PHIL HANAWALT RECEIVES THE 1996 ASP INVESTIGATOR AWARD
ROBERT REDMOND RECEIVES THE 1996 NEW INVESTIGATOR AWARD
GREETINGS FROM THE NEW PRESIDENT
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
OBITUARY
LEONARD GROSSWEINER RETIRES
UVA SYMPOSIUM
ASP MEMORABILIA
ARNOLD RIKLI PRIZE 1997
MEYRICK PEAK RECEIVES PHOTON AWARD
1996 ANNUAL MEETING REPORT
PHOTOBIOLOGY FOUNDATION ESTABLISHED
PHOTOBIOLOGY ONLINE: JOURNALS IN PHOTOBIOLOGY
SPONSORS FOR ASP'96
CALL FOR ASP AWARD NOMINATIONS
PHIL HANAWALT RECEIVES THE 1996 ASP INVESTIGATOR AWARD
Rox Anderson, Chair, Grants and Awards Committee
Every year, ASP honors a scientist whose work stands as a landmark in our field. Philip C. Hanawalt, PhD, was given the 1996 ASP Investigator Award in recognition of his multiple, fundamental contributions on mechanisms of DNA repair after UV exposure. Insights from his work on bacterial and mammalian cells are the basis for much of our current understanding of cell survival and mutagenesis. After receiving the award, Dr. Hanawalt delivered an excellent lecture on the role of transcription factors in cellular repair of DNA photoproducts. He is professor of biology at Stanford University, where he continues to do research and graduate student teaching.
ROBERT REDMOND RECEIVES THE 1996 NEW INVESTIGATOR AWARD
The New Investigator Award recognizes promising, quality research performed a at relatively early stage in an investigator's career. Robert Redmond, PhD, is currently assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Redmond's present work involves photochemical mechanisms from states achieved by multiphoton laser pulse excitation of biological chromophores and photosensitizers. He is also pursuing transient state spectroscopy of dyes in living tissue, to probe in vivo photosensitization and chromophore microenvironment.
The ASP research awardees are selected from nominations received each year from the membership (see call for nominees).
GREETINGS FROM THE NEW PRESIDENT
Frank Gasparro
At the business meeting I issued a challenge to the membership - to have a 500 registrant meeting by 1998 and to increase our membership by 10% to 1400 members over the same time period. As summarized in the meeting report elsewhere in this issue, we have had more than 400 registrants for the last five annual meetings. An additional 100 registrants would add almost $15,000 to our income without any appreciable increase in expenses. Where will these people come from? We all collaborate with other scientists. How about exposing them to photobiology? The process could be a gradual one - organize a symposium and invite them to participate so that they can have a first hand experience with our intimate, cross-disciplinary meeting.
When the new division structure was implemented in 1994, there were six divisions. However, only one member designated himself as a member of the Phototechnology division. He was folded into Division 1 which was renamed Photophysics, Photochemistry & Phototechnology. But perhaps we gave up too easily. There are many light manufacturers who benefit from our research dollars. Isn't it in their interest to see what happens to the photons they provide for our studies? An intense effort is underway to involve this new group in our annual meetings and to recruit new members from amongst them.
These are just two of the proactive measures we need to take to counteract increasing expenses of organizing the annual meeting and producing P&P. You may not be aware that P&P generates a significant cash flow for the society which is used to subsidize other society activities. The journal revenues have allowed the ASP to accumulate reserves totalling $880,000. Thus, the ASP now has what could be considered an endowment.
The council has devised a policy for the management of this endowment. One year's operating expenses come to nearly $500,000. In 1994 the council established a guideline that 60% of one year's budget be kept in reserve. Another $300,000 was to be invested in high yield securities like Treasury Bills. The remainder provides a cash flow buffer as we receive income during two brief periods - in the winter in response to dues notices and in the spring as meeting revenue is generated. Approximately 40% of the cash has been transferred to the Photobiology Foundation (see page 4 in this issue). Due to increased production costs, next year may be the first year in which no excess funds are generated by P&P. Providing a P&P subscription to each dues-paying member now costs the society nearly $50,000.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Meyrick Peak
Frank Gasparro deserves our thanks for four years of superb service editing the American Society for Photobiology Newsletter. He has raised the quality and standard of the newsletter and increased its interest. Now Frank has moved on to more prestigious arenas with broader responsibilities (I have moved in the exact reverse direction), in which we wish him every success.
