Table of Contents
Extension of Award Deadlines: To encourage more applicants, the deadline for submitting applications for the Presidential Award for Excellence and for the Outstanding Student Award has been extended to 20 March 1996. Application details are contained in the last ISAC Newsletter. Further information about applying for the awards can be obtained from the Society's Secretary, Phillip Dean by email at dean3@llnl.gov, by phone at 510/455-4261 or by FAX at 510/455-9619
We have had a record number of abstract submissions. Over 570 will be published in the supplement, and an additional 30-40 will be copied and placed in the conference notebooks. For this congress all registration materials will be put in notebooks with Italian/European style 4-hole punch. Should you feel the need for the old familiar congress bags, I suggest you bring one from a previous congress.
Stefano Papa and Jean Parker have taken care of all the local and on-site arrangements including shuttle transportation from the hotels to the Palacongressi. The official bank for the Congress will have an office with daily hours at the Palacongressi.
The ISAC General Business Meeting is scheduled at 1300 on Tuesday, 16 April, in the Palacongressi. Many important agenda items affecting the future of ISAC will be discussed. Please plan to attend and participate in your Society's affairs.
The Gala Banquet will be held on Thursday evening at the Palacongressi as the grand finale to the ISAC XVIII Congress. My wife, Lois, is arranging for the music for this event and I promise you it will be fun and a great evening.
We all want to make ISAC XVIII an enjoyable and beneficial experience. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Jean Parker and the ISAC staff in the Breckenridge office before 4 April.
Francesco Mauro
ISAC President
I wish to recognize and thank the members of my Committee for their contributions and work on behalf of ISAC: Ken Ault, Scott Cram and Ole Didrik Laerum. I also thank all candidates for their willingness to serve and congratulate the newly elected Officers and Councilors
Zbyszek Darzynkiewicz, Chair Nominating Committee
ISAC XVIII is fast approaching. We urge you to send in your registration and housing forms as quickly as possible. Although the absolute deadline for housing requests to be sent to the Society office is 13 March, we strongly urge you to get your requests in as early as possible to ensure the hotel of your choice or the category of your choice. Receiving your registration in a timely fashion will enable ISAC staff to be prepared for your attendance and to help registration run smoothly. You will receive confirmations of your hotel arrangements directly from Adria Planning and will be expected to pay a deposit at that time.
Bring warm clothing and rain gear. Rimini is located on the Adriatic coast and the weather can range from mild and sunny to cold and rainy.
Arrangements are being made for shuttle bus service to and from the Palacongressi and the various hotels listed in the pre-program. A schedule will be posted or at the registration desk in each hotel and at the Palacongressi. The service will start before noon on Friday 12 April and continue until after the banquet on Thursday 18 April.
It will be very important to have your badge with you at all times for transportation, admittance to the Palacongressi and to the various sessions. Prior to picking up your registration materials, including your badge, you may be asked to show some identification.
Commercial Tutorials are scheduled to take place on Wednesday morning, 17 April, at the Palacongressi. A brief description of these tutorials is included with this newsletter. Pre-registration is not required and there is no additional fee for attending these sessions, however you should be registered for the Congress in order to gain admittance to the congress center.
We encourage you to contact the ISAC office if you have questions or need assistance for registration, housing or travel. Jeff, Linda, Carol or Jean Marie are available to help you have a beneficial and enjoyable experience at ISAC XVIII. Please feel free to telephone (970-453-1894 or 2058), fax (970-453-2636) or e-mail (
We all look forward to seeing you in Rimini.
Jean Parker, Executive Director
Transportation in Italy:
If you have purchased a rail pass, you must have it stamped at the international window at the train station before boarding your first train. Trains departing for Ancona or Bari from the Milan station will stop in Rimini and require no change of trains in Bologna. However, you may also take a train traveling in the direction of Rome and change in Bologna to a local train to Rimini. At the Rimini train station plan to take a taxi to your hotel (about 8-14,000 lire).
