The Royal Society of Biology is delighted to invite you to our upcoming Policy Lates online event, Discovery research in the era of COVID-19, supported by the Policy Lates Working Group.

This free online event will take place on Wednesday 12th August from 18:30-20:30 using Zoom.  

Event outline
Discovery research can be defined as basic or fundamental research that is curiosity-driven, rather than research that has a direct application and is heavily guided by wider strategic priorities. The delivery and implementation of discovery research outcomes has led to wide-ranging economic and social benefits.

This event will bring together specialists involved in the funding, infrastructure, delivery and outcomes of discovery research. Talks will focus on strategies and policies currently in place to drive the discovery of medicinal products, to enable prophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19, alongside the response to other human diseases.

The panel will discuss how the pandemic has, and may continue to, remodel the discovery research landscape. We'll consider what can be done, in an equitable and sustainable way, to meet the challenges and benefit from the opportunities this important area of research brings for our society.

There will be ample time for audience questions and panel discussion, chaired by Professor Jackie Hunter CBE FBPharmacolS FRSB.

Panel
Chaired by Professor Jackie Hunter CBE FBPharmacolS FRSB, BenevolentBio, the meeting will include short talks from the panellists, including Steve Bates OBE, BioIndustry Association, and Dr Curtis Asante, Cancer Research UK.

RSVP
This event is free to attend but advanced registration is required. Meeting joining details will be sent in advance. Please do circulate to interested guests and book your place on the event page or RSVP to Harriet McAra at events@rsb.org.uk

I hope you are able to join us for this exciting and informative event.

Finally, please may I additionally draw your attention to the topic of our Policy internship. To ensure we get a positive number of applicants, we would be grateful if you could help to circulate this opportunity throughout your wider networks. To assist with further dissemination, I have provided newsletter ready text below:

RSB Policy Internships
The RSB has one internship position available for current PhD students who are funded by AHRC, BBSRC, EPSRC, ESRC, MRC, andNERC. The successful applicant will spend three months working at the RSB in 2021. Start and end dates can be negotiated as appropriate.
Closes: 10 September 2020

The Royal College of Pathologists have an exciting upcoming virtual event. This year RCPath is working together with the Veterinary Pathology Specialty Advisory Committee to present the RCPath Veterinary Pathology School for residents - Virtual Training Programme, scheduled for Saturday 5th September 2020.

Event Overview Information

The RCPath Veterinary Pathology School is aimed at veterinary pathology (anatomic and clinical) and microbiology residents at any stage of their training. The emphasis of the programme is on the FRCPath programme, but those studying for ACVP and ECVP exams may also find the programme of interest. 

The day will consist of a series of short lectures delivered by experts with several break-out sessions.  

For more information on this exciting event, please visit the event booking page here.

You should have already received emails reminding you that your membership payment would be due for payment on 1st April 2020, and as a reminder the fees are as follows:

£60        - BSTP Member - without Journal

£160      - BSTP Member - with Journal (print and online access, including INHAND Supplements = £60 + £100)

£115      - BSTP Member - with Journal (online access only = £60 + £55)

The membership year runs from 1st April through to 31st March of each year with no discount or refunds available if joining or cancelling mid-term.

As your payment is nearly 2 months overdue, we are sorry, but you will incur a late payment charge of £25.00

If you have not yet renewed and subscribe to the journal, you are advised that your subscription to the journal will be suspended on Thursday 21st May 2020.

For all members who have not yet renewed, your membership of the BSTP will continue for the time being.

Please renew online and pay by credit card – the preferred option - to start the renewal process, visit http://www.bstp.org.uk/membership-page/

If you would rather pay by bank transfer, please ensure that payment is made in GBP and that you pay the full amount due within 14 days of the generation of your renewal paperwork.   If you pay by bank transfer from outside the UK, you need to ensure that the BSTP receive the full amount due or add £10 to cover any bank or exchange rate charges.  If you have an automatic bank transfer payment set up to pay the BSTP, you need to remember that you still need to complete the online renewal process so that we have on file the paperwork, both for financial and data protection reasons.

The BSTP are no longer able to accept payments by cheque.

Once the payment has been processed, the BSTP Secretariat will be notified of your renewal and unless there are any problems or you requested an official invoice/receipt, there will be no need for the Secretariat to contact you to confirm your renewal.

The BSTP now has Emeritus membership for those of you that are fully retired from working toxicological pathology, please contact the BSTP Secretariat for further information.

If you have any problems renewing your membership online or your circumstances have changed and you prefer not to renew your membership at this time, please contact the BSTP Secretariat as soon as possible.

The Society of Toxicologic Pathology (STP) is seeking to broaden its membership by reaching out to scientists and students (medical/veterinary/residents/graduate/postdocs) involved or interested in safety assessment, teaching, or research in variety of fields including, but not limited to, clinical pathology, toxicologic pathology, toxicology, and biomedical research. We are inviting them to become members of the STP and attend our 39^th Annual Symposium on June 13-18, 2020 at the Red Rock Resort in Summerlin, Nevada where the topic is The Hematopoietic System.

Please note:

• There are numerous travel awards available to students to attend the Annual Symposium in Summerlin.
• Registration fees are waived for active STP student members.
• Non-member students who apply by April 1 for STP student membership ($25 annual dues) and are approved, can also register for free.
• Non-members who apply for membership prior to July 1 and who are accepted will receive complimentary membership for the remainder of 2020.

