The opening night of TT2016 was momentous promising subsequent days filled with good friends and good science. We welcomed more than 700 delegates who attended, and then proceeded to hear a wonderful talk from Andras Nagy (2005 ISTT Prize winner). Andras’ talk was followed by a delicious buffet with wine, friends, colleagues and music. The opening proved to be an excellent portent of what was to come. Over the next three days, we heard many excellent talks—talks that encompassed the use of transgenic technologies, and especially CRISPR/Cas9 technology.
Charles Gersbach presents CRISPR/Cas9 modification of the dystrophin gene
Iva Morse (Charles River), and Jan Parker-Thornburg and Elizabeth Williams (ISTT, Inc.) present the Best Poster Awards to Vera Jansen (absent), Charles-Etienne Dumeau, and Hiromi Miura (represented by Masato Ohtsuka).Thomas Zeyda (inGenious Targeting Laboratory) and Jan Parker-Thornburg (ISTT President) present the Young Investigator Award to Dr. Pablo Ross, UC Davis.TT2016 – Cryopreservation Workshop presentation by Lluis Montoliu.
The meeting was preceded by two workshops—one on programmable nucleases (headed by Radislav Sedlacek) and one on cryopreservation (led by Martin Fray, INFRAFRONTIER). Those who attended the workshops were very pleased with the learning opportunities that were afforded them. In addition, immediately following the meeting was one additional workshop on zebrafish transgenesis (Leads: Petr Bartunek, Zbynek Kozmik, Christian Mosimann and Graham Lieschke). All of the workshops were well-attended and greatly appreciated!
First Orbis pictus lecture given by Richard Behringer.
There were a number of new initiatives at TT2016. We had Orbis pictus lectures—lectures designed to use pictures and clear descriptions to demonstrate answers to a problem. Richard Behringer gave an excellent, encyclopedic presentation of methods of producing genetically modified animals in a vast variety of species. Later, Thomas Boehm described how lymphoid organs developed throughout evolution to the point where vertebrates now have a thymus. Also, for the first time, we had concurrent sessions. Delegates needed to choose whether to hear about ethics in animal use, or new injection and superovulation technologies. Overall, the scientific program was exceptional!
Presentation of thank-you gifts to departing ISTT Board members – Wojtek Auerbach (absent), Boris Jerchow, and Tom Fielder.
The ISTT, Inc. held its third General Assembly just prior to the Gala Dinner. During that meeting, we sadly said goodbye to three departing Board members: Tom Fielder, Boris Jerchow and Wojtek Auerbach. We also reviewed ISTT finances, membership, committee activities, and interactions with our affiliated organizations. One new ISTT initiative that was presented was an outreach committee to our members (and non-members) who perform transgenic technologies in non-rodent (generally large-animal) species. The ISTT large animal group will be headed by Martina Crispo and Bruce Whitelaw. The meeting ended with a presentation inviting membership to attend TT2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, hosted by Susan Tamowski.
A wonderful time at the Zofin Palace.
The social program prepared by our Czech colleagues was also amazing. Delegates enjoyed the opening buffet with traditional Czech music. However, it was the Gala Dinner that proved to be the high point of the social program. The Zofin Palace was full with partygoers. The wine flowed freely, the food was wonderful, and the string quartet (plus clarinet) fantastic as well. Overall, TT2016 can be considered as one of the best TT meetings ever, and I am proud, as ISTT President, that we helped to host such a wonderful meeting. Thanks so very much to the organizers—Radislav Sedlacek, Inken Beck and Nicole Chambers. Due to their amazing work, the ISTT has again had a successful TT meeting!
The ISTT is proud to announce the winners of the TT2106 ISTT Registration Awards and the ISTT & Genentech Travel Awards.
This year, the ISTT Board of Directors has awarded 12 ISTT members an ISTT Registration Award, which will cover their registration fee for TT2016.
Registration Awardees
Congratulations to:
Samy Alghadban
Katherine Bovariak
Carmen Cucarella
Paul Devenney
Denise Grant Lanza
Melissa Larson
Peter Major
Anna Novoa
Sara Ortica
Karolina Piotrowska-Nitsche
Lucas Pitt
Selin Yagcioglu
Travel Awardees
The ISTT and Genentech have also awarded 2 of the successful applicants an additional travel award. The awardees are: Melissa Larson from the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Missouri, USA and Sara Ortica Gatti from the Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience, Paris, France. Their award includes airfare to and accommodation at TT2016. Both travel award winners will be presenting their work at the meeting.
Melissa Larson (left), Sara Ortica (right)
Post prepared and submitted by Elizabeth Williams on behalf of the ISTT Board of Directors.
TT2016, to be held in Prague in late March, should prove to be an exciting meeting. The scientific portion of the meeting will be from 20-23 March. In addition, there are three hands-on workshops that are available, including a Mouse Cryopreservation Workshop (16-18 March), a course on CRISPR/Cas9 programmable nucleases (16-18 March) and a Fish Transgenesis Course (23-25 March).
