Transplantation and Immunology, Nantes, France
James Bussell, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
Ian Chalmers, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, The University of Edinburgh, UK
Stephen Ekker, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
Anna-Katerina Hadjatonakis, Developmental Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York, USA
Peter Hohenstein, The Roslin Institute and Royal Dick School of Vetinary Studies & MRC IGMM, University of Edinburgh, UK
Rudolf Jaenisch, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Nine Cambridge Center Cambridge, USA
Jos Jonkers, Division of Molecular Pathology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Keith Joung, Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
Alexandra Joyner, Developmental Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York, USA
Koichi Kawakami, Division of Molecular and Developmental Biology, National Institute of Genetics, Shizuoka, Japan
Michael McGrew, Division of Developmental Biology, The Roslin Institute and Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK
Daniel J Murphy, Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, University of Glasgow, UK
James Murray, Department of Animal Science and Department of Population Health and Reproduction, University of California, Davis, California, USA
Stephen Murray, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA
Lluis Montoliu, ISTT President, Organising Committee, National Center of Biotechnology (CNB), CSIC, Madrid, Spain
Vasilis Ntziachristos, Technische Universität Mu?nchen, Munich, Germany
Elizabeth Patton, MRC Human Genetics Unit & MRC IGMM, University of Edinburgh, UK
Pawel Pelczar, Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, Zürich, Switzerland
Jan-Bas Prins, Leiden University Medical Centre, The Netherlands
Janet Rossant, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (ISTT Prize)
Angelika Schnieke, Livestock Biotechnology, WZW Center of Life Science, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
Kai Schönig, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
William Skarnes, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
Austin Smith, Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Francis Stewart, Biotechnology Center of the TU Dresden, Germany
Sara Wells, MRC Harwell, Oxfordshire, UK
Jacqueline White, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge UK

The updated list of confirmed invited speakers & instructors attending the hands-on zebrafish transgenesis workshop taking place immediately after the TT2014 meeting (8-10 October 2014) includes:

Liz Patton, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, The University of Edinburgh
Carl Tucker, Biomedical Research Resources, The University of Edinburgh
Tim Czopka, Centre for Neuroregeneration, The University of Edinburgh
Koichi Kawakami, Division of Molecular and Developmental Biology, National Institute of Genetics, Shizuoka, Japan
Stephen Ekker, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
Keith Joung, Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Henry Roehl, Department of Biomedical Science, The University of Sheffield
Robert Kelsh, Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Department of Biology and Biochemistry, The University of Bath
Martin Denvir, The University of Edinburgh/British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The University of Edinburgh
David Lyons, Centre for Neuroregeneration, The University of Edinburgh
Dirk Seiger, Centre for Neuroregeneration, The University of Edinburgh
Karthikeyani Paranthaman, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, The University of Edinburgh

Abstracts: All TT2014 participants are encouraged to submit their work as an abstract for poster presentation at the TT2014 meeting. Abstracts should be submitted no later than June 30, 2014. Accepted abstracts will be published in the scientific journal Transgenic Research (Springer), to which the ISTT is associated. A limited number of abstract submissions will be selected and invited to present their findings in the form of a short oral presentation within the main meeting program. Abstracts are invited on all aspects of Transgenic Technologies, including the conference themes as listed below:

New technologies in animal transgenesis
Embryo stem cells
Target nucleases or Editing nucleases (ZFNs, TALENs, CRISPRs)
Large-scale phenotyping
Animal Biotechnology
Imaging with transgenic animals
Mouse models of human disease
Zebrafish models of human disease and transgenesis
Animal ethics and welfare

Registration for both the TT2014 meeting and the zebrafish transgenesis workshop are OPEN. Registration for the TT2014 meetings starts at 265 UK Pounds for technician/student ISTT members and progressively increases for the rest of categories of delegates. ISTT members are always entitled to reduced registration fees. Registration for the zebrafish transgenesis workshop is independent, with an extra cost of 275 UK Pounds , and only open to delegates that have also registered to attend the TT2014 meeting. The early bird reduced registration fees are operative until July 31, 2014. Thereafter, registration will be progressively become more expensive. Hence, please register by July 31, 2014 to benefit from reduced registration fees.

ISTT Registration Awards: Application to ISTT registration awards for the TT2014 meeting is OPEN. A minimum of six registration awards for ISTT members will be sponsored by the International Society for Transgenic Technologies (ISTT). Applications should be sent, along with the registration confirmation and the requested additional documents to istt@transtechsociety.org by June 30, 2014. The ISTT will pay the Registration Fee of all applicants selected for an award. Please note that applicants not selected for an award are required to pay the coresponding registration fee. Please note the Award covers registration fees and attendance at all social events, however, does not cover travel, accommodation expenses or attendance at pre meeting events. Award decisions will be communicated by July 15, 2014 and awardees will receive a diploma at the TT2014 Meeting. Deadline for submitting application for ISTT Registration Awards for TT2014: 30 June 2014. Registration Award decisions will be communicated by 15 July 2014.

Looking forward to meeting you all in Edinburgh!