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Please visit www.toxpath.org to apply for membership and register for the Annual Symposium.

The INHAND Project (International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria for Lesions) is a joint initiative of the STP, ESTP, BSTP and JSTP to develop an internationally accepted nomenclature for proliferative and non-proliferative lesions in laboratory animals.

The Nonproliferative and Proliferative Lesions of the Rat and Mouse Hematolymphoid System is now available - to access a copy, login to the members only area of the BSTP website and click on INHAND

The non-rodent species documents are progressing into membership review.

Because the various rodent systems have been published over several years, some common terms used in pathology were not consistent across the organ systems.  For example, some systems used “thrombus” and some used “thrombosis”.  The Global Editorial and Steering Committee (GESC) undertook a comprehensive review across all rodent organ systems.  Modifications to provide better consistency were recommended and reviewed by the rodent organ working groups.  In addition, an effort was made to harmonize with the ongoing SEND (Standard for Exchange of Nonclinical Data) initiative with the FDA.

The updates to the terms across all rodent organ systems can be seen by accessing goRENI then by clicking on the “Post-publ. changes” under “goRENI members” on the left side of the page.

If you need assistance with access to the goRENI system, please contact Rupert Kellner (rupert.kellner@item.fraunhofer.de).

If you have comments you would like to convey directly to the GESC, please contact the chair of the Charlotte Keenan (charlotte.keenan@msn.com).

Toxicologic Pathology is pleased to announce the publication of a special 2021 issue focusing on Digital Pathology, Tissue Image Analysis, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning in the context of Toxicologic Pathology and Drug Development. This collection of peer-reviewed original research articles and reviews will address multiple topics required for proficiency in these fields.

Internship in the Pharmaceutical or (Agro-) Chemical Industry:  Career in Toxicologic Pathology

The ESTP would like to promote young colleagues interested in veterinary pathology to discover toxicologic pathology. Therefore, we are happy to share the possibility to apply for internships in departments of pathology/preclinical development in the pharmaceutical and (agro-) chemical industry as well as in contract research laboratories (CRO's).

• An internship in the industry or a CRO aims to provide an introduction to the toxicological and experimental pathologist's daily duties, i.e. technical, scientific and communication aspects, and an understanding of how pathology data fits into drug/chemical development and safety. The intern might also have the possibility to actively contribute to a short project.

• An internship can for example include the following task and challenges: Exposure to systemic toxicology studies including slide evaluation and review together with an experienced pathologists, efficacy, mechanistic and investigative studies, and data handling experience (comprehensive pathology).

• Internships are offered for the following duration:
  • One-day job shadowing for veterinary students
  • Few weeks to several months for veterinary graduates or students currently in a pathology PhD training or residency program (Important: this type of internship is to date not registered as an official training accepted as resident training for the ECVP board preparation)..

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An official application for an internship generally includes a CV and a letter of motivation. Financial assistance cannot be provided by the ESTP but may be available from the respective company.

For any further information including contacts to laboratories willing to offer internships, please do not hesitate to contact us by email using  the contact tool at https://www.eurotoxpath.org/nextgen/index.php

Toxicologic Pathology is pleased to announce the publication of a special 2020 issue focusing on The Challenges of Inhaled Biotherapeutics. This peer-reviewed issue will bring together experts in the field of inhalation toxicology and pathology to provide an overview of the commonly encountered challenges associated with inhaled biologics. This issue will be forwarded by two white papers–the first addressing the pathological effects commonly seen with inhaled biologics and their implications for drug development, and the second addressing the toxicological and technical challenges associated with this route of delivery.

CLICK HERE for more information.

This call for papers seeks manuscripts from authors with experience in inhalation toxicology or the nonclinical development of inhaled biologics.

Toxicologic Pathology is pleased to announce the publication of a special 2020 issue focusing on Stem Cell-based Therapy Development. Rapid advances in stem cell biology have produced confusion and misinformation on the readiness of this field for clinical use in humans and animals. This peer reviewed special issue will emphasize the issues concerning cell therapies, exemplified but not limited to stem cell and related fields. Major focus will be safety assessment, issues complicating nonclinical  development of stem cell therapies, including study design, methods for evaluating histopathology findings, carcinogenicity evaluation, immune compatibility, and solutions to these issues to propel the field into the future therapies. This issue will explore concepts such as the fate of injected stem cells, teratoma formation and neoplasia, ectopic growths, use of autologous induced stem cells, use of stem cells in veterinary medicine and present state of the field. Also included will be issues of terminology and standardization of methods and nomenclature.

CLICK HERE for more information.

Call for proposals

The Biomedical Research Trust (BRET) is a charity which funds work to improve the care, use and replacement of animals in scientific research and increased public understanding of the role of animals in biomedical research.  Previous projects include schools speaker programmes, education for veterinary students, preparation of on line resources and travel bursaries.

We are inviting proposals for funding further work in two categories :

• Improved public education and understanding of the role of research using animals in the biological sciences, including medical advances
• to promote the use and development of 3Rs methods

Proposals should be brief, explaining how the work meets the aims of BRET, what you plan to do and a breakdown of costs.  Grants are usually up to £5000 but proposals for bigger projects may be considered.

If you would like to discuss an idea before submitting please contact us at bretenquiries@btinternet.com

BRET: Registered charity no 292366