Toxicology Congress: Discovery Serving Society
International gathering to address how chemicals affect our lives
How does the environment sculpt our genomes? What role do humans play in environmental change? What is the connection between air pollution and asthma?
More than 1,500 scientists from approximately 90 countries will discuss these and other questions at the 11th International Congress of Toxicology at Montreal’s Palais des congrès July 15-19. This year’s theme is “Toxicology: Discovery Serving Society.”
McGill University is a major sponsor and participant in the event, which is hosted by the Society of Toxicology of Canada and organized by the National Research Council of Canada under the auspices of the International Union of Toxicology. The congress will include 35 symposia covering topics ranging from the latest scientific advances, to global toxicological issues, to the challenges unique to developing countries, such as toxins in water supplies and the improper application of pesticides.
Among the keynote speakers will be epigenetics pioneer Moshe Szyf of the McGill Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, addressing the role of the environment on our genetic makeup. Other McGill speakers will include Tara S. Barton and Bernard Robaire, also of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and Rima Rozen of the Department of Human Genetics. Ms. Barton will address the effects of paternal exposure to toxic substances on early-stage embryonic development; Prof. Robaire will participate in a round-table discussion on how male drug use can affect sperm and progeny; and Prof. Rozen will discuss the impact of folate deficiencies on human development.
The congress will open with the prestigious Deichmann Lecture, given by Prof. Allan Okey of the University of Toronto, an international authority on the role of the aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) receptor protein in toxicological responses. The lecture, titled “An Ah Receptor Odyssey to the Shores of Toxicology,” will present an overview of the research that led to the current understanding of how dioxin-like molecules exert their toxicity.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the International Congress of Toxicology, which was founded to provide a forum for scientists and trainees concerned with the potential for chemically induced harm to human health and the environment to share their ideas and research findings.
On the Web: ICTXI 2007