If I can maintain Frank's newsletter standards I shall be doing well. I will be working on the letter in collaboration with Jennifer Peak and Nancy Bailey. We do have some ideas that might make the letter more useful, and will be trying these out as experiments in future issues. Like our Photobiological experiments in the past, some (we hope most) will be successful. We welcome your feedback as well as suggestions for inclusions that you would like to see in the newsletter.
Bill received his Ph.D. from Purdue University in 1972 and worked at the University of California, Riverside as an Assistant Professor before starting with the Agricultural Research Service in 1977. After joining ARS, he served first in the Seed Laboratory, and then as Research Leader of Plant Photobiology Laboratory. He had been part of the Climate Stress Laboratory since 1990. Bill was well known for his studies on membrane structure and function. While at Beltsville, he developed several novel and now widely accepted theories based on phytochrome-membrane interactions to explain the control of seed germination by light, temperature and growth regulators. Bill's observation helped to resolve several long-standing paradoxes concerning phytochrome and stimulated practical studies to control weed germination through nocturnal cultivation.
He served on the editorial boards of Plant Physiology (1982-85) and Photochemistry and Photobiology (1994-95). He was elected Secretary-Treasurer, Vice-President and President of the Washington Section, American Society of Plant Physiologists (1979-82) and Councilor of the American Society for Photobiology in 1995 (but resigned for health reasons before serving). He was the chief organizer and co-chair of Beltsville Symposium XVI, "Photomorphogenesis in Plants: Emerging Strategies for Crop Improvement" in 1991 (held jointly with the European Photomorphogenesis Symposium).
Bill is survived by his wife, Gladys, two sons, Glenn and Brian, and his daughter, Karen.
Steven J. Britz
Professor Leonard Grossweiner retired from Illinois Institute of Technology after 40 years on the faculty. He is presently Research Director of the Wenske Laser Center at Ravenswood Hospital and a senior scientist with CW Optics in Hampton, Virginia. He can be reached at:
UVA SYMPOSIUM
Antony Young
UVA photobiology was the topic of the joint ASP/ESP symposium in Atlanta. Antony Young gathered researchers active in diverse areas of the UVA field.
Betsy Weatherhead (NOAA, Boulder, CO) described how UVA1 and UVA2 are environmentally much more abundant than UVB. Ozone attenuates UVB strongly, and UVA2 slightly, but has no effect on UVA1. UV and visible radiations are all greatly influenced by clouds and sun angle. The relative amounts of UVB:UVA1:UVA2:visible change with time of day and season, as was demonstrated by both models and measurements. For biologically weighted UV spectra, for instance the SCUP skin cancer action spectrum, the contribution from UVB is generally greater than that of UVA. However, given the uncertainty of the UVA portion of common action spectra, this may not always hold. In far northern regions, the UVA and UVB contribution may be roughly equal.
Peter Clingen (University of Sussex) reviewed DNA photodamage. Most research has focused upon the lesions induced by UVC and UVB, mainly cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and (6-4) photoproducts. However, UVA can produce secondary photoreactions of existing photoproducts such as the photoisomerization of (6-4) photoproducts into their Dewar isomers by 325 nm photons, and can damage DNA indirectly via photosensitizers and generation of reactive oxygen species. Backbone strand breaks, DNA-protein crosslinks, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine and thymine glycols are all readily produced by UVA, however, little is known of their biological significance. Jean Cadet noted that many of the other oxidative lesions discussed are theoretical as they have not yet been demonstrated.
Lindsay Webber (George Washington University) spoke on UVA-induced immunosuppression. UVA does not suppress the contact hypersensitivity response (CHS) in mice even though it readily induces trans to cis-photoisomerization of urocanic acid (UCA), widely believed to be a chromophore for suppression of CHS and other photoimmunological endpoints. UVA may be inhibiting the delivery or formation of the subsequent signal induced by cis-UCA by some mechanism as yet unknown. Clearly, much more research is needed to determine the role of UVA in immune suppression.
Rex Tyrrell (University of Bath) described the ability of UVB and UVA to activate very different sets of genes (BioEssays 18, 139-148, 1996). UVB upregulates over a hundred genes, probably by enhancing transcription factor (AP-1, NFkB, p53, etc.) activity. The doses are often high, and thus physiologically and pathologically irrelevant; metalloproteinases are important exceptions. UVA generates oxidative events and strongly activates genes such as heme oxygenase (HO), the C100 phosphatase, collagenase and phospholipase A2 within normal levels of human UVA exposure. Thus, these activations will be biologically relevant. There is evidence that HO-1 activation underlies an adaptive response for protection again
st oxidative membrane damage that involves new synthesis of the iron storage protein, ferritin. Martyn Caldwell (Utah State University) reviewed the effects of UVA on higher plants. This part of the spectrum can contribute to the detrimental effects of sunlight, but it is also apparently effective in mitigating the damage caused by UVB. Overall, he concluded that the photomorphogenic effects of UVA are more likely to be of importance for higher plants than its damaging effects.
