Latest News
Letter from the President, November 2016
Dear Colleagues,
The IBIS Board and the local hosts have been busy putting together the BioIron 2017. We have what I believe to be an outstanding program. No doubt there are sessions that fit in well with your work and interests. The plenary topics emphasize recent developments in the roles of iron in neurodegeneration, chronic kidney disease, and ineffective erythropoiesis. We'll have a plenary session celebrating the discovery of the IRE/IRP system 30 years ago and on the advances in intracellular iron metabolism. A special session will be devoted to the development of iron chelation some 50 years ago. The mysteries surrounding the trafficking of heme molecule continue to unravel, and there will be a plenary session devoted this molecule and its centerpiece. Because iron deficiency continues to be a major public health problem worldwide, there will be a plenary session devoted to this pervasive issue-with emphasis on areas receiving more recent attention (e.g., the elderly, organ systems beyond the erythron). Concurrent sessions nearly cover the gamut of current issues in iron biology. I encourage you to join in the interchange by submitting your work. For those of us with writer's block, we can take solace in published company¹ (see attached). And not to worry, as there is nearly a month before the submission deadline of December 15, 2016.
We will take time at BioIron to acknowledge the contributions of the giants of our field, particularly those we have lost in the past year. These include Thomas Bothwell who passed away November 12. Tom's myriad contributions to iron biology are nicely outlined in an article by Patrick MacPhail, available on the IBIS website. Regarding the website, the board recognizes the need for upgrading. Prior to undertaking that expenditure, we wish to ensure we maximize our funds to provide bursaries to attend BioIron. Please encourage trainees in your labs to apply.
Things are coming together nicely for BioIron 2017. The newly constructed Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center at UCLA is now open and our local hosts, Drs. Elizabeta Nemeth and Tomas Ganz have toured it and find it ideal for our purposes. Don't forget that advanced registration offers savings. Please contact me or any of the board members for comments or suggestions.
Sincerely,
Robert E. Fleming, MD
Professor, Saint Louis University
President of IBIS
¹Upper, D. J Appl Behav Analysis. 3:497, 1974
posted: November 1, 2016