Early registration will close on 15 December, 2015, so register soon! Please note that ISTT members have discounted registrations, and can apply for a limited number of registration and travel awards (as detailed in e-mails sent to ISTT members). Applications and documentation for these awards must be sent in by 15 December, 2015 to istt@transtechsociety.org.
We also encourage you to submit an abstract for the poster session. A number of poster abstracts will be chosen for oral presentation, so this is an excellent opportunity to share your science. Poster submissions are also eligible for the TT2016 Poster awards. Abstracts are due by 15 December, 2015
Please note that a printable poster has been appended to this blog post. Feel free to print and post widely! Looking forward to seeing you at TT2016!
The TT2014 Registration Awards for ISTT members: deadline for submitting applications is 30th June
A minimum of sixregistration awards for ISTT members willing to attend the 12th Transgenic Technology (TT2014) meeting, to be held in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, on 6-8 October 2014, 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 one of these TT2014 registration awards. Please note that applicants not selected for an award are required to pay the corresponding registration fee. Please note the Award covers registration fees and attendance to 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.
Applications for registration awards by ISTT members should be sent to the official ISTT email address (istt@transtechsociety.org), by June 30, 2014, and should include the following documentation:
Applicant’s CV
Letter describing how the applicant will benefit from attendance at the TT meeting
Only for technician/students: Letter of support from the applicant’s head/supervisor stating the support to the applicant’s participation in the TT meeting and highlighting why attendance will benefit the applicant’s career
Procedure Applicants must register first at the TT2014 website and select, as a payment method, “application for registration awards”. The ISTT will pay the Registration Fee of all applicants selected for an award. However, if they are not selected they would be kindly requested to pay the corresponding registration fee
Selection Process
The ISTT Council will examine all applications received. Registration Awards will be selected according to the documents submitted and with preference given to:
Student/Technician ISTT Members
ISTT Members submitting an abstract for presentation as a poster/short-oral communication at the TT meeting
Time to register for the next ISTT meeting, TT2013, in China, 25-27 Feb 2013
Dear colleagues and friends,
Time is running fast and we are progressively approaching the deadline for early bird registration at reduced fees to attend the next meeting of the International Society for Transgenic Technologies (ISTT), the 11th Transgenic Technology meeting, TT2013, which will be held in Guangzhou (PR China), on 25-27 February 2013. The ISTT family will visit Asia for the first time and we are all very excited about this forthcoming TT2013 meeting, organized by the ISTT member Prof. Ming Zhao (Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China) and his team of colleagues and collaborators. As many as 32 international experts in our field will attend and share their latest results and developments regarding applications, methods and practices for the generation and analyses of genetically modified animals. Do not miss this opportunity to review and update your knowledge on state-of-art animal transgenesis technologies and enjoy attending the next edition of the renowned TT meeting series, periodically organized by the ISTT. You can download here, the latest TT2013 meeting program and TT2013 meeting flyer where you will find the names of confirmed invited speakers and selected hot topics in our field that will be covered during this conference.
We kindly invite you to submit your abstracts for this TT2013 meeting, detailing your most interesting and recent research, solutions, investigations or developments on any aspect related to animal transgenesis. Accepted abstracts will be eventually published in the scientific journal Transgenic Research (Springer), associated to the ISTT. 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.
Besides exciting discussions on science and technology for the generation and analysis of transgenic animals, the TT2013 meeting will also provide opportunities to relax, meet and chat with your colleagues while visiting Guangzhou and its surrounding area. For the TT2013 meeting, the Organizers have prepared for participants a most interesting social program and after-meeting-tour including a pre-meeting dinner cruise on the Pearl River, a sightseeing tour in Guangzhou and an after meeting-tour to Beijing, the capital of PR China.
The TT2013 meeting venue and hotel will be at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Center, the largest comprehensive international convention center with most advanced establishment and perfect supporting facilities for conferences in Southern China. Accommodation, at conveniently reduced prices, is offered for TT2013 meeting participants at the five-star hotel associated with this convention center and must be organized separately, directly by the participants, following the indications provided. Participants at the hands-on workshop will be lodged at The University Town International Hotel.
Companies willing to exhibit their products and services at the TT2013 meeting are most welcome to participate and kindly invited to browse the TT2013 meeting sponsorship opportunities for both the main conference and the associated hands-on workshop.
You can donwload a 1-page flyer for the 11th Transgenic Technology (TT2013) meeting, that will be held in Guangzhou (China), on 25-27 February 2013, followed by a 3-day practical course (28 February-2 March 2013) on basic procedures in transgenesis. Please print this 1-page advert and help the ISTT disseminating our most important event among anyone interested.