Klaus Winckler (Institut fur Biophysik, Berlin) drew attention to the lack of photobiological research in the tropics, where coastal regions are important in fish farming (hatching, breeding, early development). Traditionally larvae are taken from the lakes or oceans to be raised in shallow waters. They are subjected to high temperatures and UVR doses, the consequences of which are little known. Laboratory experiments by Winckler and Fidhiany showed that fish subjected to an abrupt 5% (sub-lethal) increase in UVA irradiance significantly reduced their general oxidative metabolism, particularly in the second generation. The effect was enhanced by heat. These observations should be verified under field conditions.
The symposium was well attended, evidence for the interest in UVA photobiology. However, knowledge of the biological significance of UVA is still very limited with much work required!
ASP MEMORABILIA
Al Girotti
I plan to present a collage of ASP memorabilia at the 25th annual meeting of ASP in St. Louis next year. Please send me photos, news articles, or anything else of interest such as used bottles of Hanky Bannister (preferably not empty)! These should be sent to the Secretariat for processing, along with an explanatory letter where necessary. Materials will be returned at or after the meeting if so desired (except for the Hanky B.). Thanks.
For investigations in the field of photobiology in relation to human beings, we hereby announce the awarding of the
This prize, in the amount of 20,000 Swiss Francs (approx. US $16,000), is awarded by the Institute Friedrich Wolff of Riehen, Switzerland as a regular event. It was first established in 1989 and is presented every two years.
The reports should cover investigations on biological effects of optical radiation as well as electromagnetic currents and fields. They should be of direct significance for human medical practice, or provide guidelines for future research.
Unpublished reports, or reports published after January 1, 1995, must be submitted in German or English and be delivered to the secretariat not later than December 31, 1996. The submission should concentrate on an area of specialty. For the case in which the submission is "in cumolo" (at the most five studies) a brief explanation should be provided uniting the presentations together. An international jury will evaluate the investigations and determine the winners.
Office address:
For Information Contact:
Meyrick Peak was honored at the annual meeting in Atlanta for outstanding service to ASP. The Photon Award came as a complete surprise, bestowed upon Dr. Peak during a lively ASP Business Meeting. A statue of Ra, the Egyptian god of the sun, will adorn Meyrick's office -- appropriate, because he is a constant source of energy for ASP. Meyrick served on the the ASP Council for six years, was President in 1992-93, program chair for the 1992 and 1994 annual meetings, and helped bring ASP into its current state of fiscal and scientific health. Indeed, Dr. Peak now assumes the editorship of this newsletter. The ASP would not exist without its active members, who devote precious time to keeping our society alive, solvent, responsive, and progressive. To these many people we say thank you, thank you, thank you. And to Dr. Peak yet another -- thank you, Meyrick.
1996 ANNUAL MEETING REPORT
Frank Gasparro
For the fifth consecutive year the annual meeting registration surpassed 400. The four and a half day meeting at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta included 31 symposia with 209 presentations. Among the submitted abstracts there were 68 platform presentations and 60 posters. A works-in-progress poster session brought the latest news from 19 groups. The highlight of the meeting was the CNN report on the sunscreen symposium (check it out at http://www.cnn.com). In a striking contrast, photocatalysis with titanium dioxide was presented in two symposia - one on sunscreens and the other on the degradation of organic waste. John Knowland (Biochemistry, Oxford University, UK) showed how photoactivated TiO2 degraded DNA under in vitro conditions. Kevin O'Shea (Chemistry, Florida International University) described the use of photoactivated TiO2 for the degradation of environmental waste.
Another series of symposia described the science behind the clinical efficacy of PDT therapy (recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of esophageal cancer - see NL 156). Two symposia discussed the use of photoactivatable compounds (e.g., psoralens) for the purification of blood components. There was a series of special lectures. Two award lectures were presented. The ASP research award lecture, presented by Philip C. Hanawalt (Stanford University), described the role of DNA damage and transcription coupled repair.
The new investigator award lecture was presented by Robert W. Redmond (Wellman Laboratory, Harvard) who summarized recent findings in the photophysics of DNA bases, mononucleotides and dinucleotides.
