April 2025 Newsletter

Message from the Chair

Greetings TOXI. It is an honor to serve as the Chair of the TOXI Division for the next two years. Being a part of TOXI has profoundly shaped my scientific career over the past several decades, and I am committed to upholding the excellence of our Division.

First, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Mike Stone for his outstanding leadership over the past two years. We have had two outstanding Programs at the ACS National Meeting – which is probably our most important function – and we have initiated a TOXI Chapter in India during his tenure. Luckily, Mike will still be on the Executive Committee for the next two years to help me lead the Division. In addition, Mike is the newest member of the Nomination Committee. Since Mike has been active in the Division since its inception, he will have some good ideas on who to nominate for the upcoming elections. If you want to play a more active role in the Division, please contact Mike Stone at michael.p.stone@vanderbilt.edu.

Second, I want to welcome Christie Sayes to the Executive Committee as Member-at-Large. Christie was the Chemical Research in Toxicology Young Investigator Award winner in 2021 and will now play a role in leading the Division.

Third, I thank Linlin Zhao for volunteering to be Communications Committee Chair. It is a tireless job to keep the website updated and manage social media accounts such as Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and Bluesky. If you are savvy — or would like to be savvy — in social media and would like to help us, contact Linlin Zhao at linlin.zhao@ucr.edu.

Fourth, I welcome Michael Trakselis as Chair-Elect. He was Program Chair and is currently Chair of the Membership Committee. Our Division, like all of ACS, is losing membership. In my generation, being part of ACS was helpful in my career — I learned about the newest unpublished research from leaders in the field and presented my own work to scientists, including those on NIH study sections. In TOXI, being a smaller Division, I was able to take on leadership roles. These experiences helped me gain a national reputation and secure funding. Many younger scientists may not see this as a benefit — but you, reading this, are all TOXI members. We could use your insight into how to get your peers to join us. Please contact Michael at Michael_Trakselis@baylor.edu if you would like to be part of the Membership Committee.

Fifth, I want to recognize Ujjal Sarkar, Natalia Tretyakova, and Grover Miller for their initiative and hard work in setting up a TOXI Chapter in India, which we’ve named ACS-IndiaTox. We held a symposium in India this past fall, and our upcoming Spring Virtual Symposium will focus on this initiative. Thanks to Anal Jana, a postdoctoral scholar in the Zhao lab at UC Riverside, and Abdur Rahim, a postdoctoral scholar in the Tretyakova lab at the University of Minnesota, for organizing the symposium. We also thank Deepak Barot for his tireless efforts in helping establish the TOXI-India connection.

Dr. Abdur Rahim
Dr. Anal Jana

Sixth, 2026 will be our 30th year as a Division. We want to highlight our history. Contact Grover Miller — our next Program Chair — with ideas for symposia or a keynote speaker. In the Fall 2025–2026 newsletters, we’d like to publish photos and articles about our founding members. History is not history if we don’t write it down. We want to preserve ours.

Thomas E. Spratt
Chair, Division of Chemical Toxicology

News

Spring Virtual Symposium – April 4, 2025

The Division of Toxicology of the American Chemical Society is pleased to announce a one-day Spring Virtual Symposium
in collaboration with its India chapter, ACS-IndiaTox: Advances in Toxicological Sciences in India.
This event will take place on April 4th, 2025, from 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM (PST).
Confirmed speakers include:

  • Dr. P. I. Pradeepkumar (IIT Bombay)
  • Dr. Anindita Chakrabarty (SNU)
  • Dr. Kasturi Mitra (Ashoka University)
  • Dr. Vijay Kumar (Acharya Institute of Technology)

Additionally, there will be a session dedicated to student presentations.

ACS Fall Meeting Sneak Preview – August 17–21, 2025

Abstracts due: March 31, 2025
Submit your abstract here

Late abstracts may be submitted to Program Chair Dr. Sarah Shuck until May 1, 2025.

TOXI Activities and Achievements

ACS TOXI INDIA 2024: A Grand Success in Advancing AI and ML in Toxicology

Introduction

The Inaugural American Chemical Society Toxicology India Chapter (ACS TOXI INDIA 2024) conference on “The Role of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Assessing Human Toxicity of Xenobiotics and Environmental Hazards” was held on October 14-15, 2024, at Nirma University, Ahmedabad, India.  This landmark event was the first of its kind in India in the field of toxicology, providing a pioneering platform for researchers, students, and professionals to share knowledge and advancements.