Arriving at the Bologna airport:
Arriving at the Rome airport:
We strongly urge you to watch your luggage at all times in public areas, especially in the Milan and Rome train stations. Please contact the ISAC office if you have questions or need assistance. We hope you have a pleasant trip.
Can you just walk in to any of the Scientific Tutorials held on Saturday, 13 April?
1. No - to attend a Scientific Tutorial, you must have registered for the tutorial(s) of choice and paid a tutorial fee. The fee for attending Scientific Tutorials is NOT included in the ISAC meeting registration fee. A separate tutorial registration form was included in the preliminary program. If you cannot find it, we'll fax you a form. You can also register at the meeting (see items 4 and 5). You may not even "visit" a tutorial temporarily, because doing so distracts the tutor and the attendees. Moreover, once a tutorial starts, a "closed door" policy is in effect to ensure that attendees and tutor can concentrate on the subject.
2. We urge you to preregister--by March 15. Space in the tutorials is limited, so the sooner you register for the tutorial of your choice, the more likely you are to ensure a space. Send in your registration now!
Okay, you've sent in your registration. Now what?
3. If you send in your registration by the ides of March, you're preregistered unless you hear otherwise from us.
4. However, when you arrive in Rimini, even though you preregistered, you must check in at Tutorial Registration to pick up your admission ticket and course material. NO ONE WILL BE ADMITTED TO A SCIENTIFIC TUTORIAL WITHOUT THE APPROPRIATE ADMISSION TICKET. Please do not embarrass the ticket-takers by asking to be admitted--even briefly--without having registered and paid for the tutorial.
5. The registration desk is open for check- in or on-site registration on Friday from 12:00 to 19:00. We strongly recommend that you check in or register on Friday afternoon if you are attending the Saturday morning session. On Saturday, the registration desk opens at 07:00 for the morning session only; afternoon session attendees who did not check in or register on Friday afternoon can do so starting at 08:00.
6. You can register on site at the hours listed in item 5, but be aware that the tutorial of your choice may be filled. Also, be aware that the registration staff will give priority to assisting preregistered participants, so please be prepared to wait patiently.
Anything else?
7. Yes - tutorial course material is intended solely for the tutorial attendees. However, extra material, if any, will be sold for a nominal fee, beginning on Sunday.
In a nutshell: You must register separately for Scientific Tutorials and pay an additional fee. You are encouraged to preregister--be sure, though, to pick up your admission ticket at the Palacongressi Tutorial Registration. However, you can register at Rimini if you must wait.
Contact:
Exhibitor Hours
The meeting is scheduled to be held at the Palacongressi at 1130 in a special area of the restaurant. Lunch will be served during the meeting discussion. Please let Jean Parker in the ISAC office know who will be attending from your Society.
If your Society is not already recognized as an affiliated or Federated Society of ISAC, please consider this as an invitation to do so.
Joe Gray
There will be one poster allotted per board. When designing your poster layout, be sure to allow for borders all the way around.
The decorator will provide double-sided sticky tape for mounting all posters.
Note 2:
Journal Options
Clinical Cytometry Division
There seems to be some confusion about membership in the Clinical Cytometry Division (CCD). Any member of the Society may join the Division at no cost. At its June 1995 meeting, Council decided that there would be no dues for membership in the Division. If you wish to join the Division and participate in its activities, contact the Society Office for a CCD membership application form.
Phil Dean
The good news is that Cytometry continues to rise in scientific stature as judged by our most recent ISI citation index rating. This was 3.43 for 1994, which ranks us first out of 11 biomethods journals and thirteenth out of 74 cell biology journals. This is the first time that Communications in Clinical Cytometry has been included in the index, and so our rating is particularly gratifying.
For the first time in more than a decade, Cytometry has no backlog of unpublished manuscripts. This reverses the situation of two years ago, when we had a substantial backlog. Council pushed strongly to have this backlog removed and allocated funds to this end. Additionally, we have tightened up on the use of space, and have diverted some manuscripts to Communications in Clinical Cytometry. Removing the backlog means that we are able to move manuscripts rapidly through the publication cycle.
