Editor, Richard Loeppky
In this Issue:
Message from the Chair
 This is the last newsletter article I will be writing to you, the eighth of eight, for the better or worse. In some ways it seems like only yesterday that I started. I'll keep this one short.
I have had many things to think about this past year, aside from the Division. My wife Cheryl's unexpected bout with breast cancer was treated successfully. Shortly thereafter, I lost my mother and, more suddenly, my faculty colleague and friend, Jason Morrow. Our toxicology program at Vanderbilt had some setbacks and some successes. I'm a few dollars shorter after mid-September, at least on paper. In all of the professional settings we Division members work in, we face a time of many uncertainties. Yet I have much to be thankful for and for the success in my own research this year.. In my life I have realized that learning, strengthening, and success come out of the struggles. I had to work as a boy and in college and from it learned self-discipline and time management. Speaking more generally, you take the harder courses in college and learn more new things. Your manuscripts and grants are criticized and you learn to think and communicate better. You attack challenging research problems, struggle with them, and then make your most important discoveries. Maybe some of this applies to our Division as well. From our struggles we learn how to improve it.
I write this article with mixed emotions about ending my term. Of course, work was involved and we had some real problems to address when I began. I really appreciated all of the help and involvement of our members. I don't think anyone turned me down when I asked for help with offices and committees (well, not many, anyway). Younger members were ready to get involved. I will continue for two years in office as Immediate Past Chair, and I hope to be able to use this office to provide advice (when asked for it). Of course I will remain fully active and bring trainees with me to the ACS meetings to present their work. (After all, as I write this in November I am still in my early 50's and the prime of life!) I also plan to continue to teach in our Short Course program, at least until someone wants to take my lectures over. Griff Humphreys is working with the ACS to expand the course program we offer in the area of toxicology, one of my goals in the educational and financial development of our Division.
One of the good feelings about leaving the office of Chair is that the post is in good hands. Your next two chairs, Lisa Peterson and Dan Liebler, both trained with me at Vanderbilt in the 80's and I have every confidence that they will do well for you. "LP" has been thoroughly involved in the decision processes in the Division over the past year and has developed a number of ties with the ACS central office. These are two very conscientious people and I am proud of both of them and their accomplishments. You will be too. They will not do everything the way I did, which is good. I tell people in my research group that you cannot model your style only after your mentor (or in this case, the past Chair); you have to learn from how others do things and your experiences and then develop your own style (and, in this case, listen to the Division members).
Don't forget to check out the information about the program at our next meeting in Washington in August. Put the dates on your calendar now. We want to hold better and better meetings.
 As you can see from the photos Dick Loeppky added, I'm going to try to get back in the lab more now-really, I still do experiments myself-and also take some vacation (actually I do that anyway). Maybe take more pictures, too.
When you read this, Thanksgiving will be over and Christmas and New Year will be coming up (also Hanukah, Kwanza, and probably some other holidays if our membership is diverse enough). Have a nice holiday season, and I hope that you are able to celebrate with your families and also find some deeper meaning in all of it. All the best in 2009.
Thanks for the memories. Wiedersehen.
Fred Guengerich
Guengerich Advances TOXI
As Fred Guengerich's term as Division Chair comes to a close, one can't help but speculate on the "environmental impact" of his having more time. Will we see another drop in the Alaskan salmon stocks? Will his return to the lab bring his group to the edge of a new scientific frontier? Will he forge new directions for the Molecular Toxicology program that he leads at Vanderbilt University? Regardless of what he decides to do with his "free time", there is no question that Fred's leadership has had a very substantial positive impact on TOXI and its ability to provide meaningful programming and other services to its members and the scientific community.
Today TOXI is considered by the ACS to be a very "healthy" and progressive division. But, at the start of Guengerich's term organizational and financial problems threatened the viability of the Division. Fred acted swiftly to take care of these problems and then moved TOXI in new directions (see sidebar). He appointed a new Finance and Development Committee that has been chaired by Pete Dedon. This committee has been very successful in raising contributions and long-term commitments to support TOXI programming. The new Short course committee, under the leadership of Griff Humphreys, has also provided another revenue stream. The TOXI members who teach these courses volunteer their time and all the proceeds go to the Division. These courses also have great scientific and professional advancing benefits for the participants
Funding for TOXI's symposia programs at National ACS meetings has mainly come from four sources; competitive NIH grants solicited by organizers and Program Chairs, your Division dues, ACS per capita return funds to TOXI, and industrial or foundation contributions. But TOXI member symposium speakers traditionally receive no remuneration or expenses. NIH funds are now more difficult to obtain.
Guengerich and the TOXI leaders have also emphasized the importance of funding for the annual student poster and presentation award symposium. A buffet dinner or light meal has been provided at no cost to participants and attendees. While there are obvious costs to the Division, this activity has been very successful and provides a number of benefits that go far beyond the normal and expected benefits of scientific stimulation and exchange. It encourages student participation and very high quality papers and presentations. Students, including postdocs and young investigators, interact freely with well known professors and scientists from industry and government in an informal environment. The situation and environment provides an excellent opportunity to recruit young scientists. Both the science and the friendly interaction lead young investigators to enter the field. The fundraising and budget reforms initiated by Guengerich have been very important in securing the continuation of these important programs.
