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OpenTox USA 2013 speaker program

The OpenTox USA 2013 speaker program is available.

http://barryhardy.blogs.com/theferryman/2013/09/opentox-usa-2013-program-and-goals.html

OpenTox Euro 2013 speaker program

OpenTox Euro 2013 speaker program is available. See

http://barryhardy.blogs.com/theferryman/2013/09/opentox-euro-2013-speaker-program.html

OpenTox USA 2013 program

The OpenTox USA 2013 community meeting on innovative developments and
applications in predictive toxicology will take place in RTP, North Carolina 29 - 30 October. The meeting is being organised as a collaboration between OpenTox and ToxBank.

The preliminary program is available at:
http://www.opentox.org/meet/opentoxusa2013

The meeting provides an opportunity for researchers to learn about best
practices and new applications in data management, modelling and analysis applied for predictive toxicology and risk assessment purposes.

Abstracts for the poster session are being accepted through 31 August.

On behalf of the OpenTox USA 2013 Organising Committee,
we look forward to seeing you in Raleigh-Durham.

Barry Hardy (Douglas Connect)
Scott Auerbach (NIEHS)
Rusty Thomas (Hamner Institutes)
Asish Mohapatra (Health Canada)


OpenTox USA 2013

Hamner Conference Center, North Carolina Biotechnology Center

29 - 30 October

Topics: data management, in silico modelling and application development, integrated data analysis, biokinetics, cheminformatics, bioinformatics, weight of evidence, risk assessment.

Abstract Submission:
https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=opentoxusa2013

Registration:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/OpenToxUSA2013

OpenTox Euro 2013 program

Information on the OpenTox Euro 2013 program is posted at:

http://barryhardy.blogs.com/theferryman/2013/08/opentox-euro-2013-program.html

The Ferryman and Spela

Barry is now a lucky, happy and just married man to Spela

http://barryhardy.blogs.com/theferryman/2012/11/a-shared-moment-of-great-happiness.html

Trees talk to each other to create toxic defences

While out in Namibia - apparently not working on #OpenTox - but working on a new Caprivi Delta conservation project a couple of years ago, and while out gathering wood, I was told the story of the Mapone trees responding to the elephant migration through the region:

..."Interestingly this Mapone wood is also eaten by elephants. According to one of our guides, when the elephants start eating some trees, the trees send out signals to each other to make their leaves bitterer so that the elephants don’t want to eat them any more. Unfortunately that also makes them frustrated and they start knocking the trees over. But that also helps with collecting the wood!"...

  This topic of chemical adaptation and communication between trees seemed really fascinating to me, but I have not yet had time to validate the story with for example finding and reading a scientific study on how Mapone trees talk to each other. On another trip another contact informed me it was because there was an interesting meal (e.g., insects) in the tree tops, and that was the reason.

In any case I still have a little voice in my head telling me this phenomena of tree language would be fascinating to understand more and even develop models for in our computational science work.

So I was intrigued last night to stumble on a documentary on Arte on plant behaviour and they described a fascinating similar case of Acacia Trees talking to each other in South Africa. Animals such as Kudu eat the leaves of these trees. In a reserve area they were puzzled by the increased incident of unexplained sudden deaths of healthy-looking Kudus. They called in Wouter Van Hoven, a professor at Pretoria, and his group to study the problem. They found, that because of fencing, the Kudu were in higher numbers than usual in this area.

 

The trees in response to increased eating of their leaves release an ethylene gas to communciate with other trees in the neighborhood. In response to this message, the trees collectively increase the concentration of tannin in their leaves by a factor of four. What had been food previously to the deer is now with the increased toxic dose a poison. So the trees basically respond to the threat and kill the kudu and thus reduce their over-population. (Aside: This gives us another inspiring Tree use case for #OpenTox (see OpenTox) - can we predict that such an increase in dose kills the animal?)

So trees really do talk to each other. Perhaps they will have some conversations together to apply their wisdom to the relentless threat of global warming coming our way.

Barry

PS: If you are doing research in this fascinating area of biology I would love to hear from you!

OpenTox 2011 Poster Session in Predictive Toxicology

You can preview the abstracts of the posters to be presented at the #OpenTox 2011 Poster Session in Predictive Toxicology in Munich on the 11th August at:

http://www.opentox.org/meet/opentox2011/poster-session

Innovation in Predictive Toxicology

The preliminary program with schedule for the #OpenTox InterAction Meeting in Munich in August has been loaded at:
Innovation in Predictive Toxicology
9-12 August, Munich, Germany
http://www.opentox.org/meet/opentox2011/opentox2011

Abstracts for the poster session and awards are still being accepted through June at:
https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=opentox2011

There is no registration fee to attend the conference but places are limited to 100 attendees.
Please complete the registration application form while still available at:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/opentox2011

Innovation in Predictive Toxicology

We are holding an OpenTox InterAction Meeting, in Munich, Germany (10-12 August 2011 on Innovation in Predictive Toxicology.

Further information including a preliminary list of speakers and topics, and links to abstract submission and registration forms is located at:
http://www.opentox.org/meet/opentox2011

Abstract submissions should be completed by 30 April for consideration for the conference program and bursary awards. Poster abstracts will continue to be accepted through 30 June, to be eligible for meeting-based review and innovation merit awards.

Registration should be completed using the form located at
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/opentox2011

Registration involves no fee, but please note that places are limited to 100 participants, and we will have to close registration once our confirmed invitation and acceptance list is full.

A pre-conference OpenTox workshop on new developments in methods, REACH-relevant models and applications will be held 9 August.

AXLR8 2010 report on Alternative Testing Strategies

The AXLR8 2010 report on Alternative Testing Strategies is now available at:
http://axlr8.eu/axlr8-2010-progress-report.pdf

This book provides a very useful reference and comprehensive summary of all recent/current significant Alternative Testing R&D FP6/7 projects in Europe, plus additional perspectives on other initiatives e.g., in US, Japan etc. It includes a chapter on #OpenTox.

Barry

Barry Hardy PhD
Director, Community of Practice & Research Activities
and OpenTox Project Coordinator (www.opentox.org)