We welcome all attendees who are in the process of generating genetically-modified animals or who perform the experiments that follow to determine the corresponding phenotypes of such transgenic animals. The program should be of interest to scientists, group leaders, postdoctoral researchers, facility managers, technicians and PhD students working directly or indirectly with genetically-modified animals. We invite you to participate and contribute to this conference where we will discuss the latest technology developments, the newest applications and strategies in biology, biomedicine and biotechnology using transgenic animals. Companies and institutions with an interest in this field are kindly invited to participate and share their latest technologies. We encourage you to submit abstracts to be presented at the TT2013 meeting.
Epigenetic alterations during mouse transgenesis and cloning
Epigenetic reprogramming by oocytes
Targeted nucleases, ZFNs and TALENs, in transgenesis
Livestock Genome Editing with TALENS
Transgenic mice and ZFNs
KO pigs and ZFNs
Zebrafish and TALENs
Transgenic livestock
Ethics, animal welfare and regulations
Health monitoring protocols and transgenic facilities
Animal welfare and international mouse consortia
Impact of genetic background in mouse and rat models
Assisted reproduction strategies in mice
Non-rodent transgenesis
Primate chimeras and ES cells
Rat functional genomic initiatives
National BioResource Project for the rat
Animal models of human diseases
ES and iPS cells
transposon (PiggyBac)-mediated mutagenesis
Round-table discussion: Running a transgenic facility
Running a transgenic facility: The business aspect of running a transgenic unit
Running a transgenic facility: managing errors, difficulties
Running a transgenic facility: Staying on the cutting edge of technology while still maintaining basic services
Rat/mouse chimeras and iPS/ES cells
Overview of cre-transgenic mouse lines resources
China/Asia/Oceania in the International Mouse Functional Genomics Consortia
The Shanghai Research Center for Model Organisms
The TT2013 meeting will be held at the Baiyun International Convention Center-Oriental International Convention Hotel in Guangzhou, the largest comprehensive five-star hotel in Southern China, with an established record of hosting successful meetings and perfect supporting facilities. Located on the Baiyun Mountain, in the Baiyun New Town and overlooking the Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area and the Oriental Resort, this Convention Center is a fully equipped, self-contained meeting resort. More than 40 international air routes serve the new Baiyun International Airport, a 20 minute drive from the Baiyun International Convention Center.
After the TT2013 meeting, there will be a 3-days hands-on practical workshop on transgenic techniques, organized by Wenhao Xu (University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA), Chair; Ming Zhao (Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China); Jing An (Cancer Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China) and Liangping Li (Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China). This workshop is limited to 30 participants. Instructors for the practical course will include: Wenhao Xu (USA), Xin-an Pu (USA), Anna Auerbach (USA), Lily Reed (USA), Xin Rairdan (USA), Barbara Stone (USA), Steven Xing (USA), Margaret Landis (USA), Katja Becker (Germany), Ronald Naumann (Germany). Techniques that will be discussed and demonstrated at this course include: basic microinjection techniques, piezo injection, laser-assisted application, non-surgical implantation, mouse colony management,… This practical course will be co-sponsored by Hamilton-Thorne, ParaTechs, Sutter/Primetech. Registration for this 3-days practical workshop must be done through tt2013@transtechsociety.org and the TT2013 meeting registration web page. Workshop cost: 400$ (USD).
Registration fee to attend the TT2013 meeting begins at 400$(USD) and extends up to 630$(USD). ISTT members and technician/student participants are entitled to reduced registration fees.
Abstract submission deadline: October 15, 2012
Application for ISTT registration awards: October 15, 2012
Awards to be communicated by October 30, 2012
Early bird registration deadline: October 15, 2012
Standard fee registration deadline: January 31, 2013
Late registration fees & on-site registration: February 01, 2013
The decision on the TT2011-ISTT registration awards has been just announced. This year, for the 10th Transgenic Technology meeting, the ISTT registration awards committee has decided to award up to 18 ISTT Members, out of the 29 applications received. This is the highest number of registration awards ever supported by the ISTT and illustrates the strong compromise of our Society towards its members, specially the technician-student members, in order to promote their attendance to the TT2011 meeting. This year, 18 different transgenic facilities/laboratories/units distributed across the world will benefit to have one of its members awarded to attend the TT2011 meeting.
Up to 128 abstracts have been accepted for presentation at the TT2011 meeting, including those from the invited speakers. The ISTT abstracts committee selected the four most interesting for short oral presentation. The most updated TT2011 scientific program, including the selected short talks, can be browsed here.
The deadline for registration for the TT2011 meeting at reduced fee is July 31st, 2011. If you have not registered for this meeting, please hurry up and submit your registration as soon as possible. Do not miss the opportunity to attend the reference conference in Transgenic Technology.
Please, mark the TT2011 meeting in your agendas and don’t miss this opportunity to discuss the latest developments on Transgenic Technologies, at the International Level, with the world experts in the field. Looking froward to receive your latest work, experiments, designs, developments, your hottest research achievements using genetically modified animals.