Unfortunately, having no backlog greatly increases my level of anxiety. We have been so successful that we now have barely enough manuscripts to fill our full page allowance for each issue. Furthermore, submission of manuscripts to the editorial office has leveled off and a decreasing proportion of articles in Cytometry are being authored by members of ISAC.
I hope that we can increase the rate of manuscript submission. I ask all of you, as members of ISAC, both to consider Cytometry as the journal of choice for your own manuscripts and also to solicit appropriate manuscripts from your colleagues. Additionally, if, at the ISAC Congress or any other meeting, you hear presentations or see posters that seem appropriate for Cytometry, please urge the presenters to submit their work as a manuscript to Cytometry.
Freedom from page pressure also makes it easier for us to plan for special issues or sections. As always, I welcome your suggestions and comments.
At the ISAC council meeting held in Pesaro, Italy, I confirmed my intention to step down as Editor-in-Chief of Cytometry, effective January 1, 1998. This was accepted and plans were approved by Council for the orderly transition of the editorial office to my successor in 1997-98.
Brian H. Mayall
Peter Rabinovitch, CCD Chairman
ISAC owes the Committee members, Lars Bolund, Graeme Chapman, Jerry Hudson, Mariano LaVia, Betsy Ohlsson-Wilhelm, Alberto Orfao De Matos, Maria Pallavicini, Peter Rabinovitch, Vince Shankey, Carleton Stewart, and Leon Wheeless an enormous THANK YOU. I feel extremely fortunate to have been chair of this hard working, dedicated, innovative, committed group of scientists, willing to put individual opinions on the table, face open debate and unify for the good of ISAC. I am very pleased with the result, and, assuming Council accepts the Committee's suggestions for reaching the guiding principles of reduced bureaucracy and increased flexibility, I believe ISAC membership will also be pleased.
I must note, however, in the context of this fundamental issue, I assume members will continue the long-standing ISAC tradition of active dialogue. The proposed Constitutional revisions will be presented and discussed at the General Business Meeting in Rimini. Please attend, participate, and prepare yourself for the mail balloting that follows the discussion.
Before I sign off I seize this opportunity to acknowledge the very significant contributions made to the Constitutional Committee by Brian Mayall and Jean Parker. As members of our ISAC all-star team, they again contributed beyond my ability to define. Please say "Thanks!" next time you see them.
Bart Gledhill,
Mon Feb 26 12:23:26 PST 1996
Arriving in Milan (Malpensa or Linate Airport):
We recommend that you take the bus from the airport to the Milan central train station. You may purchase bus tickets at a counter near the baggage area. The cost is 12,000 lire one way or about $7.50, US. This is the least costly and best way to reach the train station. Buses leave frequently, especially when major international flights are arriving at the airports.
Please contact Adria Planning (in advance of your travel) for shuttle transportation to Rimini. Tel: 39/541-26100, Fax: 39/541-55428
Follow signs to the train area for departure to the Rome Termini Train Station. Taxis are costly and traffic is very heavy except on Sunday morning so we highly recommend using the train to get to the Rome Central Train station. Your airline personnel can assist you if you have questions. A ticket for the train must be purchased before boarding the train. The office is located in the train departure area. Trains depart from the Rome station for Bologna or Falconara, where you must change and board a train to Rimini.
ISAC XVIII Scientific Tutorials:
ISAC members who have attended past ISAC meetings know the value of the Scientific Tutorials. However, not all members understand how to go about attending these important sessions. Here are facts you need to know.
Linda Otto
ISAC
P.O. Box 7849
Breckenridge, CO 80424
USA
Telephone: 970/453-2058
Fax: 970/453-2636
E-mail: linda@colorado.com
ISAC XVIII Exhibit Hours:
We encourage each of you to visit the exhibits. Participation in and support of the exhibits is an important part of our ISAC Congress and contributes to its success. Please let the exhibitors know how much you appreciate their attendance.