In a photobiology school lecture, Peter M. Glazer (Therapeutic Radiology, Yale University) surveyed the field of targeted photochemical modification of DNA directed by oligonucleotides using either an antisense or antigene approach. In the former, the antisense oligonucleotide pairs with m-RNA leading to its degradation. In the latter, the synthetic DNA oligomer fits in one of the DNA double strand grooves. Glazer coined the term, the "Franklin strand", to acknowledge the contribution of Rosalind Franklin to the elucidation of the structure of DNA more than 40 years ago.
PHOTOBIOLOGY FOUNDATION ESTABLISHED
Frank Gasparro
At its 24th annual business meeting in Atlanta last month, ASP voted to establish the Photobiology Foundation.
ASP is an international research organization that conducts research meetings and publishes a journal for photobiologists (Photochemistry and Photobiology). The new Photobiology Foundation (PF) will have a complementary mission - to promote photobiology and to make the general public aware of the impact of photobiology on society and public health. Photobiology comprises fields of basic science (such as photosynthesis) as well as applied technology (there are also photomedical applications involving new therapies for the treatment of cancer and cardiovascular disease).
PF was launched with a one-time grant of $100,000 from the development fund of ASP. In fulfilling part of its mission to support the development of photobiology, the foundation will award travel grants so that students in training or those who have recently completed training can attend research meeting such as those sponsored by ASP and its sister organization in Europe (ESP). In addition to the travel program, the PF will provide research funding for pilot projects in order to encourage creativity in the field of photobiology.
To further the development of photobiology the PF will make an appeal for donations to the members of ASP, corporations and the public. Members of ASP have been at the forefront of research on the impact of ozone depletion on the incidence of skin cancer. At its recent meeting in Atlanta, ASP brought together basic scientists and members of industry to discuss issues surrounding the use of sunscreens to prevent skin cancer and photoageing. Recently the FDA approved a new photobiology therapy for the treatment of esophageal cancer. Many advances in basic photobiology have been identified but in order to benefit the public health, many more costly studies and human clinical trials will need to be performed. The era of shrinking federal support for research necessitates that new avenues for funding this kind of research be pursued.
PHOTOBIOLOGY ONLINE: JOURNALS IN PHOTOBIOLOGY
Dennis Valenzeno
Sometimes it would be useful to know what articles were going to appear in Photochemistry and Photobiology or in Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology before the journal arrives in your mailbox. Photobiology Online can provide this information anywhere from two to five months in advance.
Journals in Photobiology is one of the 17 sections of Photobiology Online (POL), the World Wide Web of both the American and European Societies for Photobiology. POL provides a wealth of online information to photobiologists, all at no charge to you, the user.
When you select Journals in Photobiology from the main menu of POL, a new screen appears offering you selections relating to Photochemistry and Photobiology (ASP's journal) and Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology (ESP's journal). For each, you can then select Aims and Scope, Instructions for Authors, Tables of Contents, or How to Subscribe. The tables of contents for P&P include issues not yet in print, about two months before their receipt by mail. JPP tables of contents are only posted after the print version is complete. However, there is a separate selection for JPP that allows you to view a list of accepted but not yet published articles, some as long as five months before they will appear in print.
How Do I Access Photobiology Online? To access POL you will need access to the Internet via your institution or via a commercial provider such as America Online or Compuserve, and a web browser software such as Netscape. You can also access POL in a text-only mode with software such as Lynx. Contact your information technology personnel for procedures to obtain these programs. You can then access POL at the following address (URL): http://www.kumc.edu/POL or at http://www.chemres.hu/POL
The American Society for Photobiology would like to thank the following companies and institutions for their generous financial support for the 1996 annual meeting:
American Red Cross
Baxter Healthcare Corporation
Bayer Corporation
Bruker Instruments
Clairol
COBE, BCT, Inc.
EFOS Corporation
ESC Medical Systems
European Society for Photobiology
DUSA Pharmaceuticals
GLAXO-Wellcome
Haemonetic Corporation 400
HemaSure, Inc.
L'Oreal
Melville Biologics
Opotex
Optronic Laboratories
Oriel Corporation
Pall Corporation
PDT, Systems, Inc.
Pharmacyclics
Procter and Gamble
Schering-Plough Healthcare Products
Shiseido
Solar Light Company
SPEX Industries
Steritech, Inc.
Ultraviolet Management and Assessment Panel
Unilever Research U.S., Inc.
Wolff System Technology
CALL FOR ASP AWARD NOMINATIONS
Colin Chignell
You are the sole source each year for suggesting three individuals who deserve recognition for:
All it takes is a letter stating whom you would like to nominate for a given award and why, a copy of the nominee's CV, and another letter of support solicited from another ASP member. Nominations should be sent to:
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