The conference achieved four goals.  First, a common general theme was the discussion of modern approaches to drug discovery, environmental toxicology, and human health risk assessment.  Second, the event provided a particular and timely venue to explore the integration of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) in preclinical toxicology and toxicokinetic modeling.  Second, the presentations and discussions were a platform for knowledge-sharing and learning in toxicology for researchers and students from India and across the globe.  Third, the interactions among attendees provided an environment fostering collaborations between academia and industry to drive innovation in the field.  

Distinguished Speakers

The two-day conference featured a diverse agenda with insightful plenary sessions, panel discussions, invited talks, poster presentations, and oral sessions.  There were 81 attendees with 71 from academia, 3 from government, and 10 from industry.  Moreover, the event was shared live through YouTube to expand the impact and preserve recordings for further expanding the impact.  Over 200 people watched the event remotely!  The speakers included a relatively even mix of academia (3), government (3), and industry (4).  Over 30 Students and postdocs also contributed their research experiences in a poster session covering various fields of drug discovery and development with a special emphasis on the toxicology field.

Among the speakers, the event was graced by the esteemed presence of Prof. Dr. Grover P. Miller (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, USA) as the Chief Guest, who delivered a compelling plenary talk.  Adding to the significance of the occasion, Dr. Ujjal Sarkar (AbbVie, USA, Chair ACS TOXI INDIA 2024) and Dr. Deepak Barot (Director, DLS, USA, Chair-Elect ACS TOXI INDIA 2024) delivered inaugural addresses, setting the tone for the conference.  Furthermore, the event featured the following renowned speakers from both industry and academia, who shared valuable insights, fostering engaging discussions and knowledge exchange:

  • Dr. Subrahmanyam Vangala (Reagene Innovations)
  • Dr. Gyanendra Singh (ICMR-NIOH)
  • Dr. Shailesh K. Bhavsar (Kamdhenu University)
  • Dr. Sheelendra P. Singh (CSIR-IITR)
  • Dr. Poonamgiri (Zydus Healthcare)
  • Dr. Jayesh Sheth (FRIGE)
  • Dr. Senthil Natesan (QRL Bioscience)
  • Dr. Krishna Iyer (Bombay College of Pharmacy)
  • Mr. Utsav Gandhi (GEMI)

Poster session and inauguration at ACS TOXI INDIA 2024

Inauguration featuring distinguished guests

Panel Discussion featuring distinguished panellists. Guests

Poster session with student participants and experts

 

These moments captured the vibrant energy and scientific enthusiasm of the conference.

Group picture of ACS TOXI INDIA 2024 participants marking the conclusion of the two-day conference.

It Takes a Village

The success of this conference was orchestrated through several organizations, including the American Chemical Society-Division of Chemical Toxicology India Chapter, in collaboration with the Scientific Educational Conferences International Forum and the Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University.  Importantly, the Organizing Committee in India made this possible through onsite efforts by the following members. Special thanks to Natalia Tretyakova, who was involved in the grant application for this initiative, and Grover Miller serving as our TOXI representative at the meeting.

  • Ujjal Sarkar, Chair, ACS TOXI INDIA 2024
  • Deepak Barot, Chair Elect, ACS TOXI INDIA 2024 
  • Gopal Natesan, Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University
  • H B Patel, Dept. of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, KU, S K Nagar
  • Jigna Shah, Dept. of Pharmacology, IPNU, India
  • Darpesh Gohel, Ribosomes, India
  • Amir Siddiqui, Jubilant Biosys, India
  • Snehal Patel, Dept. of Pharmacology, IPNU, India
  • Prerana Barot, Coordinator, ACX TOX INDIA

A Foundation for Growing Our Community

ACS TOXI INDIA 2024 marked a historic milestone as the first initiative of its kind in India to bring together toxicology experts, AI/ML researchers, and industry professionals.  The conference served as an invaluable platform for collaboration, innovation, and knowledge exchange in toxicology field.  We look forward to fostering continued research and scientific advancements in this crucial field in the years to come.  We extend our sincere appreciation to all speakers, participants, and organizing committees for making ACS TOXI INDIA 2024 a grand success!

