[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