INVITED SPEAKERS

    Christian BLAISE

After a 35-year career as a research scientist at the Saint-Lawrence Centre, Environment Canada, Québec Region, where he headed the Aquatic Toxicology Unit of the River Ecosystems Research Section, Dr. Christian Blaise is now continuing his scientific activities as emeritus scientist. He also holds an adjunct professor status at UQAR (Université du Québec à Rimouski) where he contributes to teaching and (co)directs graduate students in the field of ecotoxicology. He is a member of the editorial board for the journal Environmental Toxicology, as well as for the journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, and was given recognition by being named the 2004 Emeritus Member of the biologists’ association of the province of Québec (Association des Biologistes du Québec) for outstanding contributions to environmental sciences during his career. He has co-edited, respectively with Canadian and French colleagues, two books dedicated to small-scale toxicity testing in 1998 and 2005 and is presently involved in editing a third book. He was the scientific organizer of the 10th International Symposium on Toxicity Assessment (ISTA 10), held in Quebec City, August 26-31, 2001, and is now International Co-chair of this venue with Professor Ian Falconer. His current research endeavours lie in the area of effects measurements linked to emerging chemicals.

    Kevin CHIPMAN

Kevin Chipman is Professor of cell Toxicology and Head of the School of Biosciences at the University of Birmingham. He is leader of the Molecular Pathobiology Research Theme. Kevin is a former member of the Drinking Water Inspectorate Committee on Chemicals in Drinking Water, the DH/Food Standards Agency Committee on Toxicology, the former UK Committee on Safety of Medicines and various associated working groups. He is a recent Director of the Executive Committee of the International Union of Toxicology. He chairs an NC3Rs working group on nonhuman primates and formerly the NERC Molecular Genetics Facility. He has also been a trustee of the Toxicology Education Foundation (TEF) based in the USA.
Kevin’s research team investigates mechanisms of cellular and genetic toxicity and protective factors. Particular interest is in the mechanism of action of both genotoxic and non-genotoxic carcinogens including the study of the factors determining DNA damage (e.g. by reactive oxygen species), altered gene expression (toxicogenomics) and interference of intercellular communication.
Studies on biomarkers in both the occupational and environmental (aquatic ecotoxicology) setting include alteration of gene expression through microarray and pyrosequencing studies and analyses of DNA adducts and oncogene and tumour suppressor gene mutations. Epigenetics is a relatively new area to his research in which he is starting to investigate the potential effect on organisms in the field.

    Tracy COLLIER

As Director of the Environmental Conservation Division of NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Dr. Tracy Collier supervises a research enterprise comprised of approximately 90 scientists. The Division contains four research programs, namely Watershed Processes, Ecotoxicology, Environmental Chemistry, and Marine Biotoxins. Dr. Collier's research interests over the years have covered some of the first work on metabolism of PAHs by fish, studies of the impacts of oil spills on marine fish and mammals, the enzymology of carcinogen activation and detoxication, and assessing overall effects of contaminants on fish populations through the use of field investigations. His current personal research interests are in the areas of environmental toxicology, field investigations of causality, the use of marine mammals and fish as sentinel species for assessing relationships between oceans and human health, and the ecological consequences resulting from exposure to sublethal levels of chemical contaminants.
Tracy's overall mission is to conduct science in support of management actions, but at the same time to let management know what science they will be needing in the near future. Dr. Collier is a post-doctoral advisor to the National Research Council, and serves on a number of regional, national, and international panels and committees.

    Barbara DEMENEIX

Since 1990, Barbara DEMENEIX has held a professorship in the Comparative Physiology Laboratory, a CNRS mixed research unit within the Natural History Museum in Paris, a higher education and research institution. She was appointed head of the research unit in 1998 and Department head in 2000.
Her research focuses on three major axes: 1) Addressing the molecular basis of thyroid hormone action during amphibian metamorphosis. Within this context she has developed and applied somatic and germinal transgenic technology. The work has led to the creation of a start up WatchFrog (website : http://www.watchfrog.fr/ ) using the germinal transgenic technology for pharmaceutical screening and environmental monitoring. A patent, extended internationally, covers these applications. 2) Developing non-viral gene transfer techniques for delivering genes into the central nervous system for both gene therapy and for fundamental research. 3) Using in vivo gene delivery techniques to dissect negative regulation of gene transcription by thyroid hormone (TH) and thyroid hormone receptors using the hypothalamic TRH gene as a model.
Barbara is also active with the OECD Extended Advisory Group on Molecular Screening and Toxicogenomics, and the ILSI Health and Environmental Science Institute on various committees and working groups.

    Ian FALCONER

Professor Ian Falconer has an international reputation in the toxicology of cyanobacterial (blue-green algal) poisons, their effects on human and animal health, and the risks associated with their presence in water. He was the first to demonstrate in 1983 that human liver damage was associated with the presence of toxic Microcystis in a drinking water supply, and since that time has investigated the mechanisms of toxicity and evidence of tumour promotion by the microcystin toxins.
After the poisoning of an Australian population by toxic Cylindrospermopsis (another species of cyanobacterium) in a tropical water storage, much of his later work has studied the toxicology of cylindrospermopsin. This has shown likely carcinogenicity as well as inhibition of protein synthesis.
He has participated in setting Drinking Water Guidelines with the WHO and the Australian and Brazilian Governments. He is now also concerned with pesticide toxicity and endocrine disrupting compounds in water supplies. Risk assessment of poisons in the environment is his current focus, which will be discussed in his ISTA presentation.