Sunday 14 April
09:00 - 18:30 Exhibits Open
Monday 15 April
10:00 - 19:30 Exhibits Open
Tuesday 16 April
09:15 - 13:00 Exhibits Open
Exhibits will be closed between 13:00 & 16:45
16:45 - 20:30 Exhibits Open
Wednesday 17 April
12:30 - 18:30 Exhibits Open
Affiliated and Federated Societies:
The Council of Affiliated and Federated Societies will hold a meeting at ISAC XVIII in Rimini, Italy on Wednesday 17 April 1996.
Poster Information
:
Poster boards at the Palacongressi in Rimini, Italy will be 1 meter in width by 2.5 meters in height (approximately 3' wide x 8' tall).
Walking To The Palacongressi:
The Palacongressi is a brisk thirty minute walk from the street on which most of our hotels are located. From the Piazzale J.F. Kennedy on Viale Amerigo Vespucci, a long narrow city park heads southwest directly to the Congress center. Avoiding all but one street crossing, a wide pathway down the center of the park passes close to the old Roman walls and the Arco d' Augusto. For vigorous wakers, it is a pleasant alternative to the bus ride. Allow a few additional minutes to walk from your hotel to the starting point. It might be advisable to consult a map of the city center the first time you try it.
Society Notes:
Note 1:
A reminder: Membership renewal forms for 1996 were sent to all members last fall. However, many members have not yet paid their 1996 dues. The "Cytometry" journals will only be sent to current paid members. Please remit your dues payment as soon as possible and save your society the expense of renewal notices. If you have any concerns or questions, please contact Linda at the Society Office.
The International Society for Analytical Cytology is pleased to announce that United Kingdom Income Tax Relief regarding membership subscriptions has been approved. This is to inform United Kingdom members they can now claim a tax allowance for their ISAC membership fees.
Message from the Secretary:
Rimini Meeting
At the Congress to be held in Rimini, Italy in April, the ISAC Council will meet three times to carry out the business of the Society. If any member of the Society wishes the Council to discuss a specific issue or has a request to make of the Council, please let me know by 1 April and I will see that it gets on a Council agenda.
I have had several inquiries from members regarding the possibility of substituting Communications in Clinical Cytometry for Cytometry as their member subscription journal. At this time this is not possible. The Society's contract with Cytometry's publisher, Wiley-Liss, states that all members of ISAC must subscribe to Cytometry. However, the request is an understandable one and this issue will be pursued by the Council.
ISAC Secretary
Message from Editor:
I am writing to share some good news, to report on some developments in Cytometry, and to update you on my future plans as your Editor-in-Chief.
Editor-in-Chief, Cytometry
Message from the Clinical Division:
Important changes in the ISAC Constitution are being proposed, as described in the document enclosed with this newsletter. In particular, the nature and organization of "divisions", "sections", or "working groups" within ISAC is in flux, and this directly affects the Clinical Cytometry Division--its future form, structure and role within ISAC. The upcoming business meetings at ISAC will be a principle forum for membership to be heard. Please make every attempt to attend the CCD business meeting in Rimini on Monday, 15 April, beginning at 1330 in Hall A.
Ken Bauer, CCD Chairman-Elect
Report from the Constitutional Committee
:
The Constitutional Committee submitted to President Mauro in late November 1995 a series of detailed and specific recommendations for the revision of the ISAC Constitution and Bylaws. I write this release as Francesco receives the Committee report. The Constitutional Committee is disbanded.
Chair, Constitutional Committee
Meeting Announcements:
3rd AFC Congress
Halle aux Toiles in Rouen
15-18 October 1996
Themes:
Immunology, Hematology, Oncology, Analytical Cytology, Cell Cycle Analysis, Proliferation, FISH, Apoptosis, Cyclin, 3D Imaging, Digital Microscopy, Quality Control.
Tutorials:
Tuesday 15 October 1996
Quantitative Image Cytometry
Absolute count determinations by flow cytometry
Cell cycle software
Registration:
Registration materials and abstract forms were sent to AFC members at the beginning of the year. Additional copies can be obtained by contacting the AFC office.