A survey of the TOXI Executive committee at the August ACS meeting revealed many young faces. Through nominations and appointments, many involving new or reactivated committees, Fred has brought enthusiastic cadre of young leaders to TOXI. The diversity and breadth of the group is impressive. Other reforms (see sidebar) have resulted in our ability to vote electronically, ensured a nomination procedure that is not dominated by any one person or group, and allowed the viewing of posters on line.
Fred's two-year term as a Chair of the Division ends at the close of the year. TOXI is much better off as a result of his excellent stewardship and the continuing significant contributions of many members.
Peterson Assumes Chair in New Year
 Lisa Peterson becomes Chair of the Division on January 1, a position to which she was elected in 2007. Fred Guengerich has kept her very involved in TOXI leadership during the past year in order to provide for a smooth transition. One of her initial priorities will be to involve the membership and the Executive Committee in an ACS facilitated strategic planning process. Strategic planning sessions will occur prior to the Washington ACS meeting. She will be looking for good participation from the membership. Lisa also plans to continue to strengthen the financial position of the Division as initiated by Guengerich during his tenure. She said that she will work with the committee Chairs of the Publications, Membership and Short Course committees to strengthen and facilitate their new initiatives. She says, " I think the division can look toward increased activities by the various committees overseeing these activities in the next year". Dr. Peterson is Professor of Environmental Health Science in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota, and is a member of the Minnesota Cancer Center faculty. Read more about her in the December 2007 TOXI Newsletter
Election Results
Chair-Elect
 Daniel C. Liebler, Ph.D., Professor of Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Biomedical Informatics at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine was elected to the position of Chair-Elect for 2009-2010. He has been very active in the Division and has served in a number of capacities including prior election to the Executive Committee.
Dan's training and research has been centered in chemical toxicology from the start of his graduate work in Fred Guengerich's lab at Vanderbilt. Following a postdoc with Don Reed at Oregon State Univ., Liebler accepted a position at the University of Arizona and quickly rose to the rank of Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. Liebler was recruited by Vanderbilt Univ. and accepted a position there in 2003 where he is now Professor of Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Biomedical Informatics in the School of Medicine.
Liebler's research program has focused for over 20 years on the interactions of chemicals with biological systems, including studies of antioxidant chemistry and its expression in biological systems, the development of methods to analyze modified and damaged proteins and the impact of protein damage by reactive chemicals. A major theme of this work has been the application of mass spectrometry technology to probe the chemistry-biology interface. Major areas of his current focus are the characterization of global protein modification by endogenous lipid electrophiles in oxidative stress and the identification of signaling sensors targeted by electrophiles and the mechanisms by which chemical modification of these sensor proteins initiate stress responses. He is a pioneer in the application of MS based proteomics to problems in chemical toxicology.
In January 2006, Dr. Liebler was appointed Director of the Jim Ayers Institute for Precancer Detection and Diagnosis, which is dedicated to the discovery of proteomic markers for early cancer detection and for guiding therapy of established disease.
Executive Committee
Billy W Day, Ph.D., Professor. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh was elected as member at large.
Nominations Committee
Three individuals were elected; They are: Peter Dedon, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Toxicology and Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Kent Gates, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry, University of Missouri, Lawrence J Marnett, Ph.D., Professor of Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University. Larry will be the Chair of the Committee.
Billy W. Day
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Larry Marnett
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Kent Gates
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Pete Dedon
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Sturla Accepts Editorship
Shana Sturla will become the new Editor of the TOXI Newsletter beginning January 1. Her appointment was made by incoming Chair, Lisa Peterson. I (RNL) asked that I be replaced as Editor and the last TOXI board meeting. I thank all who have contributed and helped me over the years, especially Tom Spratt, our current Secretary, who actually formats the Newsletter and puts it on the Web. I am confident that Shana, a professor in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Minnesota, will bring a new look and focus. She will be interested in your stories and will be seeking your help. She can be reached at: sturl002@umn.edu
Chemistry in Cancer Research Meeting
Several TOXI members, along with those of several other ACS Divisions and the AACR Chemistry in Cancer Research Working Group, have been active in the development of the second biennial meeting. This one will be held in New Orleans, February 8-11. For more information activate the link (www.chemistryincancerresearch.org).
Short Courses
The Division will offer at least two short courses in "Chemical Toxicology: A Chemist's Roadmap to Reduce Bioactivation Liabilities in Drug Candidates" at the National Meetings this next year. The first of these will be in Salt Lake City on March 21. The other will be at the August Washington, D.C. meeting.
The Key Topics that will be covered in the courses are:
- Mechanisms of bioactivation
- Enzyme systems involved in bioactivation
- Methods for screening for reactive metabolite formation
- Case studies of structural optimization to reduce the risk of metabolism-mediated toxicity.
- Mechanisms leading to metabolism-mediated genotoxicity
- Covalent binding & relevance to toxicity
- In vivo models to study reactive intermediate generation.
The course instructors are members of our division:
- Fred Guengerich, Past-Chair. Center in Molecular Toxicology, Vanderbilt University
- Kaushik Mitra, Program Chair. Department of Drug Metabolism, Merck Research Laboratories
- Christine Fandozzi, Member, Short-course committee. Department of Drug Metabolism, Merck Research Laboratories
- Griff Humphreys, Chair, Short-Course Committee. Department of Biotransformation, Bristol-Myers Squibb
For more information visit the ACS Web Site.
Dick Loeppky
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