    Ivan HOLOUBEK

Professor of environmental chemistry, director of the RECETOX (Research centre for environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology), Masaryk university Brno, Czech Republic; director the National POPs Centre Czech Republic, director of the Central and Eastern Euroepan Regional POPs Centre of the Stockholm Convention; working more than 20 years in the field of environmental chemistry, chemical ecotoxicology and risk analysis with the special attention to the persistent toxic substances.

   Stephen KLAINE

Stephen J. Klaine is a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and director of the Institute of Environmental Toxicology (CU-ENTOX) at Clemson University. He received his doctorate from the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Rice University in 1982 and has spent over 25 years conducting environmental research and educating graduate students. Current research in his laboratory focuses on characterizing 1) the bioavailablity of metals and pesticides in aquatic systems; 2) the comparative phytotoxicity of pesticides; 3) the response of aquatic organisms to episodic contaminant exposures; 4) the water quality consequences of land use; 5) the effects of pharmaceuticals on fish behavior; and 5) the bioavailability and toxicity of colloids and nanoparticles in aquatic systems. Over the past several years we have worked with organic and inorganic nanoparticles and our research has focused on characterization of exposure scenarios in aquatic ecosystems, interactions with natural organic matter, and the influence of physical/chemical characteristics on bioavailability and toxicity to aquatic organisms. Initial results suggested that traditional aquatic bioassay approaches were not sufficient for toxicity characterization of particle suspensions. Hence we have developed modified systems to maintain constant exposure scenarios in aquatic bioassays. Current results indicate that nanoparticles can be modified by aquatic organisms, form stable aqueous suspensions with natural organic matter, and enhance the toxicity of other contaminants such as copper.

    Richard MASSON

Dr. Richard Masson, Ph.D has prepared his thesis in Molecular and Cellular Biology in the Laboratory of Ecotoxicology of the University of Le Havre (France). He was involved in a research project studying the effects of chemical xenobiotics in a bivalve species, Mytilus edulis, at the molecular, cellular and individual levels. His work, under the supervision of Pr. Jean-Michel Danger, was particularly devoted to the transcriptomic aspects of molecular responses to chemical contaminations under different tidal conditions. Dr Masson is currently seeking a postdoctoral or an assistant professor position in Ecotoxicology.

    Christophe MINIER

Dr Christophe Minier is Professor at the University of Le Havre and has the responsibility of the of the “Etiology of environmental stresses” group within the Laboratory of Ecotoxicology (LEMA). He is the coordinator of research activities on endocrine disruption for the national consortium “EXECO” (a group of 6 French laboratories) and the leader of the European research program “Determining pertinent Indicators for Environmental monitoring: a Strategy for Europe” (DIESE). Dr Minier’s research activities are in the area of endocrine disruption, environmental genotoxicity and studies on the multixenobiotic resistance (MXR) system. Particular focus lies in the assessment of exposure (bioavailability and interactions with ABC transporters), and effects at several levels of the biological organization (from molecular components to whole organism) with particular emphasis on reproduction. Main studied organisms are fish and mollusks living in both marine and freshwater environments.
His research activity in the field of endocrine disruption is an invaluable contribution to understanding pollution impact and how effects on individuals may influence population dynamics.

    John STEGEMAN

John Stegeman is Sr. Scientist and former Chair of the Biology Department at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. He also is Director of the Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health. His background is in biochemistry and he has been doing research on xenobiotic metabolism and cytochrome P450, mostly in marine animals, for more than 30 years, and he has authored or co-authored about 280 publications.
John Stegeman pioneered development of biomarkers and studies on alterations of biochemical systems as sensitive indicators of environmental contamination. His research on evolution and regulation of cytochrome P-450 isozymes from diverse species is outstanding. The studies on structure-function relationships involved in metabolism and effects of chemicals in relation to the susceptibility of different animal groups also represent a large body of pioneering work. His whole research is more than a significant contribution to the understanding of mechanisms of pollutant action.
John will give us a current view of “Diversity and evolution of cytochrome P450 genes in animals” in his invited lecture of the inaugural session that will open ISTA14.

    Eric VINDIMIAN

Eric Vindimian has spent most of his career on the edge between research and policy making. As a scientist he worked in the field of ecotoxicology and developed biomarkers of toxicity for aquatic ecosystems. He has been head of the unit biology of freshwater ecosystems at Cemagref, a research institute for environmental and agricultural public policies, he has also been director of chronic risks at Ineris a research and expertise public institute for industrial risks. He has been the representative of the ministry for research in the region Rhône-Alpes. He also spent six years leading the research department of the French ministry for ecology and sustainable development. He has been president of the subcommittee “Biological methods” of the technical committee 147 “Water quality” of the International standardization organisation (ISO). He is now regional director of Cemagref in Montpellier, region Languedoc-Roussillon in the south of France. He was recently elected President of the French Society of Ecotoxicology (SEFA).