Information:
For information about the Congress, or a copy of the Congress Pre-program Booklet (including registration and abstract submission forms) contact:
Association Francaise de Cytometrie
P.O. Box 5
F-34830 Jacou
France
Telephone & fax: (33) 67 02 27 34
e-mail: afcytom@citi2.fr
Web server: http://pythie.cnusc.fr:8101/bienve.html
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Human Tumour Heterogeneity II:
Cytometric Measurement of Growth Regulation and Genetic Alterations
An International Working Symposium
Progress in understanding the molecular basis of cancer continues at a rapid pace. Compared to bulk assays used in molecular pathology, flow and image cytometry allow simultaneous measurement of multiple parameters, and provide a direct measurement of cellular heterogeneity. Because the key processes determining tumour progression are likely to be functional pathways involving critical regulatory molecules, cytometry has the unique potential to provide insight into both the underlying biology and the prediction of likely outcome.
The Human Tumour Heterogeneity Working Symposium held at Kananaskis, Alberta, in May 1995 began to address some of the problems associated with the use of cytometry to study the molecular biology of human cancer. An important area that emerged from this first meeting is the interrelation between genetic change and altered growth regulation that is fundamental to cancer. Mapping the key steps involved in human cancers will greatly enhance the utility of cytometry in diagnostic pathology, and in oncology. In the long term is likely to result in the development of novel treatment strategies.
A second Kananaskis working symposium will be held May 24-27, 1996 to address some of the practical issues involved in using cytometry to study genetic change and growth regulation in human cancer. It will be structured around working groups with expertise in cancer genetics and cell cycle regulation. Because the technical problems of quantifying intracellular antigens and in situ hybridization remain an impediment to progress, a major effort will be made to develop a set of guidelines for use in clinical cytometry laboratories. It is expected that this symposium will serve as a prelude to the ISAC main off-year meeting Molecular Pathology, to be held at the University of Toronto in June 1997.
As at the first Kananaskis symposium, the format will be structured to stimulate intense interactions among experts, and there will be no formal style presentations. Kananaskis is an isolated location in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, with an environment that lends itself to intensive workshop meetings. Attendance is limited to 70-80 participants. There is no registration fee, but attendees are required to pay their own expenses (approximately $600 US at the current rate of exchange for five nights shared room accommodation including meals). In addition to established experts in the field, the organizers would like to encourage participation by young investigators, and hope to raise funds to sponsor students and research fellows.
For further information contact:
David Hedley
Princess Margaret Hospital
610 University Avenue
Toronto, Ontario M5G 2M9
Fax: (416)413-2026
Vincent Shankey
Loyola University Medical School
Bldg. 4, Room 237A
2160 South 1st Avenue
Maywood, IL 60153
FAX: (708)216-6585
Leon Wheeless
Department of Pathology
University of Rochester Medical School
Rochester, NY 14642
FAX: (716)275-1027
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Australasian Flow Cytometry Group
19th Annual Meeting and Workshop 1996
First Announcement
Venue:
Hotel Grand Chancellor
cnr Leichart & Wickham Tce
Brisbane QLD 4001
Phone: 07 3831 4055
Fax: 07 3831 5031
A two day workshop will be held before the conference on 2nd and 3rd September. The topics for the workshop are:
Clinical Applications of Fluorescent Probes - David Hedley
PCR/FISH in Clinical Work - Carlton Stewart
The anticipated cost for the meeting including the conference dinner will be approximately $120.00. The costs for the workshop are yet to be worked out, these will be provided in the second notice. Limited funds will be available for student travel, an oral presentation will be made by the recipient(s) as well as helping out with odd jobs during the meeting. A list of accommodation venues with different ratings will be provided with the second notice.
Please send inquiries to:
AFCG Secretary
Grace Chojnowski
FACS Lab QIMR
Herston Rd.
Herston 4029 QLD
Phone: 07 3362 0314
Fax: 07 3362 0107
e-mail: graceC@qimr.edu.au
or
AFCG Treasurer
Greg Bryson
Immunology Dept.
Royal Brisbane Hospital
Hersont 4029 QLD
Phone: 07 3253 8046
Fax: 07 3252 1324
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