Acknowledgments & Funding

The organizing committee extended its heartfelt gratitude to Drs. Sarah Shuck, Michael Stone, Michael Trakselis, Natalia Tretyakova, Grover Miller, Ujjal Sarkar and Deepak Barot for their guidance, support and efforts in organizing this conference. The organizing committee would also like to thank Drs. Grover Miller, Ujjal Sarkar, Deepak Barot & Sarah Shuck for their invaluable contributions in reviewing article drafts for submission to ToxWatch.  The Organizing committee thanked to Ms. Prerana Barot, for coordinating the entire ACS TOXI INDIA 2024 event logistics, administration and seamless event flow.  This event was made possible through funding provided by the two American Chemical Society Innovative Project Grants (IPG) bestowed to the Division of Chemical Toxicology.

ACS TOXI Fall meeting, Denver 2024 

https://www.acs.org/meetings/acs-meetings/fall/attend/image-resources.html?appId=aemshell

Many thanks to our Program Chair, Dr. Sarah Shuck (City of Hope) and Program Chair-elect, Dr. Grover P Miller (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) for organizing the TOXI symposium at the 2024 Fall National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Denver!

TOXI program featured symposia on Current Topics on Toxicology and Elevating Research & Careers in the Development of Safer Drugs through Artificial Intelligence – Sponsored by CINF, Co-sponsored by MEDI and TOXI, TOXI 28th Anniversary Symposium, and Revealing Toxicological Mechanisms of Small Molecules Using Chemical Biology – Co-sponsored by BIOL. We closed the program with a symposium on Advances in Forensic Toxicology- Co-sponsored by ANYL and ENVR. 

 

Awards Symposia

Dr. Snyder received The CRT Young Investigator Award 2024 from Dr. Shuck, the Program Chair

Dr. Bryant-Friedrich, received TOXI Founders Award 2024, from Dr. Shuck, the Program Director

CRT Young Investigator Award 2024 was given to Dr. Nate Snyder, Temple University, who organized a session focused on “Compartmentalization of metabolism across scales”. Dr. Snyder has contributed to key studies in the compartmentalization of metabolism at both the organism and subcellular level. This work has included rigorous and innovative applications of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, less typical biospecimens, and crossed traditional disciplinary boundaries in toxicology.

Dr. Amanda Bryant-Friedrich, Wayne State University, received the TOXI Founders Award 2024 and organized a symposium focused on DNA adducts detection and relevance in human disease. A stellar line up of Toxi senior members delivered outstanding presentations: Drs. Penning, Tretyakova,  Dedon and of course Dr. Bryant-Friedrich herself! She is the Dean of Graduate School and Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Wayne State University. Dr.  Bryant-Friedrich is an experienced scientist with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. Academic Leadership Fellow of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy with a strong commiment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

 

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Shepartz the Keynote Speaker for Fall ACS TOXI 2024

The TOXI Keynote Lecture “Design rules for efficient endosomal escape” was given by Dr. Alanna Schepartz., UC Berkeley. Dr. Schepartz is currently the T.Z. and Irmgard Chu Distinguished Chair in Chemistry at University of California, Berkeley. She was formerly the Sterling Professor of Chemistry at Yale University. Her laboratory is well known for the creative application of chemical principles to understand and control biological recognition and function. Her research has guided thinking in multiple areas of chemical biology, including the understanding of how specificity is achieved during protein-DNA and protein-protein recognition processes; how to design molecules (“miniature proteins”) that function as inhibitors of protein-protein interactions; how these molecules can be engineered to reach the cell cytosol intact and with high efficiency; and the development of β-peptides as protein ligands and as building blocks of protein-like architectures. 

 

 

Thank you to all who participated in the conference in person and virtually!

TOXI Student and postdoc awards for best oral and poster presentations 2024:

Best poster presentation: Rachana Tomar, Niyati Bhandari, Sadia Disha, Qi Zhang

Best oral presentation: Erik Moran, N. Kitamura, Don Pivithuru Liyanarachchi, Andrea Andress Huacachino, Catia Marques 

TOXI travel award winners

  • Catia Marques, Trevor Penning Lab
  • Yi-Tzai Chen, Deyu Li Lab
  • Anal Jana, Linlin Zhao Lab
  • Brianna Trabucco, Cynthia Burrows Lab
  • Abdur Rahim, Natalia Tretyakova Lab
  • Yizhi (Vera) Fu, Mike Stone Lab
  • Sadia Sinty Disha, Michael Trakselis Lab
  • Don Pivithuru Liyanarachchi, Kent Gates Lab
  • Alaa Marwan Abu-Taha                          
  • Grover Miler Lab

ACS Awards for writing ToxWatch or Letters to the Editor

  • Andrea Andress Huacachino Penning Lab 
  • Alaa Marwan Abu-Taha Mliller Lab
  • Anal Jana Zhao Lab
  • Don Pivithuru Liyanarachchi Gates Lab
  • Sadia Disha Trakselis Lab
    Temi Adeniran Min Lab
  • Chinenye Nwike Wright Lab

 

Chair’s Corner

Dan Liebler and Trevor Penning, when they were Chair, wrote small essays on topics of interest.  I don’t remember Trevor’s essays, (sorry Trevor), but Dan wrote several on grant applications, such as how to set up the specific aims page to reflect the gap in knowledge and a key technology or idea to fill the gap.  So, I will count this blog as a success if any one person remembers a single thing I wrote.

