President’s Message
A Message from José Manautou, August 2024
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Dear Colleagues,
Greetings from the Northeast USA, where summer is in full swing. Having reached the halfway point in my role as President of IUTOX, I would like to reflect upon recent IUTOX successes and make you aware of exciting events coming in the near future. Most recently, the 12th Congress of Toxicology in Developing Countries (CTDC12), co-hosted by the Sociedad de Toxicologia de Chile (SoTox) in Santiago, Chile on April 15–18, 2024, was a rousing success both scientifically and socially. There were over 260 attendees from more than 25 countries who attended CTDC12 and participated in the 3 continuing education conferences, 5 keynote lectures, 19 scientific sessions, and 120 posters. Held every three years, Congresses of Toxicology in Developing Countries (CTDCs) are sponsored by IUTOX. The meetings provide a special forum for discussing toxicological problems facing developing countries in the future and exchanging views with toxicologists from all over the world, especially from developing countries and regions. Special thanks go to Fernanda Cavieres, CTDC12 Chair, and Juan Carlos Rios Bustamante, President of SoTox, for their support of this exceptional congress.
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This was my first in-person CTDC since our previous congress in 2022, which was held virtually during the pandemic and hosted by the Malaysian Society of Toxicology. Before heading to Santiago for CTDC12, I had expected that, as a regional meeting, most participants would be from South America. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the congress attracted participants from all corners of the World. I am also deeply grateful that two former IUTOX Presidents, Jun Kanno and Peter DiMarco, traveled from Japan and Australia, respectively, to lend their support to the congress. During the closing ceremonies, we were treated to a presentation given by Anja Haverić of our upcoming CTDC13 hosted by the Genetic Association in Bosnia and Herzegovina (GENuBiH) that will take place in May 2026, in Sarajevo.
The next IUTOX Risk Assessment Summer School (RASS) will take place at the University of Sao Paulo in Sao Paulo, Brazil from February 9 to 15, 2025, and is organized by Maria Zaidan Dagli of Brazil (IUTOX Developing Countries Committee Chair) and Heather Wallace (IUTOX Education Committee Chair). Program details and application information for this upcoming RASS will be posted on our website and shared with IUTOX member societies shortly. The program has been finalized and venue at the University of Sao Paulo has been secured. Details on lodging arrangements will be made available along with the final program. Our goal is to replicate the success of our previous RASS in Istanbul, Turkey.
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RASS is a uniquely formulated experience offering advanced training for selected postgraduate and postdoctoral toxicologists in risk assessment. Risk assessment is the ultimate purpose to which toxicological testing and evaluation is directed, providing information for decision making by industry and governments (on behalf of the population at large). The working group format of RASS and direct interaction with speakers and educators is a distinctive and personal training experience, with an average of 40–45 registrants coming from the surrounding region. The RASS courses are held in member countries around the world with the purpose of broadening the geographical base of toxicology as a discipline and a profession.
IUTOX will next turn our attention to Beijing, China and the 17th International Congress of Toxicology (ICTXVII), cohosted by the Chinese Society of Toxicology (CST) from October 15–18, 2025. The first-ever ICT to take place in China will feature an outstanding scientific program highlighting excellence and diversity in toxicology. The theme of ICTXVII is “Toxicology for Safe Environment and Healthy Life” and the Scientific Program Committee is in the final stages of program development. Mark your calendars now and look for registration information in early 2025. The Scientific Program Committee will soon commence the evaluation of the 64 proposals submitted for symposia, along with 8 workshop proposals and 9 continuing education courses submissions. The objective is to finalize the scientific agenda by the end of August. The number of symposia submissions exceeded the organizers' goal of 50 proposals.
IUTOX's involvement as a Non-State actor in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2009 highlights our role in global public health and safety initiatives. This partnership underscores our commitment to various international efforts, including the WHO Chemical Risk Assessment Network and World No Tobacco Day. By focusing on areas like chemical risk assessment and tobacco control, IUTOX plays a crucial role in helping to advance policies and practices that promote public health globally. This collaboration is essential for advancing our mission to improve human health through the science and practice of toxicology world-wide.
Since 2022, IUTOX has entered into an official partnership with the journal Current Opinion in Toxicology (COTOX), assuming specific editorial responsibilities under this collaborative agreement. Over the past two years, our Secretary General, Emanuela Corsini, has been leading the development of IUTOX's special issues for COTOX. The first issue, now published, is titled “Developmental Toxicology and Future Generations”. Currently, the second issue, “Addressing Complex Toxicological Endpoints with NAMs”, is under development, with Emanuela and Heather Wallace, Chair of the IUTOX Education Committee, at the helm. The themes for these special issues in COTOX originate from our IUTOX Global Collaboration Coffee sessions held in conjunction with the Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting. These sessions serve as a critical platform for anticipating scientific trends and identifying emerging global toxicological issues.
IUTOX is also finalizing the details of a second affiliation with another Elsevier journal. The affiliation with Current Research in Toxicology (CRTOX), under the editorship of Tom Knudsen, broadens our relationship with Elsevier. CRTOX is a peer-reviewed open-access journal that publishes research across subfields such as mechanistic toxicology, vulnerable populations, systems toxicology, computational models, and innovative technologies. The financial support from Elsevier to IUTOX is highly valuable in our efforts to support programmatic activities, provide travel support for participants of our congresses, and create new awards acknowledging the contributions of colleagues who have made a mark in toxicology on a global scale.
Earlier this year, Rachel Frohberg stepped down from her role as IUTOX Executive Director following CTDC12. Rachel had served IUTOX for over ten years, first as the administrator and then as Executive Director from 2019 to 2024. I, and the entire IUTOX Executive Committee, thank Rachel for her many contributions to IUTOX and wish her all the best as she takes time to focus full-time on her family. Catherine Lamoureux, who has been serving IUTOX in the administrator role since early 2023, has taken over as IUTOX Executive Director. Catherine has over 20 years of experience in association management holding senior roles in program management and event planning. Some of you have already had a chance to meet Catherine at CTDC12, and I hope many more of you will find an opportunity to introduce yourselves to her at the SOT Annual Meeting in March 2025.
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On a somber note, IUTOX mourns the loss of our esteemed former Secretary-General, Barbara Hales. Barbara’s legacy of scientific achievements and dedicated service will be profoundly cherished by the toxicology community she cared deeply about. Our Secretary General, Emanuela Corsini, has developed an in-memoriam piece that highlights Barbara’s contributions and legacy. This tribute has been posted on the IUTOX website.
In closing, I hope to see many of you at the 58th Congress of the European Societies of Toxicology (EUROTOX 2024) in Copenhagen, Denmark in September. And as always, I look forward to hearing from you as Member Societies of IUTOX, to hear what is important to you in terms of IUTOX programs and services, allowing IUTOX to serve as a platform to promote international scientific collaboration and education in toxicology.
