[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 46 (Thursday, March 10, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11998-11999]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-4676]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


National Toxicology Program (NTP); NTP Liaison and Scientific 
Review Office; Announcement of Availability of NTP Roadmap for the 21st 
Century and NTP Celebration of its History

AGENCY: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS); 
National Institutes of Health (NIH), HHS.

ACTION: Announcement of availability of a document and a symposium.

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SUMMARY: The National Toxicology Program (NTP) announces availability 
of the document, ``A National Toxicology Program for the 21st Century: 
A Roadmap for the Future,'' and invites attendance at the symposium, 
``The National Toxicology Program: A Quarter Century of Toxicology for 
Public Health'' on May 10-11, 2005, at the National Academy of Sciences 
in Washington, DC. This meeting will reflect on the history of the NTP 
and its impact on public health since its establishment in 1978 and 
unveil the NTP's plans and directions for the future.

DATES: The symposium will be held on May 10-11, 2005.

ADDRESSES: The symposium will be held at the National Academy of 
Sciences, 2100 C Street, NW., Washington, DC. Registration information 
and other details for the symposium are available on the NTP Web site 
(http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov select ``NTP 25 Years'') or by contacting Nan 
Cushing (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT below). The NTP Roadmap 
document is available electronically on the NTP Web site, (select ``NTP 
Vision & Roadmap'') or in printed text from the NTP Liaison and 
Scientific Review Office, P.O. Box 12233, MD A3-01, 111 TW Alexander 
Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 (mail); (919) 541-0530 
(telephone); (919) 541-0530 (fax).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nan Cushing, NTP Liaison and 
Scientific Review Office, 919-541-0530 (telephone), 
[email protected] (e-mail).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The NTP was established in 1978 to coordinate toxicological testing 
programs within the Department of Health and Human Services, develop 
and validate improved testing methods, develop approaches and generate 
data to strengthen scientific knowledge about potentially hazardous 
substances, and communicate with stakeholders. In its more than 25 
years of existence, NTP has become a world leader in providing 
scientific information that improves our nation's ability to evaluate 
potential human health effects from chemical and physical exposures. 
The NTP maintains a number of complex, interrelated research and 
testing programs that provide unique and critical information needed by 
health regulatory and research agencies to protect public health. The 
NTP is hosting a symposium on May 10-11, 2005, to celebrate its 
leadership and contributions in protecting public health and present 
the NTP's roadmap for the 21st century.

NTP Roadmap for the Future

    In August 2003, the NTP defined its vision for the 21st century and 
undertook a yearlong process to refine that vision and develop a 
roadmap for its implementation. The NTP Vision is to support the 
evolution of toxicology from a predominately observational science at 
the level of disease-specific models to a predominately predictive 
science focused upon a broad inclusion of target-specific, mechanism-
based, biological observations. The NTP Roadmap described in the 
document, ``A National Toxicology Program for the 21st Century: A 
Roadmap for the Future,'' was developed with input from numerous groups 
including the NTP's Federal partners, its advisory committees, and the 
public. The NTP Roadmap identifies the challenges and opportunities 
confronting the program today and discusses the directions envisioned 
for the NTP in the 21st century in three main areas: (1) Refining 
traditional toxicology assays, (2) developing rapid, mechanism-based 
predictive screens for environmentally induced diseases, and (3) 
improving the overall utility of NTP products for public health 
decisions. Once implemented, it will strategically position the NTP at 
the forefront for providing scientific data and the interpretation of 
those data for public health decisionmaking. Presentation of the NTP's 
vision and roadmap will be a focus at the May symposium. The document 
is available electronically in PDF on the NTP Web site (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov select ``NTP Vision and Roadmap'') or in printed text 
by contacting the NTP Liaison and Scientific Review Office (see FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT above).

Preliminary Agenda

    The symposium begins each day at 9 a.m. and adjourns at 4:30 p.m. 
on May 10 and noon on May 11. The preliminary agenda topics are 
identified below.

May 10, 2005

 Welcome
 Implications of Health Policy and Health Legislation: Why Is 
the NTP Needed?
 Public Health in the 21st Century: NTP's Contributions and 
Challenges
 Invited Remarks
 NTP Goals: Their Importance to Public Health

    --Coordination of Toxicology Testing
    --Strengthening the Science Base in Toxicology
    --Evolution of the NTP in Other Areas
    --Partnerships and Communication

 Public Health Impact of the NTP

    --Role of Safety Information on Agents with Environmental Exposure 
in Guiding Public Health Decisions
    --Role of the Report on Carcinogens and the Center for the 
Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction in Guiding Public Health 
Decisions

May 11, 2005

 Welcome
 Toxicology's Role in Public Health Decisionmaking in the 21st 
Century

    --Molecular Biology in Public Health Decisions
    --Functional Genomics in Public Health Decisions
    --Systems Biology in Public Health Decisions

 NTP in the 21st Century
 The Future of Environmental Health Research

[[Page 11999]]

 Closing Remarks

Registration

    The symposium is open to the public with attendance limited only by 
the available space. Information about how to register to attend is 
available on the NTP Web site (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov select ``NTP 25 
Years'') or by contacting Ms. Cushing (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT above). Persons needing special assistance in order to attend 
are asked to contact Ms. Cushing at least 7 business days prior to the 
meeting.

    Dated: March 2, 2005.
Samuel H. Wilson,
Deputy Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
[FR Doc. 05-4676 Filed 3-9-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P