7th European Short Course on Laboratory Animal Science in Strasbourg (France), on 12-14 February 2014

Charles River announces the 7th European Short Course on Laboratory Animal Science in Strasbourg, France, on 12-14 February 2014. This Short Course is designed to inform the biomedical research community of current trends and technological advances in the field of laboratory animal science through lectures from international guest speakers and members of Charles River’s professional Staff. A number of ISTT members are included among the invited teachers at this course.

The full list of speakers includes: Magda Chlebus (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, Belgium), Gill Fleetwood (GlaxoSmithKline, United Kingdom), Sara Wells (Mary Lyon Centre, United Kingdom), Hongkui Deng (Peking University, College of Life Science, China), Javier Guillen (AAALAC International, Spain), Thierry Decelle (Sanofi Pasteur, France), William R. Shek (Research Animal Diagnostic Services, Charles River, USA), Guy Mulder (Senior Director Veterinary and Professional Services, Charles River, USA), Patri Vergara (University Autonomous of Barcelona, Spain), Belen Pintado (Transgenic Unit CNB-CBMSO, CSIC, Spain), Stéphanie Durand (Research Animal Diagnostic Services, Charles River, USA), Axel Kornerup Hansen (Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark), Lluis Montoliu (National Centre for Biotechnology, CNB-CSIC, Spain), Ralph Kuehn (Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Center Munich, Germany), Ignacio Anegon (INSERM UMR 1064 -Center for Research in Transplantation and Immunology and Platform Transgenic Rats ImmunoPhenomic Nantes, France), Jan-Bas Prins (Leiden University Medical Centre, The Netherlands), Joyce L. Young (Crescendo Biologics Ltd, United Kingdom), Charles Miller (The Jackson Laboratory, USA), James Di Santo (Innate Immunity Unit, Inserm U668, Institut Pasteur, France), Andrea Bertotti (University of Torino School of Medicine, Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, Italy), Aurelie Thomas (University of Newcastle – Comparative Biology Centre – Medical School, United Kingdom), Huw Golledge (Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, United Kingdom), Alberto Gobbi (Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology and COGENTECH S.C.A.R.L., Italy), Peter Dockx (Van Looy Group, Belgium), Aurora BrØnstad (University of Bergen, Norway), Jann Hau (University and University Hospitals of Copenhagen, Denmark), Katrina Gore (Pfizer Neusentis, United Kingdom), Yann Herault (Institut Clinique de la Souris-ICS, France).

All attendees receive a certificate of attendance for their course hours which they may submit for Continuing Professional Education Credits.

Instructions and registration details are provided in this EU Short Course brochure.

Third ISTT Young Investigator Award

The International Society for Transgenic Technologies (ISTT), in collaboration with inGenious Targeting Laboratory (iTL), has established the ISTT YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARD that is presented at each Transgenic Technology meeting. The third edition of this ISTT Young Investigator Award will be given at the next 12th Transgenic Technology Meeting (TT2014), that will be held in Edinburgh, on 6-8 October 2014.

The ISTT Young Investigator Award recognizes outstanding achievements by a young scientist who will keep the field of transgenic technologies vibrant with new ideas and who has recently received his or her advanced professional degree. The ISTT Young Investigator Award is generously sponsored by inGenious Targeting Laboratory (iTL).

To date, two editions of the ISTT Young Investigator Awards have been already granted to Dr. Xiao-Yang Zhao (China) and Dr. Toru Takeo (Japan), at the corresponding TT2011 and TT2013 meetings, respectively.

The ISTT Young Investigator Award is associated to funds that will serve to defray the costs related to the participation of the ISTT Young Investigator awardee at the corresponding TT Meeting, including: TT meeting registration fee, travel expenses to the TT meeting venue and accommodation during the meeting dates for the awarded candidate, with a maximum being set to 1500 Euros. All ISTT Young Investigator awardees will be given 1 year Ordinary ISTT Membership and a diploma, that will be provided at the ISTT Awards Ceremony, within the TT Meeting Program.

Instructions for participating and additional information are provided at the ISTT Young Investigator Award web page, within the ISTT web site.

ELEGIBILITY criteria for ISTT Young Investigator Awards

Nominees must be active in research, in the field of transgenic technologies, at the time the award is given. Nominees must have received a PhD or MD (or equivalent) within the past 10 years.

NOMINATION criteria for ISTT Young Investigator Awards

Nominations must be made or endorsed by an ISTT member. Nominee does not have to be an ISTT member. Self nomination is not permitted. No person may nominate more than one candidate.

PROCEDURE for participating in the ISTT Young Investigator Awards selection process

Nominations must be made or endorsed by an ISTT member and should include:

the CV of the nominee
a document highlighting the achievements made by the nominee in the field of transgenic technologies
a message or document confirming the nominee’s acceptance to participate in the ISTT Young Investigator Award selection process

All documents should be sent by the ISTT Member nominating the candidate to the ISTT email address: istt@transtechsociety.org

Currently we are accepting nominations for the 3rd ISTT Young Investigator Award for the TT2014 meeting in Edinburgh.

DEADLINE for submitting nominations: March 29, 2014.

Decision for the TT2014 ISTT Young Investigator Award will be communicated by May 31, 2014.

On behalf of the ISTT, I would like to thank inGenious Targeting Laboratory for their support to the ISTT and, in particular, for sponsoring this 3rd ISTT Young Investigator Award.

With my best regards,

Benoît Kanzler

ISTT Vice-President