Today, my blog is on Politics. Not the president, nor the 15% overhead. But something that connects experimental design to rationale thought in the increasingly hyper-political world.

I teach a course at Penn State with my colleague Maria Bewley. Everyone here says it’s a “Stats” course and I respond that I know very little about statistics, this course is about Experimental Design.  

In the course, we discuss Bayes theory and the P-value. Since we have MD/PhDs in the class, we initially discussed testing for rare diseases. Bayes theory is:

P(D|T) is what the doctor wants to know, the probability that the patient has the disease if the test comes back positive. In our example, the probability of cancer is rare, P(C) = 0.001; the test has lots of power to detect cancer if the patient has cancer P(C|T) = 0.095 , and the false negatives are low  equation_3.pdf.  P(T) is the probability that anyone (healthy and not) should have a positive test. This will be more complicated to calculate: 

Thus, even with a positive test, the probability that a patient has the rare disease is only 2% 

We then focus on designing an experiment: where I will make a change in terms such that C is now our hypothesis (H) that we will be testing, and the test (T) is the data (D) that we collect.  

We can convert this equation to experimental terms that we understand:  P(H) is the prior probability that our hypothesis is true and P(H|D) is the posterior probability that our hypothesis is true based on the pValue from the experiment we just performed. 

When a student proposes a shot in the dark experiment with a prior = 0.001, power = 0.5 and gets a pValue = 0.05, the posterior probability that the student identified the mechanism is low (2%). We teach our students to design 50-50 experiments so that when our pValue = 0.05, the probability that the hypothesis is true is also high (95%). Thus, the way to do science is not with the pie in the sky experiment, but a series of 50-50 experiments that eventually elucidate the mechanism. 

Onto politics. In our heated discussions, even though we have the data on our side, and even if our arguments are powerful, if minds are closed then we will have no chance of convincing them to change their minds. The reason why USA politics, and Thanksgiving dinners, are a mess is because of Bayes. 

The answer lies on the principles of experimental design. 

First, we must approach the problem with open minds. We can’t let irrational emotions skew our prior beliefs so much that we dismiss hypotheses before fairly evaluating them.  

Second, when persuading our idiotic nephews-in law of the truth, we must proceed gradually. The key is not to persuade them of the truth in one discussion, but to do so gradually. The key is to make our ‘discussion hypothesis’ closer to their existing beliefs so that their prior is closer to a 50-50 proposition.

So, when it comes to Thanksgiving dessert, we can’t serve “Pie in the Sky”—as delicious as it may be. Instead, we should serve something more universally palatable, like apple pie à la mode—something almost everyone enjoys, at least to some degree.

– Tom Spratt

 

In Memoriam

 

Dr. Ashis Basu

The chemical toxicology community deeply mourns the passing of Dr. Ashis Basu, a pioneering figure whose research significantly advanced our understanding of DNA damage and repair. His unexpected death on March 13, 2025, has left an irreplaceable void.

Dr. Basu’s distinguished academic journey began with a B.S. from the University of Calcutta, a Ph.D. at Wayne State University under Dr. Larry Marnett, and postdoctoral studies with John Essigmann at MIT. These formative experiences launched a career of groundbreaking contributions.

Joining the University of Connecticut in 1990, Dr. Basu became a leading authority on DNA damage caused by antitumor drugs, carcinogens, and radiation. His work integrated organic synthesis, biochemical assays, and structural analysis, yielding vital insights into DNA adduct mutagenicity and repair mechanisms.

His scholarly output includes over 130 publications — more than 20 in Chemical Research in Toxicology. He served on funding review panels, held leadership roles in professional societies, and contributed as an editor for top journals. Notably, he was Treasurer of the Division of Chemical Toxicology (2010–2011).

Beyond science, Dr. Basu was a devoted mentor whose intellectual rigor and kindness shaped many careers. His legacy will continue to inspire generations of researchers.