[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 33 (Tuesday, February 19, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4833-4834]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-02684]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
National Toxicology Program; Notice of Public Meeting: Converging
on Cancer Workshop
AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, HHS.
ACTION: Notice of Public Meeting and Registration Information.
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SUMMARY: The National Toxicology Program (NTP) announces a workshop
titled ``Converging on Cancer'' on April 29-30, 2019, to bring together
researchers working in the area of cancer biology, assay development,
mixtures toxicology, in silico modeling, and cancer risk assessment.
The objectives of the workshop are to identify technologies and models
that can be used in a systems toxicology approach for cancer risk
assessment. Specific applications to understanding the joint effects of
multiple chemical exposures will be discussed. The workshop will
consist of plenary sessions (webcast), breakout discussion sessions,
and a poster session. This workshop is open to the public. Members of
the public can register to attend the workshop in person as observers
or view the plenary proceedings via webcast.
DATES:
Meeting: April 29-30, 2019, begins at 9:00 a.m. to approximately
5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
Meeting Registration: Deadline is April 22, 2019. Registration to
view the workshop via webcast is required.
ADDRESSES:
Meeting Location: William J. Clinton East Building, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, 1201 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington,
DC 20460.
Meeting Web page: The preliminary agenda and registration are at
https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/coc.
Webcast: Plenary sessions of the workshop will be webcast; the URL
will be provided to those who register for viewing.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Cynthia Rider, Toxicology Branch,
NIEHS, P.O. Box 12233, K2-12, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709,
(telephone) 984-287-3175, Email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: Cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. While
the defining feature of cancer is uncontrolled division of abnormal
cells, it is a complex disease with varied presentations (i.e.,
different etiologies and target tissues) that involves dysregulation of
multiple interconnected signaling pathways. Diverse environmental
factors have been associated with the development and progression of
various cancer types. A critical question in the field of environmental
health is how to harness what is known about cancer biology and
associated environmental exposures to improve public health outcomes.
The Converging on Cancer Workshop is aimed at providing a clear path
forward for evaluating the interactions between environmental exposures
and cancer biology using the latest tools in toxicology and identifying
knowledge gaps that require research attention. Potential applications
of this understanding include building a framework for incorporating
mechanistic data into cancer risk assessment, developing effective
screening tools to detect the
[[Page 4834]]
carcinogenic potential of environmental chemicals (including mixtures),
engineering safer products, and designing more effective multi-target
therapeutics.
The hallmarks of cancer (1) and the key characteristics of
carcinogens (2) offer two paradigms for organizing information to
better understand the interactions between environmental exposures and
biological systems that lead to cancer. The hallmarks of cancer
represent the biological traits of tumors that allow for the unchecked
growth of cancer, while the key characteristics of carcinogens begin
with known human carcinogens and identify the defining properties of
carcinogens. A series of webinars prior to the workshop will provide
background on these frameworks. Discussion at the workshop will include
recommended application of the two frameworks, clarifying terminology,
the relationship between the frameworks, and the available assays for
measuring effects associated with each of the hallmarks and key
characteristics.
It is clear from biomonitoring studies that humans are constantly
exposed to numerous structurally-diverse chemicals. A recent nomination
to NTP was for development of a testing strategy to better understand
how environmental chemicals might interact with multiple cancer-
relevant biological pathways to elicit mixture effects that would not
be expected based on single chemical considerations. An aim of the
workshop is to channel the collective wisdom of cancer biologists,
toxicologists, and mixtures statisticians to propose testing approaches
designed to evaluate hypotheses regarding the joint action of chemicals
that target cancer pathways. This effort will include discussion of
cancer-specific pathways and mechanisms, associated technologies
including organotypic and/or mechanistically insightful tools,
preferred animal models, in silico/computational approaches to link
relevant biological pathways, as well as specific cancer types to use
in evaluating the hypotheses.
Meeting and Registration: This meeting is open to the public, free
of charge, with attendance limited only by the space available. The
meeting will consist of plenary sessions (webcast), breakout discussion
sessions, and a poster session. The breakout sessions and poster
session will be open to the public but will not be webcast. Individuals
who plan to attend in person as observers or view the proceedings via
webcast should register on the NTP website (https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/coc) by April 22, 2019, to facilitate meeting planning. Interested
individuals are encouraged to visit the web page to stay abreast of the
most current information about the meeting.
Information for visitors to the US EPA is available at https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/visiting-epa-headquarters. Individuals with
disabilities who need accommodation to participate in this event should
contact Dr. Cynthia Rider at phone: (984) 287-3175 or email:
[email protected]. TTY users should contact the Federal TTY Relay
Service at 800-877-8339. Requests should be made at least five business
days in advance of the event.
Meeting Materials: The preliminary agenda and additional
information are available at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/coc.
References
1. Hanahan D, Weinberg RA. Hallmarks of cancer: The next generation.
Cell. 2011;144(5):646-74. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2011.02.013. PubMed
PMID: 21376230.
2. Smith MT, Guyton KZ, Gibbons CF, Fritz JM, Portier CJ, Rusyn I,
et al. Key Characteristics of Carcinogens as a Basis for Organizing
Data on Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis. Environmental health
perspectives. 2016;124(6):713-21. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1509912. PubMed
PMID: 26600562; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4892922.
Brian R. Berridge,
Associate Director, National Toxicology Program, National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences.
[FR Doc. 2019-02684 Filed 2-15-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P